Following the mammoth success of the 2019-film Dream Girl, the makers of its much-anticipated sequel Dream Girl 2 launched its trailer in Mumbai. The Free Press Journal was also present at the do.
The event saw the cast including Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajpal Yadav, director Raaj Shandilya and producer Ektaa Kapoor meet and interact with the members of the media. The trailer was met with a lot of warmth and reception.
Ayushmann plays Karam in Dream Girl 2 | Photos by Varinder Chawla
In the film, Ayushmann plays Karam but disguises himself as Pooja for the sake of love and respect. When asked about his first reaction to himself when he dressed up from head-to-toe as Pooja, Ayushmann gushes, “When I saw myself for the first time as Pooja, I fell in love with myself. This story is a dream for us to tell. When it was narrated to us it felt like a very organic sequel to the first film. While everyone in the cast is amazing, the credit for the film is mostly Raaj’s. Our tuning is of another level. And Ektaa as a creator has displayed newer shades of herself as a creative force on this project. We are very excited for all of you to watch our film.”
Ananya Panday plays Pari in the film | Photos by Varinder Chawla
While the film also retains a fine ensemble of actors from the original film including Annu Kapoor and Manjot Singh, it also features new additions Paresh Rawal and Ananya.
When asked about how viewers are likely to draw comparisons between Pooja and Pari, the character that Ananya essays, the actress jokes, “I thought I won’t be doing a two-heroine film anymore in my career. But here, I’m competing with another heroine in the film. Her voice is much sweeter than mine. I’m very jealous of her!”
Ananya also reveals how the film will help her check off her bucket list. “Of course, I mark a lot of firsts with this film. It’s my first experience of working with Ayushmann, Ektaa ma’am. I believe Ektaa ma’am and Balaji have always made very interesting content. I remember when Raaj sir approached me with the script, I just could not stop laughing. When I finished watching the first film, I too thought to myself, how will the story of Pooja continue any further. So, I’m glad that I was chosen.”
She further adds, “There are so many comic legends in this film and my father (Chunky Panday) has worked with so many of them. So, I’ve just gotten lucky enough to work with all of them. We are a complete dream team.”
Ektaa chimes in, “Raaj is probably one of the smartest creators I’ve ever met. He has the gift of the gab. His one-liners are amazing. After the super-success of Dream Girl, it was necessary that we make a part two. I mean, we all want to know what Ayushmann would do in the future once he has accepted that he has the art to be more of a woman than most women.”
Photos by Varinder Chawla
Dream Girl was the directorial debut of Raaj. When asked how he plans to take the prospects of the franchise forward, he replies, “Dream Girl is such a film that made me explore more of what I was already good at. When I used to write for television, I made a lot of actors play women. Whether it was Kapil Sharma or Krushna Abhishek. The film gave me an opportunity to explore that space further. And with Ektaa and Ayushmann agreeing to back my vision, my belief was only strengthened further. And now, you can see the result for yourself. Have you ever seen a hotter Pooja than this before?”
He concludes, “Hopefully, if Dream Girl 2 works, we will have a Dream Girl 3, as well.”
The film releases in cinemas on August 25.
