Singh Is Bliing

Singh Is Bliing is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Ashvini Yardi and Jayantilal Gada under the banners of Grazing Goat Pictures and Pen India Limited. This is a remake of the Korean film named My Wife Is a Gangster 3. The film features Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta and Kay Kay Menon in leading roles.[5]

Singh Is Bling
Singh Is Bling Movie Poster
Directed byPrabhu Deva
Produced byAshvini Yardi
Written byShiraz Ahmed
Starring
Music bySongs:
Meet Bros Anjjan
Manj Musik
Sajid-Wajid
Sneha Khanwalkar
Background Score:
Sandeep Shirodkar
CinematographyDudley
Edited bySteven Bernard
Production
company
Distributed byPen India Limited (India)
Eros International (Overseas)
Release date
  • 2 October 2015 (2015-10-02)
[1][2]
Running time
139 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹910 million[3]
Box officeest. ₹1.25 billion[4]

Although often misinterpreted as a sequel, it is unrelated to the 2008 film Singh Is Kinng which also stars Kumar in the main lead role, hence qualifying as a quasi-sequel. It was released on 2 October 2015, coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti.

Plot

Raftaar Singh (Akshay Kumar) is a nice and fun-loving but uneducated man, with a mischievous and humorous character. He is thrown out of his home by his father who gives him an ultimatum: if he wants to come back, he must get into business with Kirpal Singh in Goa or marry a fat woman called Sweety. Raftaar chooses the former. Meanwhile, Sara Rana (Amy Jackson) is shown living in Romania with her father, who made bad choices and works for the mafia. Mark, a mafia boss, wants to marry Sara but is rejected by Sara and her father, and shoots Mr Rana in anger. Sara manages to escape to Goa where she hopes to find her estranged mother.

Raftaar meets Kirpal Singh and lies about speaking English in order to get a job taking care of Sara while she is in India. Raftaar and his friends meet Sara at the airport; finding that Sara does not understand Hindi, Raftaar hires a translator, Emily (Lara Dutta). Sara meets Kirpal and feels safe but presumes Raftaar to be a bad guy. Sara's opinion changes when she sees Raftaar helping a woman who was bothered by a bunch of goons. When these goons later come after Raftaar, they are beaten-up by Sara. Emily is shocked to see that Sara can fight, but Sara warns Emily not to reveal about the incident to Raftaar.

Raftaar's friends and Sara are kidnapped by the same goons; Raftaar tries to save them but gets badly beaten. Sara later fights all the goons away and begins to fall for Raftaar. Kirpal feels happy with Raftaar's performance and soon becomes a successful businessman with his help. Mark learns that Sara is in Goa and sends his men to bring her back. Raftaar and Sara try to flee but their car is hit and Raftaar is beaten-up. He later fights them all except for a woman who is beaten-up by Sara. On Kirpal's advice, Raftaar takes Sara to his family home in Punjab.

Sara meets Raftaar's parents, and seeing Raftaar with them she reminisces of her childhood and cheers-up. Raftaar's father asks Sara about her relationship with Raftaar, and she reveals that she is in love with him. Earlier, Emily had handed responsibility to Raftaar to find Sara's lost mother, and they return to Goa where Sara sees her mother with a child, thinking her mother had a second marriage and is happily living her life. Sara decides to go back to Romania, saying she would never return. Raftaar feels heartbroken seeing her leave.

In Romania, Sara finds her father recovering in hospital. Raftaar finds Sara's mother and brings her to Romania, reuniting the family, and Sara confesses her love to Raftaar. Raftaar decides to marry Sara, telling his family and purchasing a cake, flowers and new clothes. He goes to church but is angered when he finds Sara about to marry Mark. Sara refuses to marry Mark, who challenges Raftaar to a fight. Raftaar manages to beat Mark and his men but is shot. Sara is worried that Raftaar may die, but he wakes after remembering the lessons taught by his father and resumes the fight with Mark. Raftaar is able to beat the mafia and Mark, who dies after saying "You're too good, sardaar " (English: 'chieftain' or 'leader'), with Raftaar left hanging by the side of a bridge. Sara and Raftaar confirm their love for each other, and Raftaar is saved and returns to Punjab to celebrate his happiness with his friends, family, and Sara. The film ends with Raftaar and Sara performing a song together.

Cast

Prabhu Deva cameos as a man in the washroom and in the song "Singh and Kaur". Also Sunny Leone cameos as a woman who Singh mistakes for Sara in the airport.

Production

Development
Filmmaker Prabhudheva and actor Akshay Kumar at the film's screening

In early 2014, it was announced that actor Akshay Kumar and director Prabhudheva would be reuniting for another film after their previous blockbuster, Rowdy Rathore. Soon after, it was confirmed that the film would be titled 'Singh Is Bliing' and was to be produced by Grazing Goat Pictures.[8] Kumar had also shot some scenes with a lion.[9]

Kumar made it clear that the film was not a sequel to his 2008 film Singh Is Kinng.[10][11][12]

Casting

After Akshay Kumar was signed for the lead role, Kareena Kapoor was replaced by Kriti Sanon for the female lead.[13][14] After training for the role, Sanon opted out of the film and was replaced by Amy Jackson.[15]

Lara Dutta, who was last seen in the simultaneous release of the 2013 films David (Hindi version) and David (Tamil version), made a comeback with Singh Is Bling.[16][17]

It was reported that actor Vivek Oberoi would play the negative role in the film,[18] but he was replaced by Kay Kay Menon as the main antagonist, Mark.[19]

Actor Kunal Kapoor, who was last in the 1985 film Trikal, was signed to play Sara Rana's father.[7]

Filming
Final portions of the film were shot in Romania's Hunedoara Castle.[20]

Principal photography started in early April 2015. Kumar posted a photo on Twitter stating the film's first day shoot.[21][22] The film started its first day shoot in Patiala.[23] Portions of the film were reportedly shot in Goa in early May 2015.[24][25] The final portion of the film including the climax was reportedly shot in Romania's Hunedoara Castle in the first week of July.[20][26][27]

Release

Objections by Sikh clergy
Images of The Holy Golden Temple of Amritsar in the film's trailer sparked controversy for being equated with alcohol and chicken.

Shri Akal Takht Jathedar (the highest member of the Sikh clergy), Giani Gurbachan Singh, objected to scenes in the film's trailer. He said that equating Holy Golden Temple with whisky and chicken is highly objectionable, as were film posters which had Kada with inscribed Gurbani shown with semi-clad women. It was appealed that Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should be consulted by all film producers before producing movies showing Sikh characters, religious places or religious symbols.[28][29][30]

Censorship

Some Sikh organisations raised objections to scenes of the film which contained Kara used as a weapon and the lead character's turban being set on fire. Central Board of Film Certification decided to delete these scenes from the film. Kumar screened the movie for the organisations to ensure nothing that would hurt the Sikh community was shown.[31]

Critical response

Shubha Shetty Saha from Mid Day described the comedy as "random and silly", but commented that "it is this randomness that also makes it a breezy, entertaining film".[32] Devesh Sharma from Filmfare wrote that filmgoers should "watch the film if you like cornball comedies".[33] Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express, however, was less receptive to the film, which she rated 1.5 stars of 5, expounding, "The only thing which saves it is that it wears its silliness proudly on its hero's 'pug' (turban)".[34]

Rohit Vats from Hindustan Times noted the film's plot holes, poor screenplay and problematic dialogue.[35] Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV wrote, "What is irretrievably amiss with the film is that nothing it says manages to drift anywhere near some degree of coherence."[36] Surbhi Redkar from Koimoi commented, "Akshay Kumar's Singh Is Bliing is enjoyable in parts but as a whole it is not up to the mark. It loses its bling over time and you are just left watching the silly antics of Mr. Singh."[37]

Tushar Joshi from Daily News and Analysis wrote, "Singh is Bliing has some genuinely funny moments and Lara Dutta brings a certain freshness to the film."[38] India TV wrote, "Overall, Singh is Bliing does not disappoint. One steps in expecting mindless humour, entertainment and some fairly good performances and on that front the film delivers. That there would be a spectacular story was never an expectation".[39]

Bishwajit Aribam from Tehelka said that the film seemed to be a copy of the 2006 South Korean film My Wife is a Gangster 3.[40]

Soundtrack
Singh Is Bliing
Soundtrack album by
Sneha Khanwalkar, Manj Musik, Sajid-Wajid and Meet Bros
Released28 August 2015
Recorded2015
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length30:46
LanguageHindi
LabelZee Music Company
ProducerDhaval Gada

The soundtrack album of Singh is Bliing consists of eight songs with an unplugged versions and two remix versions. Sneha Khanwalkar composed only one song titled "Tung Tung Baaje", Sajid-Wajid composed one song titled "Cinema Dekhe Mamma" and Meet Bros also composed one song "Dil Kare Chu Che". Manj Musik composed two tracks "Singh And Kaur", "Mahi Aaja", the remix versions of the two tracks he composed and an unplugged version of the song "Mahi Aaja". Sandeep Shirodkar composed the film score. The lyrics were penned by Sneha Khanwalkar, Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur, Raftaar, Big Dhillon, Wajid, Irfan Kamal and Kumaar. A single from the film "Tung Tung Baaje" was launched digitally on 12 August 2015, and was premiered with another Akshay Kumar-starrer Brothers on 14 August 2015, which is something new for a Bollywood film.[41] The full album was released on 28 August 2015,[42] and received positive reviews from critics. Popular music website Glamsham rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "The album does manage to live up to its expectations" and chose "Tung Tung Baaje", "Singh And Kaur" and "Maahi Aaja" as their picks.[43]

No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Tung Tung Baje"Sneha KhanwalkarSneha KhanwalkarDiljit Dosanjh, Nooran Sisters04:43
2."Singh And Kaur"Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur, Raftaar, Big DhillonManj MusikManj Musik, Nindy Kaur, Raftaar03:30
3."Cinema Dekhe Mamma"Wajid, Irfan KamalSajid-WajidWajid, Shaan, Ritu Pathak04:09
4."Mahi Aaja"Manj MusikManj MusikManj Musik, Shashaa Tirupati03:20
5."Dil Kare Chu Che"KumaarMeet BrosLabh Janjua, Anusha Dandekar, Meet Bros03:59
6."Mahi Aaja" (Unplugged)Manj MusikManj MusikArijit Singh03:39
7."Singh And Kaur" (Remix)Manj MusikManj MusikManj Musik, Nindy Kaur03:37
8."Mahi Aaja" (Remix)Manj MusikManj MusikManj Musik, Shashaa Tirupati03:50
Total length:30:46

Box office

The film became Kumar's highest-opener, beating the previous record of Brothers as it collected ₹206.7 million (equivalent to ₹250 million or US$3.5 million in 2019) net on its opening day.[44] On its second day the film collected ₹145.0 million (equivalent to ₹180 million or US$2.5 million in 2019) net. The film collected ₹192.7 million (equivalent to ₹230 million or US$3.3 million in 2019) net on its third day, bringing its first weekend total to an estimated ₹544.4 million (equivalent to ₹660 million or US$9.3 million in 2019).[45] By the end of its first week, the film collected approximately ₹780 million (equivalent to ₹950 million or US$13 million in 2019) net.[46]

The film grossed over ₹1.25 billion worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.[4]

Overseas

The film grossed ₹65.2 million (equivalent to ₹79 million or US$1.1 million in 2019) on first two days of its release overseas.[47]

References
  1. Singh Is Bling – BBFC. BBFC.
  2. Singh Is Bliing – IFCO. Irish Film Classification Office.
  3. "Singh is Bliing – Movie – Budget & Box Office". Box Office India. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  4. Special Features: Box Office: Worldwide Collections of Singh Is Bliing – Box Office, Bollywood Hungama. Bollywoodhungama.com. Retrieved on 28 October 2015.
  5. "Amy Jackson: Hindi is far easier a language to pick up than Tamil".
  6. 'Singh is Bliing': Akshay Kumar introduces Raftaar Singh. The Indian Express. 8 August 2015
  7. Shashi Kapoor's son Kunal Kapoor returns to acting with Akshay Kumar's 'Singh Is Bliing'. The Indian Express. 26 June 2015
  8. Akshay Kumar Explains What's 'Bling' in Singh is Bliing. NDTV. 2 October 2015
  9. Akshay Kumar shoots with real lion Archived 29 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. BizAsia. Shyam Sudra. 24 September 2015
  10. 'Singh is Bling' has nothing to do with 'Singh is Kinng'. Deccan Chronicle. 29 April 2014.
  11. Akshay Kumar: 'Singh Is Bling' Absolutely Different from 'Singh Is Kinng. Indiawest. 19 August 2015.
  12. "Singh is Bling not a sequel to Singh is Kinng". singhisbling (unofficial). Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  13. "Losing Singh is Bling unfortunate says Kriti Sanon". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  14. Kriti Sanon Replaces Kareena Kapoor as Akshay Kumar's Heroine. NDTV. Manisha Dhingra. 26 June 2014
  15. 'Singh Is Bliing' my dream role: Amy Jackson. The Indian Express. PTI. 28 September 2015
  16. "Amy Jackson replaces Kriti Sanon in Akshay Kumar's Singh Is Bling". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  17. Akshay Kumar's range as an actor has become huge: Lara Dutta. The Indian Express. 1 October 2015
  18. Vivek Oberoi to play villain in Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Singh Is Bling'?. Mid Day. 14 January 2015
  19. Akshay Kumar, Kay Kay Menon Reunite as Opponents in 'Singh Is Bling'. India West. RM Vijaykar. 24 July 2015
  20. Akshay Kumar to shoot 'Singh is Bliing' climax scene in Count Dracula's castle. Times of India. Mohar Basu. 17 July 2015
  21. Akshay Kumar's tweet. Twitter. 2 April 2015
  22. Akshay Kumar starts shooting for 'Singh is Bling'. Times of India. 3 April 2015
  23. Akshay Kumar begins shooting for 'Singh Is Bliing' in Patiala. Deccan Chronicle. 4 April 2015
  24. Lara Dutta loved shooting for 'Singh Is Bliing' in Goa!. Zee News. Dhriti Sharma. 22 May 2015
  25. First look: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson in 'Singh Is Bling'. Mid Day. 26 May 2015
  26. "Final portion of Singh Is Bling to be shot in Romania". Bollywoodhungama. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  27. "Final portion of Singh is Bling to be shot in South Africa and Romania". Bollywoodhungama. 28 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  28. Yudhvir Rana, TNN (25 August 2015). "'Singh is Bling' earns wrath of Sikh clergy". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  29. "Akshay Kumar starrer Singh Is Bling earns wrath of Akal Takht : Mail Today, News". India Today. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  30. SGPC and Delhi Committee lock horns over Singh Is Bling Movie controversy | Sikh Siyasat News. Sikh Siyasat. Paramjit Singh. 6 September 2015.
  31. Bollywood Superstar Akshay Kumar Courts Controversy With 'Singh is Bliing'. Forbes. Rob Cain. 30 September 2015
  32. 'Singh Is Bliing' – Movie Review . Mid Day.
  33. Movie Review: Singh Is Bliing . Filmfare. Devesh Sharma. 2 October 2015
  34. Singh Is Bliing movie review: Everything about this Akshay Kumar starrer stoops low . The Indian Express. Shubhra Gupta. 2 October 2015
  35. Singh Is Bliing review: Nothing is shining here . Hindustan Times. Rohit Vats. 2 October 2015
  36. Singh is Bliing Movie Review . NDTV. Saibal Chatterjee. 2 October 2015
  37. Singh Is Bliing Review . KoiMoi. Surbhi Redkar. 2 October 2015
  38. Singh is Bliing review: Despite the rehashing and repackaging, Lara Dutta steals the show from Akshay Kumar! . DNA. Tushar Joshi. 2 October 2015
  39. 'Singh is Bliing' – No expectation, no disappointment . India TV. 2 October 2015
  40. Aribam, Bishwajit. "Singh Is Bliing Review: Prabhudeva's nonsensical desi takes on a Korean hit". Tehelka. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  41. "Singh Is Bliing's 'Tung Tung Baje' song attached to Brothers". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  42. "Singh Is Bliing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes.
  43. "The audio of SINGH IS BLIING does manage to meet the expectations and the songs are fun and entertaining". Glamsham. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  44. 5 box office records that Akshay Kumar's 'Singh is Bliing' has made so far!. Daily News and Analysis. Nayandeep Rakshit. 4 October 2015
  45. Akshay Kumar's 'Singh is Bliing' mints Rs.54.44 crore in three days. The Indian Express. 5 October 2015
  46. KoiMoi – Box Office – Week One Collections Of Singh Is Bliing And Talvar. M.koimoi.com (9 October 2015). Retrieved on 28 October 2015.
  47. Singh Is Bliing Overseas Box Office Report. KoiMoi. 4 October 2015
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