Review: In ‘De De Pyaar De 2’, too much of a good thing

After meeting the estranged first wife in De De Pyaar De, it’s time to meet the soon-to-be-estranged parents. In De De Pyaar De 2, 28-year-old Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh) introduces her 52-year-old boyfriend Ashish (Ajay Devgn) to her father Rakesh (R Madhavan) and mother Anju (Gautami Kapoor).

We are educated, progressive and modern people, Rakesh and Anju keep saying in unison – they even refer to each other as Rajji, to indicate that their two minds think as one. They are individually and collectively dismayed by their grown-up daughter’s decision to bring home a man who’s older than Rakesh, divorced and a father of two grown children.

This simply won’t do for the affluent, status-conscious couple – Rakesh especially wonders whether Ayesha is wasting her youth on somebody who has already left his spouse. Some of the funniest scenes in Anshul Sharma’s sequel to the 2019 hit revolve around Rakesh and Anju desperately trying to drive a wedge between their strong-willed daughter and her reviled boyfriend.

Written by Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain, De De Pyaar De 2 maintains continuity with its predecessor while also breaking away from that film’s focus on the hapless hero. The new movie is Ayesha’s story, examining her clash with her pig-headed father and her irritation over her boyfriend’s tendency to act “mature” when he should be fighting alongside her. Ashish is even-tempered to the point of being catatonic, which leaves Ajay Devgn with little to do.

The sequel belongs to Rakul Preet Singh, who is in sparkling form as the feisty, outspoken heroine. Ayesha’s rebellion shows up her father’s pettiness as well as her lover’s wearying nobility.

Others in the cast step up too – Ishita Dutta as Ayesha’s sister-in-law, whose advanced pregnancy comes handy whenever Ayesha and Rakesh look like they will murder each other; Javed Jaafferi as Ashish’s wisecracking friend Ronak; Meezaan Jaffri as Adi, whom Rakesh props up to distract Ayesha away from Ashish. Suhasini Mulay has a memorable scene in which her character coldly proves her fabulous memory to Ashish.

There are other such hilarious scenes, but spread out too unevenly across the overstretched 147-minute duration. The film’s creators have taken a plot that is halfway between an update on Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and a screwball comedy and stretched it until it threatens to snap.

Some judicious snipping might have taken care of the tonal inconsistency, while also better showcasing the sharp lines and charming tendency of characters to talk themselves into a corner. De De Pyaar De 2 is too much of a good thing. The bits that work stand out, especially Ayesha’s refusal to let the men in her life tell her how to behave, and love.