For the upwardly mobile GenY, this one's an "un-missable" rollercoaster of rollicking fun from beginning to end. The best part is that, apart from the few small and basic illogical points that we are meant to overlook, the treatment of the film, especially in terms of the lines spoken by the principal characters and their situations, are pretty realistic and thus relatable to the uber-cool, urban GenY that believes in hard work and harder partying.
Not only is this film one of the best in the zillion sequels Hindi cinema has seen but it positively corrects all the defects in the earlier film, released in 2011. That film was a fluke and a limited success, neither fully entertaining nor very palatable and somehow become a movie that connected with the youth, primarily of Northern India and Mumbai. In that sense, this one's poised to take on all levels of audiences within the youthful circles"and a sizable chunk of older viewers as well.
In that sense, this is a unique sequel that repeats its theme with different characters set in new settings, just like the "Golmaal" franchise, with four of the six actors repeated. The writing corrects the mediocre tone of the earlier one, and the director-co-writer Luv Ranjan keeps up with our more demanding times with a funny yet warm script that is entertaining from first frame to last. His direction (after another turnip called "Akaash Vani") is now assured, much more balanced in all aspects, and aspires to (and succeeds in reaching) a higher level of comedy and storytelling.
In short, this is not a sequel made for the heck of it (as in making money), but to genuinely entertain and leave a subtle message to the youth from the youth, even as it remains an account of the battle of the sexes and a dig at exploitative girlfriends!
Anshul aka Gogo (Kartik Aryan) falls for Ruchika aka Chikoo (Nushrat Bharucha) at a party, ditto Siddhartha aka Chauka (Sunny Singh) for Supriya (Sonnalli Seygal"in a double-bill this week with two releases having differently spelt numerological versions of her name!).
Tarun aka Thakur (Omkar Kapoor) who earns, we are told, three lakhs a month, falls for Kusum (Ishita Raj), who earns Rs. 50,000. These three male bosom buddies share a posh, high-rise apartment in Delhi, away from their parents. Ruchika lives with her friend and Kusum lives alone and is the boldest of the three girls.
The girls reciprocate the boys' advances and their love stories blossom on parallel tracks. But soon the deadlier of the human species show their fangs and talons and the boys get into retreat mode. However, there is a solution that seems to be fit in for all six"a short vacation to Krabi together. But can a man ever be safe from a girl? As things move from bad to worse, the three friends find individual ways to solve their problems.
The script keeps the momentum going, well-balanced between the three of them and their stories, all of which seem to find happiness, derail or hit bumpers simultaneously. The only place where Anshul has an edge is when he gets to mouth a 7-minute monologue (edited from a filmed 12 minute one!) about the woes of any young man vis-a-vis girlfriends, which is a highlight "item" in the second half.
And is there a happy ending for one, two or all? Ah, that depends on one's perspective! Suffice to say that this time, the culmination of the boys' stories is wholesome and gratifying and the post-climax funny indeed. Coming after a slice-of-life funny journey for all (we will not spoil the fun by giving out any details), it is the perfect icing on this spicy confection.
The cinematography, editing, locations and songs keep perfect pace with the script and dialogues, and "Paro" is the highlight of the music score. From the actors (all three heroines are repeated in the franchise apart from hero Kartik), everyone does well, but the acting honours go clearly (except for Kartik's superbly done monologue) to Sunny Singh with his expressive eyes and demeanor and the confident and charming Ishita Raj. Both these talents look destined for better things.
Kartik, Omkar and Sonalli score as well, and Nushrat has an author-backed character. The guy playing Chikoo's best friend Sunny (Manvir Singh) and the two girls who are her chums (Karishma Sharma and especially Rumana Mola as the bitchy Ruchi) are excellent in their limited cameos. The rest have nothing much to do. But had these six protagonists been weak, mediocre or worse, the film would have collapsed despite the great script and direction.
This one's a must-watch, and a welcome addition to the hits of the year. A personal opinion: if films like "ABCD2" can hit a century (100 crore domestic), this one does deserve much more.
Rating: ****
Panorama Studios and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures present
Produced by: Abhishek Pathak
Directed by: Luv Ranjan
Written by: Luv Ranjan, Rahul Mody and Tarun Jain
Music: Hitesh Sonik & Sharib-Toshi
Starring: Kartik Aryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Sonnalli Seygall, Ishita Raj, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Sharat Saxena, Mona Ambegaonkar, Manvir Singh, Rumona Molla, Karishma Sharma & others.
Anupamaa
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