“Singham Again,” released on November 1, 2024, directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Rohit Shetty Picturez, Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios, and Devgn Films, stormed into theaters with the promise of escalating the Cop Universe to new heights. Starring Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham, alongside a star-studded ensemble— Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff, and Jackie Shroff — this fifth installment aimed to blend high-octane action with a Ramayana-inspired narrative. Yet, its chaotic screenplay, excessive action, a forced mythological parallel, and a tangle of pointless subplots will leave audiences more exhausted than entertained.

The plot follows Singham, now posted in Kashmir, battling terrorist Omar Hafiz (Shroff) and his grandson Zubair, aka Danger Lanka (Kapoor), who kidnaps Singham’s wife Avni (Kapoor Khan) as revenge. Cue the Cop Universe cavalry—Simmba (Singh), Sooryavanshi (Kumar), Lady Singham Shakti (Padukone), and Satya (Shroff)—rushing to Sri Lanka for a rescue mission framed as a modern Ramayana, with Singham as Ram, Avni as Sita, and Zubair as Ravana. It’s a premise with potential, but Shetty’s execution is a relentless barrage of explosions, car flips, and fistfights that buries any hope of coherence or emotional stakes under rubble.

The action, Shetty’s calling card, is absurdly overdone. Cars soar, buildings crumble, and Singham headshots foes with a finger-point—all choreographed by Grant Hulley and Sunil Rodrigues with a bombast that crosses into parody. At 144 minutes, it’s a sensory assault that numbs rather than thrills, with CGI-heavy stunts—like a sped-up Tiger Shroff sequence—looking cheap despite the budget.

The Ramayana parallel, meant to elevate the narrative, feels tacked-on and cringe-inducing. Avni’s Ramleela interludes—where she lectures her Gen-Z son on cultural history—clash awkwardly with the cop drama, slowing the pace to a crawl. Singham finding her dropped bangles (a Sita nod) leads nowhere, and characters like Simmba (Hanuman) or Satya (Laxman) get forced mythic labels that add nothing but confusion.

Then there’s the sprawl of subplots—each more unnecessary than the last. Deepika’s Lady Singham struts in with fanfare but fizzles, her role a glorified cameo with no arc. Tiger Shroff’s martial arts flair is wasted on a throwaway character, while Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi drops in for action and quips that feel recycled. The script, credited to six writers including Shetty, juggles Kashmir politics, drug syndicates, and a Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) teaser—none developed beyond surface noise.

Ajay Devgn’s Singham is a shadow of his 2011 self—stoic to the point of sleepwalking, his swag dulled by a script that prioritizes ensemble flexing over his arc. Ranveer Singh’s Simmba injects manic energy, stealing scenes with motormouth antics, but even he can’t offset the lethargy. Arjun Kapoor’s Danger Lanka is a menacing highlight, yet his cunning unravels into cartoonish folly. Kareena’s Avni is a damsel in distress, underserved by a role that reduces her to a plot pawn. The rest—Padukone, Shroff, Kumar—feel like expensive window dressing.

Ravi Basrur’s score blares incessantly, amplifying the headache, while Jomon T. John’s cinematography offers slick visuals that can’t mask the narrative rot. It’s a bloated, action-drunk slog with a Ramayana fetish and subplots galore—none adding up to a film worth rooting for.

Rating: 2/5

A noisy, overstretched misstep— “Singham Again” roars loud but forgets to resonate.