Rohit Shetty On Singham’s Legacy: 'Started As Wanting To Make Action Film, Did Not Know It Would Become Cult Character'

The makers of Singham Again unveiled the much-anticipated trailer of the Cop Universe in a grand launch in Mumbai, which was attended by the Free Press Journal on Monday, October 7, 2024. The movie stars Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Ravi Kishan and Arjun Kapoor, among others.

At the event, speaking about the Cop Universe, director Rohit Shetty said that he started Singham with a plan to direct a normal action film, which was a remake of a South movie and he thought of making a hardcore mass film.

Shocked by the response, Shetty added, "Hume pata nahi tha ki itna pyaar milega Singham ko ki aaj wohh ek cult character bann jayega. Then came Singham Returns. And then came Simmba and even in that, we thought of experimenting by adding Singham in it and that was the first time. Then came Sooryavanshi. There was a pandemic and the trailer of the movie, which had not been released for 2 years, I still remember, was a trailer for the film. It was released 2 years ago. Everybody was telling me to put on digital; I still remember that day; it was Diwali. And there was 50% occupancy. You couldn't eat anything. You had to wear a mask. But we took the risk."

Arjun, who plays an antagonist, stated that he is 'overwhelmed' and said that whatever he has done in Singham Again is all credited to Rohit Shetty. "It is up to the audience to decide how much they like what I have done. Rohit sir, ne jab ek jhalak di thi about the narration; it is a combination of the modern interpretation of the Ramayana. I just felt honoured and blessed that he has chosen me to be a part of this. I have seen films like Golmaal and Singham and reached out to him, saying, 'I want to work with you.' I did not know that dreams can come true to this extent so I am very overwhelmed. Meine Singham Chandan cinema mein and Singham 2 Gaiety Galaxy mein jake dekhi hai.

"I may be playing the antagonist, the Ravan, but, mere liye, the small child in me, who loves cinema, is so happy and so proud to be a part of this massive extravaganza of entertainment for our audiences. There is no better combination than Rohit Shetty, Ajay Devgn and the team to give the audience a Diwali to remember. I have earlier worked with Bebo and Ranveer; it has been a privilege to work with Akshay, Ajay, and Tiger. I am a very lucky guy right now; I am just pinching myself to believe if this is actually true," added Kapoor.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who plays the role of Singham's wife, Avni, expressed her excitement, stating, "Ramayana mein Sita ho aise ho nahi sakta and Rohit Shetty ke film mein Kareena Kapoor naa ho aise ho nahi sakta. Thank you so much to Rohit and Ajay for always supporting me, for always giving me a special role in this male-centric cop universe, and in this film, to represent Sita, I am very, very, very honoured and very overwhelmed. Rohit and Ajay will always be my favourites. I think they are my fans and everybody knows that."

New dad Ranveer Singh added, My wife (Deepika Padukone) is very classy, but when she comes in a massy avatar, it makes me the happiest. I am so grateful to be a part of the cop universe and to share screen space with my idols, Ajay, Akshay, and Ravi. Rohit Shetty Picturez is like home to me."

Singham Again is slated to release on November 1, 2024, coinciding with Diwali.