De De Pyaar De 2 review: R Madhavan wins the show in this one-time watch

De De Pyaar De is good in some parts, not so bad in other parts. Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh are back as the middle-aged man, Ashish, and the young, 27-year-old, charming Ayesha. Though, in the first part, the unconventional couple (From the world's perspective) got the green flag from the boy’s side, it was the girl’s side that they needed to convince for their union.

Released in 2019, the first part of the movie, directed by Akiv Ali, was partly entertaining, even though the movie didn’t offer anything exciting, as fans of Indian cinema were well versed with the older-man-younger-woman pairing when it comes to movies and daily soaps, of course. Following the same lines, the second part lies down, but the only difference is that the fight is on the other side. Nevertheless, the sequel is a lighthearted comedy with great actors who make every frame comic and watchable.

What is De De Pyaar De about?

The shortest description of the movie would be that it is an extended version of the trailer. So if you have watched the trailer and the first part of the movie, you have the gist of what you will be walking into the theatre for.

The movie starts with a flashback of the first movie when Ayesha and Ashish meet in London, fall in love, come back to India, then break up and then patch up again. After six months, the couple is coming back to their homeland, and this time, to impress Ayesha’s family, a wealthy officer father, Rajji (R. Madhavan), a cool mom (Gautami Kapoor), a loving brother, and a sister-in-law who is pregnant.

The family is happy, modern, and super-rich, living in Chandigarh. While they are waiting for the arrival of their baby, the happiest moment of their life, Ayesha feels that there is no better moment to tell her family about Ashish. Before the right time, her family comes to know about Ashish, who is a divorcee, father of two children, and is almost the age of her parents.

While they call themselves a modern-minded family. But when it comes to their own daughter and her choice to marry a man who is double her age, there is a big NO-NO. Ayesha, a rebel girl, knows what she wants in life, stands against her father’s decision. But Madhavan, on the other hand, has his own plans, and to make his daughter pick the right choice, he and his wife come up with a plan to bring in the perfect boy, Sameer (Meezaan Jafri), who is Ayesha's childhood friend.

Ashish, a 52-year-old, acts his age and performs maturely across the movie. Will the love of the young couple win over the so-called uncle-age romance? Will Ayesha settle with Sameer? Who will she choose? Will Rajji’s plan be successful? All this forms the crux of the movie.

Poster of De De Pyaar De Photograph: (X)

What's best, decent, or worst - it's complicated

Compared to the first part, which lost its plot from crisp comedy to emotional family drama, that is not the case with the sequel. Directed by Anshul Sharma, the makers have maintained the tone of laughter, entertainment, and family chaos that comes with it.

Luv Ranjan, who is the co-writer with Tarun Jain, manages to make one like the film and laugh over its silliness. To an extent, Luv Ranjan has established his USP; no matter if the story of the movie is not impeccable enough, it will keep you hooked, be it with dialogues, performances, or quirky expressions. And this is the same thing with DDPD 2.

The movie is not great, and neither does it give you hard laughs. But when you watch it, it makes sure to entertain you and give you a good two hours of fun.

In the first part, where the movie defends physical cheating with guilt sex, the second part takes the woman’s side as it takes a sly dig at the patriarchy and the age-old Indian mindset about how and what parents think is best for their children, especially girls and their marriage. However, the movie, in a lighthearted way, comments on it. With a somewhat serious message, the movie maintains the laughs, twists, and turns as it strikes a balance between humour, emotion, and drama. Even the climax, which comes with a feminist twist, is entertaining, surprisingly!

When it comes to performances, Madhavan as Rajji is the highlight. His character is juvenile and fun, and his camaraderie with other characters is entertaining, especially with Gautami. At the same time, Ajay, as Ashish, seems somewhat subdued in this part. For most of the film, Devgn appears as if he's only reciting the dialogue, telling the world that he's just a middle-aged man going with the flow, and has just done all the talking with his eyes. The only energy that comes to his character is when his best friend, Sameer (Jaaved Jaaferi), is around him. The part where I felt Ajay acted with energy is in the climax; otherwise, it's mostly him with a glass of wine, rum, or whatever.

Rakul Preet, Gautami Kapoor, and Ishita Dutta Sheth perform well in keeping with the movie's tone. However, Meezan Jafri shows off his dance talent well, but I'm sceptical about his dialogue delivery and overall performance.

The good part is that this movie isn't overly misogynistic, with the man of the house eventually understanding the harm caused by his ego. What makes this film a bit bland is the unnecessary drama and inconsistent tone. At some parts, it's fun, at others, it lacks with forced jokes. The first half grabs your attention, the second half only has the climax as a boon. However, what I missed in the movie was Tabu. I had hoped for a cameo, at least.

Falling into the category of a one-time watch, De De Pyaar De 2 entertains despite its flaws.