Why Salman Khan’s cameo in Singham Again is a big disservice to his fans

Actor Salman Khan’s cameo in Singham Again was shot right before the film’s release and attached to the prints at the very end. The cameo marked the superstar’s entry into Rohit Shetty’s cop-verse, which already has big stars like Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff. The whole idea was to show the audience that this universe is grander than their imagination. But, every grand gesture doesn’t end up being impressive.
When you get Salman Khan on board, your stakes rise. You need to justify his stardom and his invincible screen presence. He becomes both the meat and the might of your film, irrespective of whether it’s a cameo, a special appearance or a full-fledged role. And Singham Again failed to justify what he truly stands for.
Imagine you wait for the entire film to get over, just to see Salman in a static five-second-long still lacking any context or background. He simply stands on the periphery of Singham’s cabin, and says ‘swaagat nahi karoge humara’. Now, we get that the makers probably only wanted to reveal that Salman has officially joined this cop-verse, but what about the treatment that he deserves on-screen as one of the legit superstars of the century? Did the cop-verse become bigger than his stardom at that moment? He is not your regular popular actor or somebody who’s famous for being famous. He represents the mass, and carries with him a legacy of 36 years of megastardom.
Is taking cues from his special appearances in films like Pathaan so difficult? In the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, he jumped inside a moving train in the middle of nowhere and took away all the claps and whistles for his memorable saving-the-day performance. You convinced Salman to be a part of your film, and half of the job was done. There’s so much that one could have done to utilise his name and fame in Singham Again.
All one had to do was give him some time and more to perform. Action, comedy, drama… largely action, but they chose to make him stand still for a few seconds. The only action happening in that scene was Ajay Devgn turning his chair to see him.
Leave action, Salman’s cameos in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke and Saawariya seem more relevant and impressive than his tiny appearance in Singham Again today. Even when he’s not becoming the rowdy hero on-screen – a truck driver in DAPK and a lost lover in Saawariya – he’s creating more noise and leaving a longer effect on the audience’s mind.
With Singham Again, it’s almost like they got Salman and then stopped thinking what’s next.
And all of this happened in a cinematic universe known for designing fabulous cameos: Ajay Devgn entering Sooryavanshi or Akshay’s introduction in Singham Returns. Cameos in Rohit Shetty’s films have written history in Bollywood, but Salman’s didn’t even seem celebratory, let alone captivating or historic. At best, it was a blink-and-miss appearance. Oh, look! Salman as Chulbul Pandey… and then poof, everything vanishes before you can even blink.
There’s no universe in the absence of bright stars, and when you find the brightest one, it’s your duty to ensure its sparkle never dims.