.png)
Making people laugh is the hardest undertaking, hence comedy is sometimes the most challenging genre in world film. Few directors have mastered the skill of making people laugh over the years. Dream Girl, a comedy starring Ayushmann Khurrana and released in 2019, was directed by Raaj Shaandilya and is among the best comedies produced recently. He returns with Dream Girl 2 three years later. Is the movie a good follow-up?
Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) is dedicated to making money — by any means necessary — in order to gain the trust of Pari's father, Jaypal (Manoj Joshi), and the love of his life, Ananya Panday. At that point, his father Jagjit (Annu Kapoor) and friend Smiley (Manjot Singh) persuade him to dress as Pooja. Pooja quickly gains notoriety, and as a result, she (or he) ends up getting married to Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee), the son of Abu Salim (Paresh Rawal). How did Karam, aka Pooja, manage to escape the predicament? What transpires when Pari finds herself in this cross-dressing situation? It all happens in Dream Girl 2, along with a lot more.
The dialogues penned by Raaj Shaandilya and Naresh Kathooria are Dream Girl 2 greatest asset. Particularly in the first half, the one-line punches are effective and cause hilarity without being over the top. The director doesn't waste any time getting to the point, thus the story moves quickly. The screenplay is cleverly written as the writer and director cleverly weave joke after joke into the story. Some of the jokes and one-liners compensate for the plot flaws.
It's a real treat to see actors like Annu Kapoor, Seema Pahwa, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Paresh Rawal in the crazy world of confusion that surrounds Ayushmann Khurrana and Ananya Panday. The eccentric characters and the excellent casting are other positive aspects of Dream Girl 2. Together with the leads, they increase the power of the one-liners, which may have been lost without the ensemble of these skilled actors and their perfect comic timing.
As a lie for one person is the truth for another, which is also a lie for the third person, the confusion in the main narrative up until the intermission will make you think of the classic Govinda comedy. The first time Pooja met Sona Bhai, her encounter with Shahrukh, and their wedding, the mix-up involving Jagjit, Pooja, Karam, and Jumani, Dadaji's encounter with Pooja, Dadaji's death event, and the brief pregnancy gimmick are just a few of the best scenes.
The events in the post-interval portions of the novel are not as fascinating, even though the story sets itself up for an explosion at the interval point. The plot goes off course as the characters continue to drop one-liners. The most of the director's jokes in the second half of the film don't land properly, whether it's the entire Sudesh Lehri sequence or Ayushmann's scene in the restaurant with Vijay Raaz and Seema Pahwa as the extended climax.
Even if the main character, Ayushmann tries to carry the movie on his shoulders, one begins to doubt the events in the second half as the humour disappears. The romance arc of Karam and Pari is also underdeveloped, and the producers might have chosen one romantic arc in the beginning to set things up. With the exception of Dil Ka Telephone, all of the songs are terrible, which is a huge drawback.
Additionally, the production values fall short of expectations, and with part two, one would assume that the scale would increase. Although the production value doesn't directly detract from the audience's overall enjoyment of the movie, a basic premium look was anticipated. Some of the background music, such as Naiyo Lagda and Gaddi Leke, is forced in an effort to make people laugh. The entire monologue makes no sense, which makes the climax extremely depressing. In fact, some of the subplots that filmmaker Raaj Shaandilyaa opened up in the second half for comic relief are forgotten.
Many of the episodes and jokes may have worked better if a little more time had been spent setting things up, but it seemed like the production staff was rushing to finish the sequences. The situations nearly have the air of being poorly written. The finale monologue is ill-conceived and forceful.
Ayushmann Khurrana acting prowess propels Dream Girl 2 forward. With complete conviction, he gives another convincing portrayal as Pooja and Karam. Dream Girl 2 could have easily veered off course, but Ayushmann's assured performance as the title character saves the movie. You think he is a Pooja while he is acting like one. Additionally, he gives the character a unique touch when he plays Karam. Ananya Panday does admirably in her small role as Pari.
Although one wished for stronger composition in the romance tune, she brings the appropriate amount of naivety to the performance. The funny Annu Kapoor mouths all those one-liners as if they were personalised for him. As Sona Bhai, Vijay Raaz is hilarious and makes audiences laugh with his odd speech delivery. With Dream Girl 2, one would get to witness in a fresh setting and Seema Pahwa does well as Jumani.
Despite not having much to do in terms of humour, Paresh Rawal commands attention on screen. Rajpal Yadav is the right choice for a ridiculous character, while Abhishek Banerjee makes a lasting impression in a small part. Asrani ji and Manoj Joshi both make brief appearances and are content with the roles they play. In the first half, Manjot Singh is funny, but he inexplicably disappears for the most of the second. The other actors perform admirably.
The first-half jokes and one-liners are the main reasons why Dream Girl 2 is successful. While the novelty component occasionally makes people chuckle, the second half lacks sufficient situational humour to maintain the enjoyment level. The movie largely relies on the jokes, which get old in the later scenes and are supported by a very shallow plot. In conclusion, Dream Girl 2 is a must-see for its funny lines, oddball characters, Ayushmann Khurrana's acting, and a fantastic cast of the best comic book creators. The firm will gain from the franchise value reaching a fair amount on the box office front!
