Over the years as an actor, director and writer, RJ Balaji has created a stamp for himself. It’s as if he’s offering a minimum guarantee to those who see his movie in theaters. After venturing into thrillers with ‘Run Baby Run’ in 2023, director RJ Balaji has opened 2024 with Gokul’s ‘Singapore Saloon’.
Kathir (RJ Balaji) comes from a middle-class family in a village. He grows up with his best friend Barsha (Kishen Das) who stays with him through thick and thin. As they grow up, they decide that Chacha (Lal), a local barber, is their enemy because he circumcises Basha and shaves Kashir’s head. However, they soon learn that Cha-Cha is not their enemy.
When Casshir sees Chacha being a master of her art, he goes into an almost trance and aspires to become a hairstylist. Cha Cha understands her Kathir’s interests and potential and shares his knowledge. A few years later, when Kathir marries a college junior (Meenakshi Chaudhary), she gets a chance to start her own bar on her own. After much struggle, he establishes his luxurious Singapore saloon, but faces major obstacles. Will Kashir be able to succeed in his mission?
Director Gokul presented Vijay Sethupati’s quirky ‘Idharkutan Aasaipatthai Barakmala’ which still evokes laughter. However, the films released after that did not bring him great success. In ‘Singapore Saloon’, he took on underdog stories and injected them with his trademark comedy and social messages that made him a huge success in life. Singapore Saloon is a movie that feels like two movies. The comedy in the first half will leave you in splits. But everything goes downhill after the break as the script stalls.
Here’s the trailer:
“Singapore Saloon” is a movie that talks about environmental issues and invasions. He also becomes the “cha-cha” for many guys pursuing dance. Sadly, none of these subplots are fully explored. The young people who participated in the dance contest had their lives changed due to the hairstyle given to them by Kashir. But by the time it evokes emotion, the end credits roll.
What makes “Singapore Saloon” bearable and entertaining is because of Sathyaraj (Kasheel’s OTT father-in-law) and Robbo Shankar (Kasheel’s brother-in-law). The comedy parts involving these two of his actors, with RJ Balaji being his second fiddle, are hilarious and worthwhile. The second half takes away most of what they had built up to that point.
Meenakshi Chaudhary has little to do, and so do the women in this world of Singapore Saloon. The main character, R.J. Balaji, shows his growth as an actor. His expressions capture the audience’s attention in certain scenes, but sometimes they fail. Sathyaraj plays a big role in this movie. Robo Shankar has managed to keep the audience focused on his comedy act after a very long time (the extra O is intentional).
“Singapore Saloon” was supposed to be a breezy comedy about a man’s rise to the obscure profession of hairdressing. But it reminds us of that awful haircut.
2 out of 5 stars for Singapore Saloon.