Film: Judwaa 2
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu, Jacqueline Fernandez, Vivan Bhatena, Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Sachin Khedekar, Salman Khan
Director: David Dhawan
Rating: * *
There was a time when any mindless David Dhawan comedy show would get a full run at the Box Office-but that’s not a current phenomenon. Living in the past might be the only way for Dhawan to try and get back his mojo and he has tried that in this, a remake of one of his most popular hits ‘Judwaa.’ So for ‘Judwaa 2’, the story remains largely the same, some of the songs are a rejigged version and the cast and crew appear to be the only difference here. Even Salman Khan, the original’s star, does a friendly cameo. But there’s no magic here.
Twin brothers Raja and Prem (Varun Dhawan in twin roles), separated at birth after their father, a rich businessman Malhotra (Sachin Khedekar) exposes a racketeering kingpin -eventually come together to battle a smuggling ring and save their family from impending doom. Of course, the formula that felt fresh and entertaining in 1997 doesn’t feel the same anymore. It’s dead weight, stale and preposterous to think that today’s audience will buy into cheap, jaded physical comedy and recycled cringe-inducing, extremely cheesy, juvenile jokes.
Granted Varun Dhawan is a much more malleable actor and definitely, a much better dancer than the poser Salman Khan but the charm that the superstar lends to his roles is gravely missing. Of course, Varun still has a long way to go to become a superstar with that kind of fan following. The replacement heroines Tapsee Pannu and Jacqueline are no match for the original’s Karishma Kapoor and Rambha. The latter had flare and bounce, these two are just two pretty faces without much distinction.
Even Varun’s Shirtless antics combined with both the heroines’ swimsuit poses fail to rouse you from the tedium that excessive inanity and low brained writing put you into. The colour, gaiety and songs may trigger some nostalgia but you’ll soon be feeling the pressing weight of expectation that never gets fulfilled. The only reason you might enjoy this mad-cap misadventure is if you are a diehard Varun Dhawan fan- which I did not see too much of when I visited the theatre. The two and half hour runtime is also a millstone. This one is terribly loony if you ask me!
