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Dream Girl 2 Movie Review: Ayushmann Khurrana shines in this average caper riding on gags
Planning to watch the Raaj Shaandilyaa directed Dream Girl 2 starring Ayushmann Khurrana this week? Read Pinkvilla review and let us help you decide
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Dream Girl 2 rides on the acting power of Ayushmann Khurrana and the entire ensemble
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The biggest plus for Dream Girl 2 are the dialogues, and the quirky characters
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The second half of Dream Girl 2 is not so entertaining as many gags fall flat
Name: Dream Girl 2
Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa
Cast: Rajpal Yadav,Nushrratt Bharuccha,Ananya Panday,Paresh Rawal,Ayushmann Khurrana,Abhishek Banerjee,Annu Kapoor,Vijay Raaz,Manjot Singh
Writer: Raaj Shaandilyaa
Rating: 2.5
Where to watch: Theatre
The most difficult task is to make people laugh, and hence, comedy is often the trickiest genre in world cinema. Over the years, few directors have mastered the art of tickling the funny bone. Back in 2019, Raaj Shaandilyaa made his directorial debut with Dream Girl starring Ayushmann Khurrana and the film is among the better comedies made in today’s time. 3 years later, he returns with Dream Girl 2. Is the film a worthy sequel? Let’s find out!
Plot:
To win over the love of his life, Pari (Ananya Panday), and the trust of her father, Jaypal (Manoj Joshi), Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) is committed to earning money – by hook or by crook. That’s when his friend, Smiley (Manjot Singh), and his father, Jagjit (Annu Kapoor) convince him to cross-dress as Pooja. In no time, Pooja becomes the talk of the town, and the situation leads her aka. him to a wedding with Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee), who is the son of Abu Salim (Paresh Rawal). How does Karam aka Pooja get himself out of the situation? What happens when Pari lands in this setup of cross-dressing? All of it and a lot more unfolds in Dream Girl 2.
What works?
The biggest plus for Dream Girl 2 are the dialogues written by Raaj Shaandilyaa and Naresh Kathooria. The one-line punches land well, and evoke laughter, especially in the first half without going too over the top. The story moves at a quick pace as the director wastes no time to get to the point. The screenplay is smartly written as the writer and director intertwine the plot with gag after gag. Some of the gags and one-liners make up for the loopholes in the storyline.
Another positive for Dream Girl 2 are the quirky characters and the apt casting – it’s an absolute delight to see artists like Annu Kapoor, Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Paresh Rawal in the mad-cap world of confusion surrounding Ayushmann Khurrana and Ananya Panday. They, along with the leads, lift the impact of the one-liners, which could fall flat if not for the set of these talented actors with impeccable comic timing.
Watch Dream Girl 2 Trailer Below
The confusion in the core plot until the interval will remind you of the good old Govinda comedies, as a lie for one is the truth for the other, which is again a lie for the third person. Some of the best sequences include – The first meeting of Pooja with Sona Bhai, her meeting with Shahrukh and their wedding, the confusion between Jagjit, Pooja, Karam, and Jumani, Dadaji’s encounter with Pooja, Dadaji’s death episode and the short pregnancy gimmick to name some.
What doesn’t work?
While the story sets itself up for a blast at the interval point, the proceedings in the post-interval portions are not as entertaining. While the one-liners keep coming from the characters, the plot goes a little haywire. While the director continues with the formula of gags in his screenplay, most of them in the second half don’t land well – be it the entire sequence feature Sudesh Lehri or the track of Ayushmann with Vijay Raaz and Seema Pahwa in the restaurant as also the extended climax.
As the humor goes missing, one starts to question the proceedings in the second half, though the leading hero, Ayushmann, tries to lift the film on his shoulders. The romantic track of Karam and Pari is also not well-established, and the makers could have probably opted for one romantic track at the start to set things up. The music is a major negative, as barring Dil Ka Telephone, all the songs fall flat.
The production values are also not up to the mark, and with part two, one always expects the scale to go up. Though, the production value isn’t something that actually harms the overall experience of the film for the audience, but, a basic upscale in aesthetics was expected. Some of the songs in the backdrop are force-fitted – Naiyo Lagda and Gaddi Leke - making an attempt to evoke laughter. The climax is a major downer, as the entire monologue makes no sense. In fact, director Raaj Shaandilyaa forgets some of the subplots that he opened up in the second half for comic relief. There are a lot of episodes and gags that had the potential to land better with slightly more time invested to set things up, but it felt like the team was in a hurry to wrap up the scenes. It almost feels like a half-hearted attempt in writing the scenes. The climax monologue is forced and makes no sense.
Dream Girl 2 Star Cast Performances:
Dream Girl 2 rides on the acting power of Ayushmann Khurrana. He plays Pooja and Karam with utmost conviction and delivers another credible performance. Dream Girl 2 could have easily landed in the wrong zone, but it’s Ayushmann’s confidence to enact the part of a film that saves the film. When he is Pooja, you believe that he’s a Pooja. And when he is Karam, he brings in a distinct touch to the character. Ananya Panday as Pari does well in the limited role. She brings in the right element of innocence in the performance, though one wished for better writing in the romantic track. Annu Kapoor is hilarious and mouths all those one-liners as if they were meant for him. Vijay Raaz is a riot as Sona Bhai and brings in laughter at all his appearances with the twisted dialogue delivery. Seema Pahwa does well as Jumani and one would get to see in a new space with Dream Girl 2. Paresh Rawal doesn’t get a lot to do on the humor front but holds attention with his commanding screen presence. Rajpal Yadav is apt for an over-the-top character, whereas Abhishek Banerjee leaves a mark with his limited role. Manoj Joshi makes a brief appearance and is fine in what he gets to do, same for Asrani ji. Manjot Singh is funny in the first half but mysteriously disappears for a major chunk of the second half. The rest of the cast do well.
Dream Girl 2 Final Verdict
Dream Girl 2 works primarily due to the gags and one-liners in the first half. While the novelty factor does evoke laughter in some instances, there isn’t enough situational humor in the second half to keep the entertainment factor intact. The film depends heavily on the gags, which go dull in the later part and rides on a rather thin storyline. Overall, Dream Girl 2 is a one-time watch for some solid punch lines, quirky characters, Ayushmann Khurrana’s performance, and a great ensemble of the finest comic artists. On the box office front, the business will benefit by the franchise value to reach a respectable number!
When and where to watch Dream Girl 2: In Cinema Halls
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