Ajay Devgan’s action-packed film Singham is considered one of the most iconic roles of his career, cementing his image as Bollywood’s no-nonsense cop. But what most fans don’t know is that the making of Singham was as intense and fast-paced as the film itself — including a memorable midnight shoot in freezing temperatures.

Director Rohit Shetty, who gave the Hindi remake of the Tamil film its signature style and mass appeal, once shared how the project began almost on a whim. In a candid conversation with Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiyaa, Shetty revealed, “One day I told Ajay sir, ‘Let’s do an action film together,’ and he replied, ‘Tell me when.’ I had a DVD of the Tamil Singham with me. We watched it, and I said, ‘This is amazing.’ Ajay agreed instantly and said, ‘Let’s start now.’ That’s how Singham began.”

The film’s shooting was wrapped up in just four months, with major sequences shot in Goa and Mumbai. One of the most iconic scenes — the one where Ajay Devgan emerges from water in slow motion to the sound of the title track — was actually filmed at 3 AM. And not just any night — it was a cold winter night, adding to the challenge. “The entire team was on set by 3 in the morning,” Shetty recalled. “Ajay had to take a bath and shoot that scene in freezing weather. That’s the level of commitment that went into this film.”

Released on 22 July 2011, Singham featured Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead and Prakash Raj as the menacing villain. With a modest budget of ₹52 crore, the film stormed the box office and earned over ₹151 crore globally. It became more than a hit — it launched the now-famous YRF-style cop universe, and turned Ajay Devgan into the forever Singham of Bollywood.