Singham redefined

After the stupendous success of Singham Returns, director Rohit Shetty is back with another cop film Simmba. Set to hit the silver screens on December 28, the film has Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan in the lead. But this one is different from his previous films of the same genre, as Ranveer will be seen essaying the role of a corrupt cop, and Sara will play his love interest.  

Rohit says, “Singham was a lion, and Simmba is his cub. The film is a remake of Telugu film Temper in which NTR Jr had played the lead.” The director says he loved NTR’s character and he wrote a screenplay revolving around the character. “I was doing an ad with Ranveer and we spoke about this character and told him it would be interesting. Ranveer loved the idea, but he was doing other films. And finally, we made it now,” he adds.

Refuting the speculations that the film is a sequel to Singham and Dabangg, Rohit says, “Speculations will always do the rounds. When we were doing Singham, they said we were doing Dabangg. But if I make another Singham, it will be too boring. It’s the story of a child, who looks up to Singham and ends up becoming Simbaa.” 

The film deals with the serious issue of women safety. Rohit says, “The first 45 minutes is a typical Rohit Shetty film, but after that it starts focusing on a serious issue and we don’t deviate from that. Family audience is my major audience. I will not show anything that hurts them. But it’s a different film and that you will see yourself.”  

Ranveer, whose last film Padmaavat was a huge success, is excited about the upcoming film even more than the director. He says, “I always wanted to do a Rohit Shetty film. It’s for the first time I am playing a complete masala hero. There are no cars flying in this film. It is like an evolution of all Rohit Shetty films. Masala films will never be the same after this film. I am happy with the way the film has shaped up.”

Sara’s performance in Kedarnath earned her applauds, but this film holds equal importance for her as it’s a completely different genre. Sara reveals she pestered Rohit to cast her in the film. “I am a huge fan of Rohit sir, but he replied to my third message. I had a blast working with him, and I don’t think it’s sensible to talk about him as I am just one-film old. He has a legacy of hits. He is the most outstanding person. We all feel invested, and that’s the vibe he keeps spreading,” she adds.  

Meanwhile, on casting Sara, Rohit says, “It was Abhishek Kapoor’s initiative. He wanted me to cast her for Simmba. And I am glad I selected her. She is a typical Hindi film heroine, and a complete actor for any kind of cinema. Frankly, I see her as the next superstar.” 

Though Ranveer and Rohit have worked on several ad films, it’s their first movie together.
“He has great energy and he is a good human being. Our association will work for years now.  He’s like a kid and he’s naughty but he has a clear heart. He has done some serious scenes that will give you goose bumps,” says Rohit.

Ranveer also shares the same respect for his director. “The best part of Rohit sir is that he does so much homework for his films. He took four days to design an entire action piece with fighters, edited it and showed me a ready piece,” he adds.   

Post this film, Ranveer plans to take a break. He has filmed Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy that will release next year. “I will start shooting for 83 World Cup with Kabir Khan and Karan Johar’s Takht soon,” he adds.
Sara, on the other hand, has not signed any projects yet. “I will wait for the reactions of the audience and the industry.”