There is a reason after Rohit Shetty announced Lady Singham Standalone movie with Deepika Padukone

Rohit Shetty recently hinted that the audience might have experienced a Shakti Shetty spin-off much earlier if the release of Sooryavanshi hadn’t been delayed. The journey of Shetty’s cop universe began in 2011 with Singham, even though the concept of interconnected cinematic universes was not on his mind then and was unfamiliar to Hindi cinema audiences. Over the years, films like Singham Returns, Simmba, and Sooryavanshi expanded this universe into a beloved franchise. The latest installment, Singham Again, which hit screens this Diwali, has already surpassed the ₹200 crore mark at the box office.

What makes this installment especially notable is the introduction of Deepika Padukone as Shakti Shetty, also known as Lady Singham, marking the debut of a female cop in this cinematic world. Rohit explained in an interview that the delay in introducing a female cop stemmed from the search for the right story and the ideal launch for such a character. He revealed that until 2018, he hadn’t envisioned building a cop universe. The concept of presenting Shakti Shetty came about while Akshay Kumar was filming Sooryavanshi. The success of Simmba had already demonstrated that audiences were open to seeing multiple characters within a shared cinematic space, which gave Shetty the confidence to develop a storyline centered on a female cop.

However, plans were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shetty recalled how  Sooryavanshi was originally slated for release in March 2019, and the delay due to the pandemic not only pushed the film’s release by two years but also disrupted the planned timeline for Singham Again. Despite these setbacks, Shetty remains committed to the development of Shakti Shetty’s character, stating that her introduction in Singham Again was deliberate and pivotal, setting the stage for a future standalone film.

Although earlier this year, Shilpa Shetty Kundra was introduced as Tara Shetty in Indian Police Force, Shetty clarified that this Amazon-backed series exists in a separate realm from his cop universe. He acknowledged that the Shakti Shetty stand-alone movie is still in the conceptual stage. While the core elements of the character and her story arc are in place, a fully developed script is yet to materialize. However, Shetty assured that a female-led cop film featuring Lady Singham is inevitable, given her prominent introduction in Singham Again.