Review: `Singam 2` bigger but not better

In ‘Singam 2’, Suriya as Duraisingam spends most of his time running and chasing baddies. This explains why he is trim with a six pack and beefed up biceps, while the rest of the police department is not physically fit.

The reason Suriya is running when he could chase them in his car is because he is in pursuit of international villain Danny, who is the kingpin of a big drug cartel. This is in brief what we get to see in the highly anticipated sequel, which is not even half as good as its prequel. For those, who had watched ‘Singam’ and walked into cinemas hoping to be entertained, ‘Singam 2’ comes as a blow in the face. It`s exactly what you don`t want to see in a sequel, especially one which follows a highly entertaining and racy prequel. The film opens with a quick recap of ‘Singam’, and now Duraisingam, who has resigned from his job, is working as a NCC leader in a private school in Tuticorin, where he moonlights as an undercover cop to bust illegal activities happening on the coast. Further investigation reveals that under the control of Danny, drugs are being imported into the town and those helping him in this business are Thangaraj, Bhai and Sagayam. It is with the help of the trio that Danny has been importing drugs worth crores of rupees. How does Duraisingam bring down the empire of Danny, and seal all his illegal activities that he has been doing for years forms the rest of the story. If you can sit through the 165-minute-long film watching one man running all through Tuticorin in the name of justice and in between grooving to five songs, then you might like ‘Singam 2’. However, if you`re expecting a racy, edge-of-the-seat cop flick, this is not your film. There is plenty of action, but it just gets too much after a point of time. Why would a policeman not shoot at baddies who are ready to ambush his family and instead fight? This is exactly why the film runs for nearly three hours when it could`ve been easily reduced by a good half an hour. ‘Singam 2’ is definitely bigger, but it never gets better in the process of entertaining its viewers. It has a storyline that could keep you hooked but what doesn`t work in the favour of the film is the presence of too many characters and a weak screenplay. The initial premise of the film doesn`t get converted into a story worth lauding. Even though Suriya shines in his role, there is hardly any noticeable contribution from the rest of the cast. In fact, most characters hardly have any purpose. One such role is that of the chief minister (CM), played by veteran director K. Vishwanath. Hari directs ‘Singam 2’ without a soul. He desperately tries to make the sequel a better film than its prequel, but eventually fails in the process. Devi Sri Prasad`s music is passe. The background score misses energy. Haricharan Pudipeddi/IANS