Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh cook laugh-riot sequel with Luv Ranjan, but R Madhavan steals the show, Meezaan Jafri breaks his jinx

A poster of De De Pyaar De 2

Director: Luv Ranjan

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh, R Madhavan, Jaaved Jaaferi, Meezaan Jafri

Duration: 147 minutes

Where to watch: In theaters

Rating: 4 stars

Following the events of De De Pyaar De, the sequel takes Ashish ‘Ashu’ Mehra (Ajay Devgn) and Ayesha Khurana (Rakul Preet Singh)’s story to the next level. Ashu and Ayesha’s love now turns into a wedding. But before that, Ashu needs to win the trust of Ayesha’s parents, Rajji Khurana (R Madhavan) and Mrs. Khurana (Gautami Kapoor), who are almost a few years older than Ashish. Rajji is completely against Ashish-Ayesha and comes up with a plan to break their bond. What follows is an unexpected laugh-riot roller coaster that will keep you thoroughly entertained.

Sequels in Bollywood are no longer a safe bet at the box office. Gone are the days when even a mediocre product could perform well. Recent comedies, especially the sequels, have been quite disappointing (read: Kya Kool Hai Hum 3, Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se). But thankfully, DDPD 2 is a sweet exception that exceeds expectations and delivers a fun ride that stays with you long after the movie is over.

After a quick recap of the prequel, DDPD 2 gets serious about making the word GO laugh. NRI Ashu is preparing to go back to India, this time to meet and convince Ayesha’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Rajji are ‘modern people’ who are unaffected by Ashu’s past divorce or the fact that he is a father of two children. However, their feelings are turned upside down after they meet Ashish, who is only a year younger than them. Rajji and his wife suddenly become Orthodox parents, which leads to a war between father and daughter. As the film progresses, Rajji and Ashish come into conflict and Rajji ensures that his little princess does not marry an “uncle”. Rajji brings Ayesha’s childhood friend Sameer Khurrana (Meezaan) and tries to act like cupid between them. Will Rajji be successful in breaking Ayesha and Ashish’s bond? Will Ashish accept the abnormality in their bond? Will he let Ayesha go to Sameer? All these answers lie in the movie.

First, DDPD 2 is an improvement over its predecessor in many departments. The situations are funnier, the confrontations are awkward but entertaining, and the hilarious dialogue and seamless inclusion of pop culture references will make you ROFL. Trust Luv Ranjan; will deliver a better sequel. After Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, DDPD 2 is the sequel where the writer-director does not take the audience lightly and delivers a better product. The first half of the movie is absolutely fast and full of jokes. Even the unexpected emotional scene between R Madhavan and Rakul will leave you both surprised and touched. The second half gets meatier, funnier and more melodramatic. The film’s greatest strength is its last 20 minutes.

Talking about performances, Ajay Devgn is making an impressive comeback in the comedy genre. In one funny scene, he speaks quite loudly and it suits his personality. However, it is necessary to mention his perfection in dramatic moments. R Madhavan is the scene stealing man. It was very enjoyable to see him shooting a comedy movie again. She had the best moments with Ajay and her chemistry with Rakul stands out. There is no harm in calling DDPD 2 aka Shaitaan as Ajay now desires to kidnap Madhavan’s daughter. Rakul Preet Singh is sweet, hot, sexy and yes, a bit loud. Yes, sometimes he delivers his dialogues as if he is auditioning in Sunny Deol’s voice. But you can’t take your eyes off him and his impressive acting makes him a lethal combination. Jaaved Jaffrey is outstanding as Ashish’s friend Ronak. Even though he’s a supporting lead, he pulls most of the laugh-out-loud jokes.

Meezaan Jafri, Jr Jaaved has finally broken the bad luck spell and it looks like Luv Ranjan will be his lucky charm. Meezaan showed great improvement in comic timing and delivered a good performance. Apart from these, Gautami Kapoor and Ishita Dutta were good in their limited roles, but it was Gautami who made Rajji more effective. Ishita was almost good but unfortunately she was overshadowed by others.

The film’s biggest strengths are its comedic situations and clever writing that really speaks to popular culture; which will have you giggling from start to finish. But there are also some flaws. It loses its tempo for 15-20 minutes in the second half. You might think Ashish and Ayesha’s love story is boring. The songs are good but they don’t register with you except Honey Singh’s Jhoom Sharabi. The films looked a bit cluttered after the break, and the big twist at the end seems a bit predictable. Overall, De De Pyaar De 2 is a must-watch movie; A spectacular return of comedy to the big screen. Despite a few minor flaws, DDPD 2 will keep you watching from start to finish. P.S. Brace yourselves: The movie ends with a major hint for the sequel, and the basic concept of the movie is more than just DDPD 2.