In an evolving world, emerging research continues to highlight concerns that could impact everyday wellbeing. Here’s the key update you should know about:
One thing that felt instantly appreciable about the new movie De De Pyaar De 2, a sequel to the 2019 movie, was the fact that it was a proper sequel. It wasn’t like they were using the same characters to create a new film. On a Story level, it was very much a continuation, and that was a rarity when you look at the kind of 1,2,3,4 sequels that are coming out of Bollywood right now. Having said that, it doesn’t mean De De Pyaar De 2 is pushing things any further. Luv Ranjan’s dialogue humor was what made the first part feel passable. And when it comes to the second part, it is some of these witty lines that are not making us scratch our heads. De De Pyaar De 2 had the potential to push the topic to a different zone. But by showing a bizarre master plan as the final act, the film slips from being sitcom fun to Housefull-level stupidity.
So, after the events in the first movie, where we see Ashish trying to convince his family about his decision to marry Ayesha, a girl almost half his age, the Story now moves to Ayesha’s house. With Ashish being in the same age bracket as Ayesha’s parents, there is a different variety of problems for the couple to deal with. The friction in accepting this relationship and how it all eventually pans out is what we see in De De Pyaar De 2.
When it comes to writing breathless, witty dialogues, Luv Ranjan has a knack for keeping us engaged, and we have seen that in his movies like the Pyar Ka Punchanama series. Even in the first movie of this franchise, the banter between Ajay Devgn and Javed Jaffrey was mostly hilarious. When it comes to the sequel, a similar energy is there in the initial parts of the movie. The major chunk of the first half is basically an elaborated version of the film’s trailer, where Ayesha’s parents find it difficult to accept Ashish, and at the same time, their claim of being progressive is preventing them from expressing that opinion.
Where the movie starts to falter is when a plan is being set up to break this relationship. The idea of this movie was to normalize the age gap factor. I mean, ideally, it should have been in the Ayushmann Khurrana school for socially relevant fun films. Even though there are moments in this movie’s first half that feel like they are trying to push the Story to that zone, Anshul Sharma’s flick quickly makes a detour to all the cliched paths. What Ayesha’s father does to make her rethink is introduce a young Punjabi munda with abs to basically seduce her. And the tactics in those portions, combined with some sentimental realizations of Ashish, would make you think that the movie might actually take the Ayushmann path.
But the screenplay places a bewildering twist at that point, and whatever happens after that makes no sense. It was like the comedy version of Abbas-Mustan twists. There is a lot of self-referential humor in the movie, ranging from including DDLJ and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, to referring to other movies like Shaitan, which had Ajay Devgn and R Madhavan, and bringing in real-life connections in dialogues like the Kajol reference and the way it acknowledges the father-son connection between Jaaved Jafri and Meezaan Jafri. The flat-lit visual language of this movie will remind you of all the Luv Ranjan films. The cinematography is not really bothered about the visuals complementing the emotion. The idea here is to basically make everything look pretty like the ad film of a talcum powder.
Ajay Devgn might well be the hero of this movie. But it feels like he was pretty much a supporting actor with very few lines. The enthusiasm in his physical presence in the whole film was pretty much equivalent to the kind of effort he takes in dancing. I mean, we could see every other actor emoting that extra bit, running and jumping. All Ajay Devgn has to do is be present in that scene in a corner. For some reason, I felt Jaaved Jaffrey, who was pretty much giving him company in doing nothing, was more active. Since the sequel is focusing on Ayesha’s family, Rakul Preet Singh is supposed to do the heavy lifting. While the pretty and bubbly side of the character is safe in her hands, when the movie decides to give her these monologue-like dialogues, her performance literally feels like shouting. The most entertaining character in the film is given to R Madhavan, who performed all the transitions of his character according to the pitch of the scene. You would remember Madhavan more than Ajay Devgn once you finish the film. Gautami Kapoor as Ayesha’s mother was pretty good. Meezaan Jafri as Aditya is trying to create an impression with a forcefully added character.
A good chunk of De De Pyaar De 2 is popcorn fun that you can consume like a Kapil Sharma show. From pop culture references to actors mocking themselves, it offers giggle-worthy moments at regular intervals. But after giving a hope that it will blend the core issue of the age gap with a fun treatment, De De Pyaar De 2 disappoints us by abruptly dumbing itself down to a very low level. If you have an opinion that the first part is a superb entertainer, this one might feel like a passable, fun film.
Review By: Digitpatrox