Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS): The stage is set for the biggest Bollywood clash between ‘Singham Again’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’. While the Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ has summoned the might of the OG Manjulika in the form of Vidya Balan, and the star powers of Kartik and Triptii Dimri, as of now ‘Singham Again’ seems to have a leading edge considering its huge starcast and director Rohit Shetty’s track record.

The trailer of ‘Singham Again’, which was released on Monday, promises a potent dose of entertainment and mythology. It draws inferences from the Hindu epic of ‘Ramayana’, and features action star Tiger Shroff as Lakshman to Ajay Devgn's Lord Ram, Ranveer Singh as Lord Hanuman, and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar as Jatayu as they ‘join forces’ (pun intended) to fight against the wrath of Danger Lanka, a modern-day adaptation of demon king Ravana, played by Arjun Kapoor.

The film integrates Rohit Shetty’s fabled cop universe as Bajirao Singham, played by Ajay Devgn, sets out to bring back his wife, Avni Kamat (inspired by Sita) played by Kareena Kapoor Khan from the clutches of Arjun's character.

A Diwali release is not a new thing for Rohit, he has earlier delivered bangers like ‘All The Best’, ‘Golmaal Returns’, ‘Golmaal 3’, and even ‘Sooryavanshi’ from the cop-universe on Diwali.

In fact, ‘Sooryavanshi’ was the first tentpole to be released in theatres after the cinemas were shut in 2021 to curb the spread of the deadly second wave of Covid-19. The film proved all the naysayers wrong who rang the death knell on the business of cinemas and said that henceforth only OTT will rule. So, it’s safe to say that Rohit understands the market trends and its undertones around the festival of Diwali.

However, the merit of ‘Singham Again’ is much deeper. The film harps heavily on the epic of Ramayana, and to have a Diwali release retelling the story that led to the celebration of Diwali on the occasion is as good as it could get.

Rohit has smartly incorporated the elements in the film picking from the way south Indian directors make their stories culturally relevant and rooted, case in point, ‘Kantara’ and the global rage ‘RRR’.

It also marks the second big budget adaptation of Ramayana after the box-office debacle of Prabhas and Kriti Sanon-starrer ‘Adipurush’. To ensure good returns on a film, whose budget could as well power the municipal corporation of a small town, Rohit has placed the safest bet that will appeal to a large section of audience: The Ramayana. Another thing for the audience to look forward to is the screen sharing of the father-son duo of Jackie Shroff and Tiger.

‘Singham Again’ also serves as a litmus test and a precursor on the box-office for the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi-starrer ‘Ramayana’ directed by the National Award-winning director Nitesh Tiwari, and Ravi Udyawar. The response to ‘Singham Again’ will dictate if the audience has a theatrical appetite for a retelling of the Indian epic especially when they were highly disappointed with ‘Adipurush’.