Judwaa 2 Movie Review: Varun Dhawan Is 'Two Much Fun' In This Trip Down Nostalgia Lane!

Plot

Judwaa 2 opens with a scene where we see a couple expecting their first child. Soon, the mother goes into the labour while the father is still on his way to the hospital. When she finally gives birth to twins, the doctor lets out a revelation- the babies' have similar reflexes as they were conjoined before the hospital separated them.

However, their happiness is short-lived when a smuggler kingpin Charles (Zakir Hussain) whom the father met at the airport follows him back to the hospital and in a tussle, ends up stealing one of the newborns. He is soon caught, but he lies that he has killed the stolen baby.

Soon, the couple shifts to London with Prem (Varun Dhawan). Unknown to them, the separated twin Raja (Varun Dhawan) is very much alive and is adopted by a fisherwoman. Years pass by. Prem is a simpleton who gets bullied in college for his meekness. On the other hand, Raja grows up to be a strong, street-smart lad. The rest of the plot revolves around how their mistaken identity creates chaos and confusion before they cross their paths with each other.

Direction

Salman Khan starrer Judwaa hit the theatrical screens in 1997. Twenty years later, David Dhawan revisits this film of his with his son Varun Dhawan stepping into 'bhai's shoes. The premise is similar and the makers have retained some of the iconic scenes from the original flick.

Judwaa 2 has all the trappings of a typical 90s flick. Loud gags, heroines as mere props, stammering side-kick, logic which goes for a toss and humor which many may even find 'offensive' in today's times!
Some of you may even argue how sexist is this film in the times of a 'Pink'. After all, this one has a boy chasing women, smacking their bum and going 'Chalti Hai Kya'?

Coming to the flipside, the film suffers from a weak screenplay and comedy which looks forced in certain places. One wished that the makers had played attention when it came to writing for the supporting cast too. They are barely memorable unlike Judwaa!

Performances

Varun Dhawan has big shoes to fill in, but the actor pulls it off quite convincingly. Yes, Salman is the original 'Judwaa' man. But, you simply can't deny that Varun brings with him his own charm. He sinks his teeth into both the characters and makes it a crazy ride! Both as the rowdy Raja and the adorable Prem, he gives you enough moments to go 'woot-woot', 'haa-haa' and drool over his washboard abs.

The girls, Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee Pannu are merely reduced to arm candy. This time, you have Rajpal Yadav reprising Shakti Kapoor's Nandu. He puts up a good act, but we still missed Kapoor! The rest of the cast are underutilized as the focus solely remains on Varun throughout the film.

Technical Aspects

Judwaa 2 is visually appealing. Ayananka Bose' cinematography adds a style value. The editing too, works fine!

Music

What is disheartening about Judwaa 2 is its music which wasn't the case with the original flick! Even today, you just can't stop tapping your feet to the tunes of Judwaa. Sadly, that doesn't happen here! The revamped version of 'Ta Tana Tan' and 'Oonchi Hai Building' lacks that spunk. The other two tracks barely register.

Verdict

A couple of days back, while tweeting about his Judwaa 2 experience, Dhawan Jr. wrote, 'I genuinely hope I can make people laugh and just enjoy. We need to learn to laugh on ourselves and not be scared of judgement'. And yes, the actor does stay true to his words.

Judwaa 2 is high on nostalgia along with Varun Dhawan bringing in his own alluring presence. Of course, nothing can beat Salman Khan's charisma in Judwaa. This new show is strictly a crowd-pleaser and won't be palatable for those looking out for some food for their grey cells!