Ajay Devgn’s Latest Caper Strains for Laughs, Delivering Disconnected Chaos and Questionable Humor, Though a Standout Performance Offers a Glimmer of What Could Have Been.
Gurugram, Haryana, India: Well, here we are again. To be perfectly honest, I had almost entirely – and quite happily – forgotten the first Son Of Sardaar. It was only when I saw Ajay Devgn looking utterly bewildered in his neatly tied turban, alongside the late Mukul Dev (in what is, sadly, his final film) and Vindu Singh just sort of… wandering aimlessly, that the memories of the original came flooding back. And frankly, I wasn’t a fan then, and after watching Son Of Sardaar 2, I can confirm this sequel, despite its best efforts, barely manages to be a whisper better. And I mean barely.
This time around, with our returning trio joined by some fresh faces, the film tries desperately to inject something new into its rather chaotic plot (if you can even call it a plot). We’ve got two new elements tossed into the mix. First, there’s a running India-Pakistan gag. And, gasp, some of the Pakistani characters aren’t all “soorma-eyed” terrorists – a surprising turn, I suppose.
But the real, undisputed gem of this film, the one element that truly almost saves it, is a magnificent actor who frankly deserves all the awards: a nearly unrecognizable Deepak Dobriyal. He plays a trans person with such incredible brio and conviction that he practically runs away with the entire film. Or at least, he would have, if his character was given even half the chance to do more than what this utterly all-over-the-place script allows him. It’s frustrating to see such talent constrained.
So, what about Ajay Devgn, the leading man of this enterprise, which desperately wants to be a laugh-a-minute, madcap caper but keeps, well, slackening? His innocent, bhola-Sardar, Jassi Randhawa, leaves his loving mother (the wonderful Dolly Ahluwalia) behind in the “pind” and finds himself in Scotland. There, he toggles between utter affront (his wife, played by Neeru Bajwa, has apparently turned into a “bewafa” or unfaithful one) and a general state of befuddlement.
And honestly, you can’t blame him! All around him, plot threads tumble like disconnected yarn. Leading the charge is the lovely dancer-by-profession, Rabiya (Mrunal Thakur, who, surprisingly, reveals an unexpected gift for comedy). Oh, and she just happens to be Pakistani. Adding to the delightful absurdity, Rabiya’s young daughter (Roshni Walia) is smitten with a guy whose rich, sheep-farmer father (Ravi Kishan) has a rather strong, unapologetic hatred for Pakistanis.
Got that? No? Never mind. There’s even more to unpack (or simply endure). Chunky Panday and Kubbra Sait, also part of the dance troupe, are also, yikes, from “that enemy country.” He’s portrayed as a serial adulterer, and she’s, well, just sort of there, seemingly to witness the highly mismatched couple of Jassi and Rabiya inexplicably grow closer. Older hero, much younger heroine? Is this maximum cringe, or just Bollywood as usual?
In a truly perplexing move, chunks of the 1997 war film Border are bizarrely regurgitated for laughs. A tank is literally rolled into the scene. There’s even an old Sardar (Sharat Saxena) who seems to be romancing multiple women of different nationalities, and yes, moments of outright racism rear their heads, all apparently intended to be funny. It’s a baffling creative choice.
Look, I love broad laughs and completely hare-brained comedies as much as the next person. But what happened to keeping things crisp and, you know, connected? If I could offer some unsolicited advice: bring back Deepak Dobriyal, and for goodness sake, give him and Kubbra Sait something substantial to actually do. And perhaps, just perhaps, pair Ajay Devgn with an age-appropriate leading lady and give him a few genuinely chuckle-worthy lines. It can’t be that hard, can it?
Son Of Sardaar 2 Movie Cast: Ajay Devgn, Mrunal Thakur, Deepak Dobriyal, Ravi Kishan, Kubbra Sait, Roshni Walia, Sahil Mehta, Chunky Panday, Vindu Singh, Mukul Dev, Ashwini Kalsekar, Neeru Bajwa, Dolly Ahluwalia, Sharat Saxena, Sanjay Mishra. Son Of Sardaar 2 Movie Director: Vijay Kumar Arora. Son Of Sardaar 2 Movie Rating: 2 stars.