Rohit Shetty’s upcoming film ‘Singham Again‘ is set to release on November 1, during the Diwali festival. This multi-starrer film features a star-studded cast, including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh, and it is part of Shetty’s popular cop universe. Recently, Milap Zaveri, one of the writers of the film, addressed the inclusion of the Ramayan storyline and clarified that it was not added later to capitalize on the Diwali release.
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Zaveri emphasized that the Ramayan elements were integral to the script from the beginning. He stated, “On the script level, 1000 percent. I am yet to watch the final film but on the script level, 100 percent it is better than the other Singhams. The emotion of Ramayan that Rohit has brought into the script is beautiful. It is going to create a place in every Indian’s heart.” This assertion highlights that the narrative was carefully crafted to intertwine with themes from the Ramayan rather than being a last-minute addition for commercial gain.
Zaveri explained that the initial idea of merging elements of the Ramayan with the ‘Singham’ series came from Kshitij Patwardhan, who proposed this concept to Rohit Shetty. “The story is by Kshitij Patwardhan. When Kshitij met Rohit, he already had this thought what if we marry Ramayan with the Singham cop universe and create this story and I think Rohit loved it. This film was originally going to release on August 15, which has nothing to do with Diwali. The film was delayed at the shooting stage so it just so happened that we are now releasing on Diwali with a film that has Ramayan in it. This is a co-incidence. We haven’t added Ramayan to encash Diwali. Ramayan was in the script right from the start, even when we were not coming to theatres on Diwali,” he said.
The film’s plot reportedly features Ajay Devgn’s character embarking on a mission reminiscent of Lord Rama’s quest to rescue Mata Sita. The villain played by Arjun Kapoor draws inspiration from Ravana, while Tiger Shroff’s character worships Devgn’s Singham in a manner akin to Lakshmana’s devotion to Rama. Additionally, Ranveer Singh portrays a character likened to Lord Hanuman, and Akshay Kumar embodies Garuda .
However, ‘Singham Again’ has faced challenges from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which has recommended several cuts before granting a U/A certificate. Reports indicate that around 7.12 minutes of footage has been edited out due to concerns over specific scenes referencing the Ramayan. Key modifications include altering a 23-second match cut that juxtaposes Lord Rama, Sita, and Hanuman with Singham, Avni, and Simmba. Additionally, a 26-second dialogue was changed due to potential impacts on “international diplomatic relations.” Scenes depicting Raavan’s aggression towards Sita were removed, and the color of a religious flag was altered, along with the removal of the ‘Shiv Strota’ from the background score.
Singham Again – Title Track