Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; December 25, 2018)

This is not the first time that the filmmaker Rohit Shetty is making a cop drama. This is his universe and a space that he is familiar with. The maker whose Simmba starring Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan releases this Friday, tells us that during the course of making these cop films, he has forged a relationship with the men-in-uniform, “I know a lot of cops, because I have already made two films, Singham (2011) and Singham Returns (2014) with a cop as the protagonist. In fact, for Singham Returns I had the luxury of shooting anywhere that I wanted because the police extended their help. They feel a strong connect with my films. Thier job is really tough and often it is thankless,” he adds.

Rohit stresses that police’s portrayal in cinema should be done senstitively. He says, “It’s compulsory for every traffic check post to have a lady cop. Have we ever thought where a lady cop will go in case she needs to visit the rest room? The lady cops also have kids, who have to go to school in the morning. But do we spare a thought for them? I work very closely with them so I understand their problems. I have been accused of showcasing them as heroes in my films, when the general perception is that corruption is rampant in their profession. But there are good and bad people in all professions. If the cops shut down their headquarters for a day, the city will become a jungle. The cops have already asked me about a trial show of Simmba. I will organise the show for the police force.” Shetty’s films have also added a sartorial influence on cop uniforms. He reveals, “There is something called the Singham fitting — lots of cops insist on their uniforms being well-cut like the ones that were worn by Ajay Devgn in the Singham films.”