Zanjeer, Ardh Satya and Soni – cop trilogy unrigs Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe
Zanjeer, Ardh Satya and Soni – cop trilogy unrigs Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe
Needless to elaborate that in action-oriented Rohit Shetty directorial films, violence is the means and the end;
a cinematic playground of celebrated stars, incredible stunts, and the larger cars as shown in the trailer of the much-awaited Singham Again.
Notedly, Zanjeer, Ardh Satya and Soni share some common ground with Rohit Shetty’s maximalist, formula-driven Cop Universe.
These aren’t cops; they’re supercops with dialogue their language. They are solitary crusaders, waging a battle against an unjust and corrupt system, prepared to go to any extent to restore order and normalcy. Any extent means any extent, even if it involves staging a fake encounter or custodial violence. They’re not just upholding the law; they are the law: rule-breakers with little regard for anything beyond violence.
To them, violence is the path to justice, a response to the delays and inefficiencies that cripple the system. Violence then is both the means and the end, and their bravado the reigning norm.
No points for guessing this is the formula of Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe: a cinematic playground of big stars, bigger stunts, and the biggest cars.
And now, the universe revs up for the Diwali release of Singham Again, easily one of the much-anticipated films of the year and, quite possibly, the only major star-studded release in a year otherwise short on top tier blockbusters. Shetty kicked off this supercharged saga over a decade ago with Singham and Singham Returns, led by Ajay Devgn. He then shifted gears with Simmba and Sooryavanshi, respectively, bringing Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar into the fold. Now, Singham Again rolls out as the grandest instalment yet, uniting Devgn, Singh, and Kumar alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, and Tiger Shroff. And just to keep things fresh, Shetty even ventured into OTT earlier this year with the series Indian Police Force, featuring Sidharth Malhotra, Shilpa Shetty, and Vivek Oberoi, proof that he’s bringing the action everywhere, screens big and small.
A closer look at Shetty’s expedition into the world of cops reveals intriguing nuances. His cop characters swing amid. system defiers and enablers, caught in a constant tug-of-war amid duty and self. Their narratives pivot around the drive to restore order, often by disrupting or destabilising the existing status quo. Beyond their rugged exterior lies a depth pushed by personal loss, an inner imbalance that sharpens their resolve and urgency to act.
Peering beneath the surface one can also spot traces of these tropes in what I call the “Cop Trinity” — Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer, Ardh Satya, and Soni — all artfully composed cop dramas. These films share some common ground with Shetty’s maximalist, formula-driven Cop Universe.
News Edit KV Raman
