Once there were two eras, B.C. and A.D., says an aging, grieving Indian woman at the start of “I Am Singh,” sitting in a graveyard near ground zero in Manhattan. Now there is before and after Sept. 11. And with that, this drama commences its impassioned if melodramatic jeremiad against anti-Sikh sentiment in America. More than a plea for tolerance, it is an assertion of pride in Punjab, home to much of India’s Sikh population.But neither Punjab nor New York is the principal setting. Ranveer Singh (Gulzar Chahal), in India, learns that one of his brothers has been killed, and another is missing, after an attack by skinheads in Los Angeles; his beaten father has been hospitalized. In California, Ranveer consults the police, only to face stonewalling and rebuke.

He resolves to take action against the thugs himself, until he meets Fateh Singh (the blustery, barrel-chested Bollywood veteran Puneet Issar, who also directed). Though Fateh, a Los Angeles cop for 20 years, was dismissed for wearing his turban, he insists on trusting the judicial system. The two eventually do brawl with gang members, but the story turns into a legal drama when it’s revealed that Ranveer’s missing brother is in jail on suspicion of murder.

When American lawyers (Amy Rasimas and Brooke Johnston, both wooden) intervene, the film becomes a procession of speechifying, a relentless reiteration of points already crystal clear. But a coda — a return to the older woman, the mother of the brothers — resonates with loss.

Fortunately, this is a Hindi entertainment. Song sequences — about weddings, religious devotion and Punjabi martial traditions — are refreshing gulps of air amid the solemnity. Rarely has dancing been so welcome.

I AM SINGH

Opened on Friday nationwide.

Written and directed by Puneet Issar; directors of photography, W. B. Rao and Raja Ratnam; edited by Sanjay Verma; music by Surender Sodhi; art direction by Narendra Rahurikar; produced by Sardar Peshaura Singh Thind; released by Reliance Big Pictures. In Hindi, with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Gulzar Chahal (Ranveer Singh), Amy Rasimas (Amy Washington), Brooke Johnston (Amelia White), Rizwan Haider (Rizwan Hyder) and Puneet Issar (Fateh Singh).