# Singam (film series)

Singam (transl. Lion) is an Indian Tamil-language action film series centered around the titular character Duraisingam, a short-tempered honest cop with an aim to eliminate corruption from the society. The film series began in 2010 with the release of Singam, directed by Hari and starring Suriya as the titular character. The film received positive reviews and grossed ₹90–100 crore worldwide. The first film also spawned two direct sequels titled Singam II (2013) and Si3 (2017).

## Overview
### Singam

Singam, the first installment of the series, tells about SI Duraisingam, a tempered-but-honest police officer, who tries his best to eliminate a powerful don named Mayil Vaaganam. The film was released on 28 May 2010 (worldwide) and received positive reviews from critics. It earned ₹90-100 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹15 crore, thus becoming the 5th highest grossing film in 2010.

### Singam 2

Singam 2, the second installment of this series, continues the story, where Duraisingam was sent to Thoothukoodi in order to stop a drug cartel running by Bhai and Thangaraj and their African boss Danny. The film was released in about 1500 screens worldwide. The film received positive reviews from critics where it grossed approximately ₹1.22 billion (US$15 million) worldwide from Tamil and Telugu versions with a lifetime distributor's share of ₹670 million (US$8.0 million). However, Forbes stated that the film made ₹1.36 billion in its lifetime.

### Si3

Si3 was the third installment of the series, continues the story, where Duraisingam was transferred to Andhra Pradesh as DCP, to nab an Australian bureaucrat named Vittal Prasad, who illegally exports toxic waste to India. However, unlike the first and second part, the third part mainly received mixed reviews from critics, despite, became a commercial success, thus becoming another profitable addition by grossing ₹110 crore worldwide from a budget of ₹65 crore and becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2017.

## Films

| Film | Release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
| Singam | 28 May 2010 | Hari | Hari | Hari | K. E. Gnanavel Raja |
| Singam II | 5 July 2013 | Hari | Hari | Hari | S. Lakshman Kumar |
| Singam 3 | 9 February 2017 | Hari | Hari | Hari | Dhaval Jayantilal Gada, K. E. Gnanavel Raja |

## Future films
### Singam 4

Shortly after the release of Si3, Suriya confirmed that he and Hari would return for a fourth film in the series in future.

## Recurring cast and characters

This table lists the main characters who appear in the Singam Franchise.
| Actors | Films | Films | Films |
| Actors | Singam | Singam II | Si3 |
| Suriya | DCP S. Duraisingam | DCP S. Duraisingam | DCP S. Duraisingam |
| Anushka Shetty | Kavya Duraisingam | Kavya Duraisingam | Kavya Duraisingam |
| Hansika Motwani | | Sathya | Sathya |
| Prakash Raj | Mayil Vaaganam | Mayil Vaaganam | |
| Danny Sapani | | Danny (Michael Kong) | Danny (Michael Kong) |
| Vivek | Erimalai | Erimalai | |
| Radha Ravi | Soundara Pandi | Soundara Pandi | Soundara Pandi |
| Sumithra | Kalyani | Kalyani | Kalyani |
| Vijayakumar | Home Minister Ramanathan | Home Minister Ramanathan | Home Minister Ramanathan |
| Yuvarani | Dhanalakshmi | Dhanalakshmi | Dhanalakshmi |
| Nassar | Mahalingam | Mahalingam | Mahalingam |
| Janaki Sabesh | Bharati Mahalingam | Bharati Mahalingam | Bharati Mahalingam |
| Manorama | Kavya's Grandmother | Kavya's Grandmother | Kavya's Grandmother |
| Thyagu | Harbour Shanmugam | Harbour Shanmugam | Harbour Shanmugam |
| Priya Atlee | Divya Mahalingam | Divya Mahalingam | |
| Nizhalgal Ravi | ACP Rajendran | ACP Rajendran | |
| Adithya | Vaikuntam | Vaikuntam | |
| Item Number | | Anjali | Neetu Chandra |

## Additional crew and production details

| Occupation | Film | Film | Film |
| Occupation | Singam (2010) | Singam II (2013) | Si3 (2017) |
| Director | Hari | Hari | Hari |
| Producer(s) | K. E. Gnanavel Raja Reliance Big Pictures | S. Lakshman Kumar | K. E. Gnanavel Raja Dhaval Jayatilal Gada |
| Executive Producer(s) | S. R. Prabhu S.R. Prakashbabu Mahesh Ramanathan | Suriya Kyle Ambrose Delon Bakker | S. R. Prabhu S.R. Prakashbabu |
| Distributor(s) | Sun Pictures | 2D Entertainment | Pen Movies |
| Story, Screenplay and Dialogue Writer | Hari | Hari | Hari |
| Music Director(s) | Devi Sri Prasad | Devi Sri Prasad | Harris Jayaraj |
| Cinematography | Priyan | Priyan | Priyan |
| Editor(s) | V. T. Vijayan | V. T. Vijayan T. S. Jay | V. T. Vijayan T. S. Jay |
| Art Director | K. Kadhir | K. Kadhir | K. Kadhir |
| Lyricist(s) | Na. Muthukumar Viveka Hari Megha | Viveka | Pa. Vijay Thamarai Viveka Hari Harris Jayaraj Ramya NSK Dinesh Kanagaratnam Maalavika Manoj Lady Kash MC Vickey |
| Stunt Co-ordinator(s) | Rocky Rajesh Anal Arasu | Rocky Rajesh Anal Arasu | Kanal Kannan Anbariv |
| Choreographer(s) | Brinda Shobi Baba Bhaskar | Raju Sundaram Robert Baba Bhaskar | Brinda Shobi Baba Bhaskar |
| Costume Designer(s) | Vivek Karunakaran Pallavi-Neha Bharani Anu | Nikhaar Dhawan Uma Chaitanya Rao | Neha Gnanavel Raja V. Sai |

## Release and revenue
### Box office performance

The franchise has been notable for its profit, with Singam and its follow-up having earned a combined revenue of ₹336-346 crore, according to IBtimes.
| Film | Release date | Budget | Box office revenue |
| Singam | 28 May 2010 | ₹15 crore (US$1.8 million) | ₹90-100 crore |
| Singam II | 5 July 2013 | ₹45 crore (US$5.4 million) | ₹136 crore (US$16 million) |
| Si3 | 9 February 2017 | ₹65 crore (US$7.8 million) | ₹110 crore (US$13 million) |
| Total | Total | ₹125 crore (US$15 million) (three films) | ₹336-346 crore (three films) |

## Reception
### Singam (2010)

Sify described the film Singam as a "predictable entertainer that follows the age old formula", while Suriya "carries the film to the winning post. His passion and the way he brings an ordinary regular larger-than-life hero character alive on screen is lesson for other commercial heroes". Rediff felt it was an "unapologetic... entertainer and has Suriya in every frame. Lovers of commercial potpourri will definitely get their money's worth."

### Singam 2

Rediff felt "the film has a lot of power-packed action sequences and the story races along with a tremendous pace keeping you engaged throughout... The only negative would be the length – the movie runs for almost three hours. A slightly shorter version would have created a greater impact". Deccan Chronicle gave it the verdict: "Even if you are not a Suriya fan, Singam 2 is worth a watch. The film roars rather well." In contrast, Zee News felt, "Suriya is the only character that makes you feel satisfied in the entire movie".

### Si3

The Times of India lauded Suriya and Hari, writing,"[His] consistency in handling cop stories convincingly and entertainingly needs to be commended as he has been proving his expertise repeatedly". The New Indian Express similarly praised Suriya, but found "as a commercial film director, [Hari's] storytelling methods also suffer from following a set of rules, which include frequent yawn-inducing songs". In contrast, The Hindu felt it was "loud, fast, and without a single memorable moment". Sify called the film "a cocktail of harebrained predictable plot, exhausting action scenes and slapstick comedy".