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Naal Bhag 2 Review: Continues the heartwarming tradition

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Cinematographer Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti’s directorial debut Naal (2018) turned out to be one of the finest Marathi films of this era. It is always tricky to create a sequel to a film that is so iconic. It wouldn’t be a smart idea to expect Naal Bhag 2 to be as great as the 2018 movie because such movies happen rarely. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t expect it to take you on yet another heartwarming and emotional ride.

Naal told the story of the kid Chaitu (Shrinivas Pokale), who stays with his aunt Sumi (Devika Daftardar) and uncle Shankar (Nagraj Popatrao Manjule), thinking them to be his real parents. The kid was adopted by the two due to certain circumstances. Chaitu, one day, gets to know about his real mother Parvati (Deepti Devi) and becomes eager to be with her. Circumstances bring Parvati to Chaitu’s house but she forcefully hides her emotions after seeing Chaitu and ignores him. The film ends with Chaitu making peace with his stepmother and stepfather. (Read the review of Naal HERE)

Naal Bhag 2 takes place a few years later when Chaitu and family visit his real parents’ Parvati and Ajinath (Jitendra Joshi) house for holidays and to tackle one issue. Chaitu meets Parvati’s children Chimi (Treesha Thosar) and her specially-abled brother Mani (Bhargav Jagtap), who are actually his real siblings. Chaitu gets bowled over by Chimi’s cuteness and is overjoyed to know that he has such an adorable sister. Chimi, however, doesn’t reciprocate his feelings as she is too close to Mani. It becomes a mission for Chaitu to win his little sister’s love.

Naal 2

Naal Bhag 2 gets you transformed into its world – the picturesque village filled with natural beauty. You are thoroughly reminded of Yakkanti the cinematographer along with the filmmaker. The content goes hand-in-hand with the location as the story moves organically like a gentle stream. You get instantly captivated by Chaitu’s struggle and start rooting for him. The makers are fortunate to have got the same kid for the sequel. He continues from where he left in the first film but gives a mature performance this time as a grown up Chaitu. He holds the film on his gentle shoulders, which was the need of the hour.

Along with Chaitu’s struggle, the movie also features the conflict between the grown up siblings as they are involved in a land dispute. The juxtaposition of these tracks speak a lot without speaking much and it culminates in a heartwarming way. But that’s not all as the final moment turns out to be applaud-worthy.

Also read: Baaplyok (Marathi movie) review: A sweet journey about a bittersweet relation 

These points also overshadow some minuses. Elaborating on them, Chaitu’s fondness for his real mother is not seen much here. Although he has made peace with Sumi, there is hardly any notable reaction when he sees Parvati for the first time after years. The pace somewhere drops for some time in the second half and the film could have ended a little before 130 minutes. There is also a lot of repetition of information on the sub-plot about land dispute.

The film belongs as much to the little girl child actor Treesha Thosar as much as to Srinivas Pokale. She is adorable from the word go and plays a major role in you rooting for Chaitu. Bhargav Jagtap, in the highly challenging role of the specially-abled Mani, also puts his best foot forward. The grown up artistes – Deepti Devi, Nagraj Manjule, Jitendra Joshi, Devika Daftardar and others – are fully reliable.

Overall: Naal Bhag 2 is yet another heartwarming journey from Sudhar Reddy Yakkanti that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti

Producers: Zee Studios and Aatpat

Writers: Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti (story and screenplay) and Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (dialogues)

Cast: Shrinivas Pokale, Treesha Thosar, Bhargav Jagtap, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, Deepti Devi, Jitendra Joshi, Devika Daftardar

Indi(r)a’s Emergency review: Shows the period’s relevance today

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Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s Indi(r)a’s Emergency, as per its name, throws light at the period where India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in 1975, which led to the curtailment of basic rights of the citizens and utter chaos. While doing that, the movie, which is produced by Applause Entertainment, also succeeds in indirectly stating that the dark period is relevant even today.

Narrative:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is a documentary which is not at all narrated like a documentary. The film is, in fact, is as gripping as a dramatic thriller. Instead of showing different individuals merely speaking on the screen on the subject, the film, for more than 95% of its time, uses visuals from plenty of archival footage along with an impactful narration by lyricist-cum-actor Swanand Kirkire. The script is not only crisp and to-the-point but also filled with powerful and witty dialogues.

The film narrates the story like any other fictitious drama. Although Indira Gandhi’s tenure as the PM starts in 1971, the movie begins from 1942 onwards when MK Gandhi’s Quit India Movement is in full flow. After building the back story, the screenplay gradually brings Indira Gandhi in the picture.

The film, basically, shows the rise, fall and the rise of Indira Gandhi as the country’s PM. The character arc of the protagonist is finely created and this is what largely makes Indi(r)a’s Emergency much more than a documentary. Without making any actor play the former PM, the film triumphs in building her character like any other powerful protagonist who gradually becomes obsessed with power. The makers have wonderfully used animation to depict incidents for which no footage is available, especially the courtroom scenes.  

Boldness:

The movie doesn’t hold back when it comes to portraying the horrors of Emergency and how the then establishment made it look like a successful exercise. Madhur Bhandarkar’s feature film on the same subject titled Indu Sarkar (2017) had succeeded in throwing light on the atrocities by the then government, which have been brushed under the carpet over the decades, but Indi(r)a’s Emergency goes beyond that despite being a documentary. The whole episode of the government machinery literally wiping out the entire Turkman Gate locality is the boldest part of the movie. Similarly, the exploration of the character of Indira’s son Sanjay Gandhi forms a major part of the film.

Relevance in today’s times:

A major reason why Indi(r)a’s Emergency appeals to this extent is because of its relevance in the contemporary times, although the makers never spell this out. A number of happenings and incidents one sees in the film reflect the current situation in the country. Labeling failures as masterstroke is something we have been witnessing in today’s times along with the curtailment of the free press and witch hunting of the opposition, although not officially like during the Emergency.

Interestingly, the movie also features video opinions of the common citizens who had become fans of the then regime and started believing that Emergency was a blessing. But what takes the cake is a naïve citizen powerfully proclaiming that as the Emergency has managed to do ‘so much good’ for the nation, it should be imposed even more. If this wasn’t enough, the movie ends with a powerful quote from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar – “Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.”

Overall:

Indi(r)a’s Emergency is neither for the fans of the previous or the current regime. It’s basically aimed at the citizens who are concerned for the nation and don’t want dark chapters of the history being repeated.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Indi(r)a’s Emergency was premiered at the MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai on October 28, 2023

When Australia DELIBERATELY batted slow in this WC match

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The 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup had a number of unforgettable moments, right from South Africa’s heartbreaking exit to India scoring a mammoth 373 against Sri Lanka to the one-sided final between Australia and Pakistan. But there was another significant on-field antic that has been forgotten over the years. This was in the league match between Australia and West Indies played at the Old Trafford, Manchester.

West Indies were put into bat by Australia. Their innings started on a disastrous note and continued the same till the end of their innings. They kept losing wickets and were 20/3 at one stage when Brian Lara departed for just 9. The Windies never recovered and were bowled out for a paltry 110. The dangerous Glenn McGrath was at his best as he had figures of 5 for 14 in 8.4 overs.

Wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs, who opened the innings, was the only West Indian to show any fight as he remained not out on 49. He became the first opener in World Cup history to carry his bat throughout the innings. Interestingly, the second highest contributor in the West Indian innings were the 22 extras.

In reply, Australia reached the target of 111 with just 4 wickets down. This sounds like a normal one-sided match but it wasn’t as simpler as it looked.

In the 1999 World Cup, the next stage after the league matches was the Super Six. The rules were such that if a team enters that stage and along with it the team they beat also makes it to that stage, the former will get extra points. In other words, if Team A beats Team B and they both enter the Super Six, Team A will automatically get extra points for having beaten Team B earlier. Similarly, Australia, which had to reach the target in 47.2 overs to qualify, had lost to New Zealand, so they didn’t want them to qualify. They wanted WI to qualify for the aforementioned reasons.

Once it was confirmed that Australia was going to win the match easily within the stipulated overs, this equation started playing in the batters Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan’s minds. Hence, they started batting as slowly as possible, so that the West Indies gets a better net run rate and would, hopefully, enter the Super Six. This would mean that Australia will get more points automatically in that stage.

The crowd at the Old Trafford, obviously, got bored and started raising slogans to see Waugh and Bevan batting at a snail’s pace. All of us, who were watching it on TV got bored too. I remember Phil Simmons bowling his gentle medium pace and the two batters blocking him as if they were facing a dangerous fast bowler in a test match. Australia eventually took as many as 40.4 overs to reach the target of just 111. Bevan remained not out on 20 off 69 balls and Waugh took 73 balls for his 19 not out! (See the whole scorecard HERE)

The Aussies faced flak from the media after that match. Matthew Engel of The Guardian wrote, “Some have thought the complexities of the qualification system unfathomable. Yesterday the Australians fathomed them, and the result was a dreadful and shameful game of cricket.”

But Australian tactics didn’t work as West Indies still didn’t qualify for the Super Six and New Zealand did. This didn’t affect Australia though. They went onto win the 1999 World Cup easily and everything about their match against the West Indies was forgotten.

The Australian batting brings back memories of the 1994 Wills World Series ODI between India and (again) West Indies in Kanpur when Manoj Prabhakar and Nayan Mongia didn’t even try chasing 63 in 54 balls. They kept blocking and eventually India lost! Of course, there is no similarity in the end result and what the two Indian batters did was more unfathomable than Waugh and Bevan’s actions. Prabhakar and Mongia were ultimately banned from playing any further matches in the series.

Also read: He was selected for ‘83 World Cup, but could play in ‘99

The Vaccine War review

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Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War starts off just before the COVID-19 pandemic hits the world, starting in China. The movie is largely about a group of scientists at the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research), led by Dr. Balram Bhargava (Nana Patekar) and aided by a group of scientists and doctors (Pallavi Joshi, Sapthami Gowda, Nivedita Bhattacharya and Girika Oak) and others, who aim to invent India’s own COVID-19 vaccine.

The main aim of the movie is to pay tribute to all the scientists, doctors and medical staff who sacrificed a part of themselves to ensure that India makes its own COVID-19 vaccine. The Vaccine War achieves this motto. The film has various moments where we feel dearly for the scientists or soldiers, as they are called in the film, for their painstaking effort.

The Vaccine War

The performances of the actors also play a large role in achieving this. Nana Patekar is brilliant as a genius yet emotionally cold head of ICMR. Despite the serious nature of the character, there are little nuances that trigger’s laughter, all because of Patekar’s skill. The rest of the aforementioned actors too rise to the occasion.

The team of professionals had enough going in their professional and personal lives for a film to have conflict elements. However, as was the case with Agnihotri’s previous two films, he creates more conflict just to showcase his own personal political agenda and please the supporters of the ruling party.

To achieve this, The Vaccine War creates a cardboard villain in the form of a journalist Rohini Singh Dhulia (Raima Sen). She is vehemently anti-India, who just wants the vaccine to fail. But the film doesn’t stop at this. She is also shown as someone who is working on behalf of foreign interest against India. Her work involves following a ‘toolkit,’ a term very famous among the Right Wingers. To say that the film uses a poorly created character to achieve its political aim would be an understatement.

There is another moment in the film where a large group of journalists in a press conference are also shown to be anti-India. Disclosing the culmination of that scene would lead to spoilers but it leads to an unintentionally hilarious moment. By the time the film ends, it gradually becomes a cinematic version of a government press release.

Overall: The Vaccine War’s tribute to the medical faculty of India gets overshadowed by its political motive.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

After ENDING boycott trend with Pathaan, SRK shows mirror to the establishment in Jawan

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Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan has been creating an uproar at the box office, not just in India but also worldwide. Directed by Atlee Kumar, the film has found a lot of takers because of the non-stop entertainment it provides in terms of action, stunts, dialogue baazi, style, humour and, of course, performances.

However, it would be unfair to say that Jawan is just a massy entertainer. The film goes much beyond that and that is a major reason why it’s more special than the regular masala entertainers. To put it simply – Jawan is not only SRK’s most political film but also one of the most political films from mainstream Hindi cinema featuring one of the biggest superstars.

(SPOILERS begin)

Jawan unabashedly touches upon quite a few national issues in the course of its runtime. The film portrays the sorry plight of farmers in a hard-hitting manner. It shows that a farmer is literally tortured when he is unable to repay a loan of Rs. 40,000. But, at the same time, wealthy businessmen are allowed to take loans of enormous proportions without any issue.

The film also makes a daring statement on the complete lack of facilities in government-run hospitals and that it only takes a few hours for the scene to change, if there is a political will. There is also an angle about the lack of security for Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). One of the highest points in the film is Khan’s monologue where he urges the people to make the right choice while casting their vote and ensure that the government in power is held accountable.

Jawan Shah Rukh Khan

But the most daring part about Jawan is the sub-plot about a large number of kids dying in a hospital because of lack of oxygen cylinders. This is right out of the real incident that took place in Uttar Pradesh a few years back. The film doesn’t stop at this though. It also shows how an innocent was made a scapegoat and the whole blame is put upon that person. Not many people (leave alone stars) are even willing to speak about this incident. But here is one of the biggest mainstream films with one of the biggest stars providing a sharp critique to that incident.

(SPOILERS end)

It would be putting it mildly to state that SRK has taken a risk by making a film with aforementioned incidents. One shouldn’t forget how actors, especially stars, are targeted for portraying anything that is against the establishment since 2014 onwards. But here, Khan has not only agreed to act in such a film as the main lead but also produce the movie. Hence, if the film would have faced any sort of protest or controversy, he would have been hit financially too after investing a large chunk of money in the film.

SRK made a major comeback this year with Pathaan, which made him regain his stardom. However, Jawan was bankrolled and made when Pathaan was long way away from release. This is another example of the major risk he took at a time when his stardom was majorly hit and when it wasn’t known that Pathaan would eventually become a big hit and his comeback.

Even with Pathaan, the star had taken a risk. He knew before the release of the film that he was being majorly targeted by the supporters and leaders of the ruling party. Yet he came up with a film where he is not only romancing a Pakistani but also an ISI member.

Pathaan faced the biggest boycott Bollywood campaign by the supporters of the ruling party. However, the film turned out to be the highest grossing Hindi movie. Of course, this happened because the movie-going public paid no heed to the boycotters and went for the film in large numbers.

But one must credit SRK for not showing lack of spine by meeting some prominent politicians in front of the media in a display of fake support, so that his film gets a smooth release. In fact, Shah Rukh called up a politician at 2 am after the latter had asked people to boycott the film. On the very next day, the politician said there is no need to boycott Pathaan. Khan also didn’t go the Aamir Khan way by pleading the audience to not boycott his film.

Hence, one cannot deny that it was Pathaan that not only put an end but also demolished the boycott trend. After a major fiasco with Pathaan, one hardly notices any serious calls for boycott for any film on social media.

All this also reminds us how SRK had held his ground against Shiv Sena during the massive controversy surrounding My Name Is Khan in 2010. Yes, there have been times where he has met and shown support to prominent politicians of the current regime. But one can’t take away the spine he has shown on various occasions when anyone else in his place would have melted.

Coming back to Jawan, hopefully, its daring content will encourage more mainstream actors to not shy away from showing a mirror to the current Indian society.

Also read: Jawan review (WITHOUT spoilers): A rare massy political entertainer

Jawan review (WITHOUT spoilers): A rare massy political entertainer

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Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback this year with Pathaan was full of high-octane action stunts and dialogue baazi, which paved way for various whistle-worthy moments. The same can be said about his latest release Jawan. Yet, his latest outing is way different than Pathaan. In fact, you won’t even think of that film while watching Jawan. In other words, the actor has given two massy action entertainers that are as different as chalk and cheese.

Directed by Atlee Kumar, Jawan has a complex storyline taking place in two different timelines. To put it simply, it tells the story of a strange looking man (Khan) who enters a Mumbai Metro train from a station like any other passenger. A group of girls, played by Priya Mani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan and Aaliyah Qureishi, are already present in the train. They too appear like ordinary passengers.

But as soon as the train leaves the station, the man announces that the train is hijacked. The group of girls are from his team. The man frightens the passengers with his antics. A senior cop Narmada (Nayanthara) is given charge of the case as she has handled such hostage situations before. She realizes that the man’s demands are not akin to any other hijacker. Kalee (Vijay Sethupahi), the fourth largest arms dealer in the world, is also forced to get involved in the whole affair.

Jawan is a true blue masala entertainer in every sense. It doesn’t fail to hold your attention even for a moment as it’s full of events and situations that keep you glued to the screen. The narrative is a fine mixture of action sequences, confrontations, humour, emotional moments and dialogue baazi. In fact, this is a rare film of today’s times where a runtime of close to three hours passes away in a jiffy. You won’t even think of checking the time, even during unimpressive songs because they too are taking the story forward.

The interval point deserves a special mention as it’s one of the best first-half ending you will see in a Hindi film. The same excitement is generated in the climax as well (can’t reveal much to avoid spoilers).

But Jawan isn’t limited to being a crowd-pleasing actioner. The film is political in nature with even subtle digs at the establishment. One situation is right out of a real political tragedy in north India, which stuns you and makes you applaud the makers for their daring. And to see a big star like SRK not only agreeing to be a part of such film, both as an actor and producer, is praiseworthy.

As far as Shah Rukh Khan’s performance is concerned, he has never been presented in such a larger-than-life manner before, like Atlee has done here. The film required SRK to show a wide range of his talent while portraying different moods and emotions and he comes up with one of his finest acts.

Vijay Sethupathi, strangely, doesn’t get to emote much in a majority of the period. Thankfully, he comes into his own in the second half and the ending moments. Nayanthara makes a successful Hindi film debut. Thankfully, she wasn’t required to just become a filler, which is the case in most hero-centric masala entertainers. The long list of female cast as the mysterious man’s aides (Priya Mani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan and Aaliyah Qureishi) do well in whatever was required of them.

Sunil Grover and Ridhi Dogra are likeable too, although they don’t get to do much. Deepika Padukone was said to play a cameo but she has an important role, which she performs well. Sanjay Dutt’s cameo is hilarious.

Jawan also impresses you in terms of the technical aspects like action stunts (a major strong point), camerawork, background score and editing.

Also read: Kennedy review: Anurag Kashyap’s political cum crime drama is impressive

The movie, however, isn’t a smooth ride. It is common knowledge that such films require you to keep logic at bay. But even after doing that, some situations, action sequences and character behavior are too far-fetched. More importantly, after a point in the second half, the proceedings also become complicated and, at times, questionable as well. If not the logic part, they could have taken care of this aspect during the scripting stage itself.

Overall: Jawan is an exciting masala entertainer with a daring political touch.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Sachin read my bowling but Dravid & Lara didn’t, reveals Muralidaran at 800 trailer launch

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The trailer launch of Sri Lankan legend Muthiah Muralidaran’s biopic titled 800 saw the presence of the man himself alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya. Directed by MS Sripathy, the movie sees Madhur Mittal essay the role of Muralidaran.

The conversation among the three cricketing greats took the audience back to their heydays in the 1990s. During the course of the conversation, Muralidaran revealed that Tendulkar always used to read his bowling but some other greats of the game couldn’t.

Sachin Tendulkar and Muthiah Muralidaran

Said Muralidaran, “Some players read (my bowling). I know he (Tendulkar) read me very well, like not many people can do. Lara had success but he never read me also. I don’t know what mechanism it is but he (Tendulkar) read me. I know Rahul Dravid is one of the greatest players (but) he never read me. Sachin always (read); Sehwag, Gambhir and other players (read me). Even in my team, some people read (me) and some people couldn’t. Legends like him (Tendulkar) watch from the seam of the ball from the hand itself, some people don’t.”

Tendulkar shared how deep his friendship is with Muralidaran, which immediately prompted him to attend the trailer launch of 800. “I remember meeting him for the first time in 1993,” said Tendulkar. “We continue to be good friends. Co-incidentally I was in Sri Lanka this last month for UNICEF work. I messaged Muralidaran, ‘I am in your beautiful city. Where are you?’ He said, ‘I am in India. What are you doing in Sri Lanka?’ (laughs) That’s how I am here. He spoke to me for the first time about his biopic and said, ‘Would you be able to come for the event?’ I said, ‘Anytime for you.’”

Tendulkar added, “Yeh itna humble hai, itna simple hai (he is so humble and simple), inspite of achieving so much in life that it’s impossible to refuse him.”

Produced by Movie Train Motion Pictures, 800 also focuses on the history of Sri Lanka in terms of the trouble and tensions the country went through.

Also read: Sachin’s 1st first-class 200 vs Australia in 1998: Forgotten moments

Baaplyok (Marathi movie) review: A sweet journey about a bittersweet relation

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Filmmaker Makarand Shashimadhu Mane made his Marathi feature film debut by presenting a story about a father and son titled Ringan (2017). It had Shashank Shende in the role of the father. His recently released film Baaplyok, as hinted by the name, is also about a relationship between a father and son and this time too Shende plays the father.

There is one similarity and dissimilarity between both the films. Baaplyok is way different than Ringan but it turns out to be just as heartwarming.

Baaplyok takes place in a village in Maharashtra in today’s times. The story starts when Sagar (Vitthal Nagnath Kale) gets engaged to a girl (Payal Jadhav). Although their relation is arranged by their respective parents, there is immense love between the two. So much so that Sagar never leaves any opportunity to meet the girl or have a pep talk with her over the phone. But the only problem in Sagar’s life is his father (Shashank Shende). The two can’t see eye-to-eye and they don’t leave any opportunity to take a jibe at each other, be it for anything.

So when it is decided that Sagar will have to accompany his father to visit their relatives and friends in neighborhood villages on his bike to invite them for his marriage, he initially backs out. But as he realizes that he has no other choice, he hesitatingly agrees. What all happens during their journey forms the rest of the film.

Baaplyok makes it clear at the start that the film is about a journey and you probably also guess how it will end. But not once does it appear uninteresting. This is largely because of the constant humour born out of the conversations between Sagar and his father. The situations they encounter is another reason why this doesn’t appear like any other film about a journey that changes something in the main protagonists. In other words, there are constant doses of sensible and realistic entertainment and at the same time, nothing seems forced.

Baaplyok is also a visual treat for it goes deep into the village and its life. Yogesh M Koli’s camerawork is as per the need. He keeps it simple but at the same time ensures that the quality of frames is rich. The minimal use of background score too goes perfectly with the theme and mood of the film.

The subject is such that it relies heavily on the performances of Vitthal Nagnath Kale and Shashank Shende and both of them are up to the mark. After establishing himself as a son who doesn’t like his father, Kale’s transformation is gradual and natural. Shende, as one would expect from a seasoned performer like him, is thoroughly flawless, especially in scenes where he speaks through expressions. Payal Jadhav also makes her mark felt in a limited role while the rest of the supporting actors, who don’t get much screen time either, lend able support.

Also Read: Dream Girl 2 review: This film also has one Sakina falling for a Sardar

The scenes where the duo meets different families play a role in achieving the desired end. But a couple of encounters, one with a Muslim family and another with a city-based relative, are too short. There might also be a section of audience that would miss a major conflict in the whole narrative.

Overall: Baaplyok is a heartwarming journey about a father and son.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

Director: Makarand Mane

Writers: Vitthal Nagnath Kale and Makarand Mane

Cast: Vitthal Nagnath Kale, Shashank Shende, Payal Jadhav

Dream Girl 2 review: This film also has one Sakina falling for a Sardar

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Filmmaker Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2 is the sequel to his 2019 hit and hilarious comedy Dream Girl. But this isn’t an exact sequel of the 2019 movie. It revolves around the same protagonist and the people around him in the same city of Mathura but follows a completely different story. The other common factor between both the films is that the protagonist is forced to impersonate a woman.

Dream Girl 2 is based in Mathura of today’s times. Karamveer aka Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) is an unemployed young man who just loiters around with his best friend Smiley (Manjot Singh). His father Jagjit (Annu Kapoor) isn’t bothered about his son though. Karam is in love with the rich Pari (Ananya Panday). But her father (Manoj Joshi) is shocked to know the poor condition of Karam and his father.

Worse, Karam also loses his ancestral home because of debts and loans. He is desperate to get out of the financial mess and marry Pari. He comes across an opportunity of impersonating a woman in a dance bar run by Sona Bhai (Vijay Raaz) in order to earn quick bucks. After some hesitation he agrees and starts earning well by impersonating a woman named Pooja.

Ayushmann Khurrana in Dream Girl 2

But his happiness doesn’t last long after he decides to help Smiley get married to his girlfriend Sakina, daughter of the rich Abu Saleem (Paresh Rawal). This creates massive confusion due to which Karan is forced to tell one lie after another. Characters like Abu’s son Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee) and Smiley’s aunt Jumani (Seema Pahwa) create more trouble for Karam.

The biggest strong point of Dream Girl 2 is Raaj Shaandilyaa’s dialogue writing. Like the first film, the sequel too is full of witty one liners at regular intervals. The best jokes are the ones based on the contemporary happenings both in Bollywood and the nation. The best one is the idea of a girl named Sakina falling for a Sardar, which is an indirect hint at the Gadar franchise. In fact, there’s another joke on the same film and the song ‘Main Nikla Gaddi Leke’ also makes its presence in one scene.

But when dialogue is the biggest strong point, it isn’t good news for the film and that’s exactly the case with Dream Girl 2. The film starts off well but the plot becomes way too complicated and convoluted. The writing goes overboard when it comes to creating confusion and used too many characters. This becomes a forceful antic in inducing humor. On the other hand, the first Dream Girl, although also a crazy comedy, had a much simpler plot and it used simple situations to create humor.

Dream Girl 2 is also guilty of making fun of the serious issue of depression and its treatment. In one scene a character also says that only rich people suffer from depression.

After the dialogues, the next positive point here are the performances. Ayushmann Khurrana once again shows the right comic timing and energy needed for such a Govinda-like character. He is also impressive as Pooja. The same goodness is carried forward by Annu Kapoor. Paresh Rawal, the new addition in the cast, is thoroughly fine. Abhishek Banerjee plays a character he hasn’t played before with perfection.

Also read: Gadar 2 review – A treat only for Sunny Deol fans

Manjot Singh, Vijay Raaz, Seema Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi and Ranjan Raj (as Tiger Pandey) too chip in with the right support. Ananya Panday fares better than expected but her character doesn’t have much to do. Veteran actor Asrani only has a cameo.

Overall: Dream Girl 2 is only about the dialogues and performances. The film falls shorter than its predecessor.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa

Producers: Balaji Motion Pictures

Writers: Raaj Shaandilyaa and Naresh Kathooria

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Annu Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Seema Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Asrani, Ranjan Raj

Gadar 2 review: A treat only for Sunny Deol fans despite his absence for a good amount of time

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Bollywood hasn’t had a good relationship with sequels. There have been plenty of films whose second part hasn’t turned out to be good, leave alone as good as its predecessor. But Gadar 2, which is the second part of the historic blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, is that rare sequel that, although not as fine as the first film, provides a high dose of excitement, but only for die-hard fans of Sunny Deol and the franchise.

Gadar 2 continues the story after Tara Singh (Sunny Deol), his wife Sakeena (Ameesha Patel) and their son (Utkarsha Sharma) start living in India after making peace with Sakeena’s father Ashraf Ali (Amrish Puri) at the end of first part. However, after allowing his son-in-law Tara to go scot free with his daughter to India, Ashraf Ali faces wrath from Pakistani officials and is hanged to death.

The story is then jumps 17 years later in 1971 when Tara, Sakeena and Jeete are living a peaceful and happy life at a town near the border of Pakistan. The year sees tensions between India and Pakistan and it is a given that the two countries would soon engage in war. It is the war-like situation that separates Jeete from Tara and Sakeena. Tara, who still has the same courage and strength, is hell-bent on stepping onto the other side of the border to rescue his son.

The film also features the evil Pakistani Major General Hamid Iqbal (Manish Wadhwa), who can never forget how his country got humiliated by Tara Singh. He dreams of taking revenge from Tara by killing him mercilessly.

Gadar 2 starts with a bang. The serious and light-hearted sequences provide plenty of nostalgia for the fans. The return of songs ‘Udja Kale Kawa’ and ‘Man Nikla Gaddi Leke’ become the icing on the cake, especially if you are watching the film at a single screen theatre.

However, after a point of time, the audience is in for an unpleasant surprise. Sunny’s character suddenly vanishes and Utkarsh’s Jeete takes center stage. In fact, one starts feeling that he is the main protagonist as he is also given not one but two songs, thanks to his forceful love angle with Muskaan (Simrat Kaur). This, obviously, didn’t go well with the crowd I saw the film with. There were constant angry comments. One person also shouted, “Main yahan Sunny Deol ko dekhne aaya hoon.”

Thankfully, the second half makes up for it as it has plenty of heroic sequences featuring Sunny. This also means that there is a list of opportunities for the single screen crowd and his fans to go berserk. Of course, like the first part, one needs to keep logic aside (which includes accepting the unnecessary and idiotic inclusion of Simrat Kaur’s character in the ending moments), to enjoy such masala entertainers. This also means making the villains behave silly at times. The same was the case in the first Gadar as well. If you are prepared to do this again, you are in for a treat, especially in the overwhelming climax.

The action sequences, obviously, are the film’s USP and, barring a few, they succeed in providing an adrenaline rush. The camerawork and background score also fall in the positives.

It is remarkable to see Sunny Deol carry out such action even after becoming a senior citizen. Needless to say, he is the heart and soul of the film and he carries it on his strong shoulders (including the dhaai kilo ka haath) with lots of power. Utkarsh Sharma shows some improvement from his forgetful debut Genius (2018), which was also directed by his father Anil Sharma.

It is vital for the character of villain to shine in such films. Manish Wadhwa is impressive in the first half but is later reduced to a typical villain we see in such films. Nevertheless, he succeeds in making you hate his character. Ameesha Patel, who doesn’t have a lengthy role this time owing to the story, is average. The same can be said for the debutant Simrat Kaur.

Overall: Gadar 2 is enjoyable only for the fans of Sunny Deol and the franchise. It has taken a tremendous opening at the box office in the rage of Rs. 40 crores and the collections would stay high till August 15. After that, it depends how much the audience has accepted the film. The makers provide a clear hint of Gadar 3, the third part of the franchise.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Anil Sharma

Producers: Zee Studios and Anil Sharma Productions

Writer: Shaktimaan

Cast: Sunny Deol, Utkarsh Sharma, Ameesha Patel, Manish Wadhwa, Simrat Kaur

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