Son of Sardaar 2 Movie Review: When filmmakers cut a trailer, they usually stuff it with the best bits to lure audiences in. For comedies, that means a few genuinely funny moments. Son of Sardaar 2 had one teaser and two trailers - none remotely amusing. So when the film turned out to be just as bad as expected (if not worse), I couldn’t even be mad. At least they were honest. Ajay Devgn Box Office: From ‘Golmaal Returns’ To ‘Raid 2’ – How Bollywood Star Has Near-Perfect Hit Record With Sequels; Will ‘Son of Sardaar 2’ Repeat the Magic? The original Son of Sardaar (2012) was one of the few Hindi remakes that benefited from an SS Rajamouli touch - the other being Rowdy Rathore. A remake of Rajamouli’s Telugu hit Maryada Ramanna, the first film had its laughs thanks to its situational comedy: a man surviving purely because his enemy took atithi devo bhava way too seriously (the cast was also in great nick there). This spiritual sequel, with no connection to the first film, has no Rajamouli film to 'draw inspiration' from. So what’s it about? 'Son of Sardaar 2' Movie Review - The Plot Ajay Devgn returns as Jassi, the good-hearted, simple-minded son of Punjab soil. His wife Dimple (Neeru Bajwa) heads to the UK for work, leaving him to wait for a visa. When he finally joins her, she drops a bombshell — she wants a divorce. Not wanting to return to India and break his mother’s heart, Jassi somehow ends up with Rabia (Mrunal Thakur) and her troupe of wedding performers. Watch The Trailer of 'Son of Sardaar 2': Unaware they’re Pakistani, Jassi is roped into pretending to be the father of Saba (Roshni Walia), who is in love with Punjabi brat Gogi (Sahil Mehta). Trouble is, Gogi’s father Raja (Ravi Kishan) and his brothers Tony (Mukul Dev) and Tittu (Vindoo Dara Singh) despise Pakistanis. Cue the elaborate charade: Saba, Rabia, and friends posing as Indians, while Jassi pretends to be a decorated Indian Army colonel because Raja worships soldiers. 'Son of Sardaar 2' Movie Review - An Unexpected Surgical Strike on Pakistan Directed by Punjabi filmmaker Vijay Kumar Arora, replacing Ashwini Dhir from the first film, Son of Sardaar 2 feels like a Punjabi comedy transplanted into Bollywood. That might work for fans of that style - except the humour here is painfully juvenile, ageing faster than the speed of light, the second the characters in the film speak out the jokes. [caption id="attachment_7036358" align="alignnone" width="1200"] A Still From Son of Sardaar 2[/caption] The plot is familiar: a couple fakes relatives, or relatives fake themselves, to impress prospective in-laws. Think The Birdcage, Pyaar Kiye Ja, Hum Do Hamare Do, Bol Bachchan, etc. Though I haven't watched many Punjabi movies, I have heard of several films with a similar premise. There's a catch in Son of Sardaar 2 that should put the film in an awkward position with the current post-Operation Sindoor political climate. Particularly considering Ravi Kishan is an MP for the ruling BJP party, whose followers see any slight inclination towards Pakistan as nothing less than treachery, and even the lead actor, Mr Devgn, is close to the party. And here we have a film trying to humanise the Pakistanis. Oh my, filmon mein dosti yaari, social media mein hatyaari? 'Son of Sardaar 2' Movie Review - Juvenile Screenplay Still, I doubt the self-proclaimed 'nationalists' should bother about boycotting this one. Given the juvenile gags, I’d like to think Devgn and co have actually carried out a 'surgical strike' on Pakistan by making them part of this narrative and playing jokes at their cost - intentionally and/or unintentionally. Take that, neighbouring country, we will destroy ya with bad humour. [caption id="attachment_7036359" align="alignnone" width="1056"] A Still From Son of Sardaar 2[/caption] Sure, there is collateral damage, which includes farcical Sikh representation (still a running joke in Hindi comedies that should have retired when Khushwant Singh had passed away), a white old lady pole-dancing to satisfy Jassi’s libido (revenge for colonialism, perhaps), and our collective sense of humour. Even JP Dutta's Border isn’t spared in a gag that starts funny but drags until you wish it would stop. Devgn’s trademark dialogue "Paaji, kabhi hass bhi diya karo" shows up only thrice, if I remember right - fitting, since the film has just three fairly amusing moments: the absurd Border scene, a funeral scene where two rudaalis try to hit on Raja's father while mourning, and the climax about mistaken perceptions where the lies unravel through the return of a couple of forgotten characters. [caption id="attachment_7036355" align="alignnone" width="1330"] A Still From Son of Sardaar 2[/caption] Otherwise, Son of Sardaar 2 is mostly a migraine-inducing exercise of mediocre jokes that is in dire need of a joke book. And what's more, it is still unfunny despite not trying to go woke or something. Gags that were not funny the first time - like Jassi acting crazy after having poppy seeds - continue to be repeated because the makers thought maybe the second, third, or fourth time would be the charm. It wasn't. Just because you are inserting something from nostalgia or pop culture, doesn't make the joke automatically funny - the timing and the delivery also matter. 'Son of Sardaar 2' Movie Review - Miscastings and Average Performances Devgn sheds some of the expressionless laziness seen in recent films, attempting a goofy grin now and then, though the stiffness remains. Ravi Kishan is easily the most impressive actor of the whole bunch; he at least feels committed to his part (considering he was a replacement). The late Mukul Dev and Vindoo Dara Singh try their best to bring some of the comic flair from their pairing from the first film. Deepak Dobriyal plays a trans character for reasons unknown. He’s sincere, but the humour around the role is depressingly immature. Bollywood still doesn't know what to do with Kubbra Sait, who is wasted yet again. [caption id="attachment_7036356" align="alignnone" width="2024"] A Still From Son of Sardaar 2[/caption] But the casting that truly baffled me was Mrunal Thakur’s. Not only is she paired romantically with a two-decades-older Devgn - an uncomfortable mismatch on its own (where her character is shown trying to seduce him and a running gag involves them trying to get a kiss) - but she’s also made to play the mother of a young woman even if it's playacting. While everyone doubts whether Jassi is a colonel, no one in the film questions how a girl this young became a mother to a girl in her 20s. Thakur does fine with what she’s given, but it’s still the miscasting of the year. Why not cast Kajol? Did she take one look at the script and throw it in the bin? Something her husband should also have done as well? ‘Raid 2’ Movie Review: Ajay Devgn and Riteish Deshmukh Face Off in a Sequel That Lacks the Bite of the Original. Also, kudos, Bollywood! You have somehow managed to make Sanjay Mishra unfunny! [caption id="attachment_7036360" align="alignnone" width="1280"] A Still From Son of Sardaar 2[/caption] The songs are forgettable, except for one where Devgn and Thakur do their now-infamous 'finger dance' with actual ghosts - simply for that 'dance' - and this comes right after Jassi gives a lecture on why dance as a career shouldn't be looked down upon. Not after those steps, they won't. Everything else about the film - from the visuals to the tonal dissonance (doesn't take a second for melodrama to seep in right after a chandelier comically falls upon a character) - is as garish as the humour. PS: Sanjay Dutt was meant to appear, as in the first film, but visa issues meant he was replaced by Ravi Kishan. Sometimes, not getting the job really is a blessing. 'Son of Sardaar 2' Movie Review - Final Thoughts Son of Sardaar 2 delivers exactly what it promised in the trailers - a badly made sequel with two-three passable gags, over-reliance on loud and crude humour, utter miscasting and Ajay Devgn looking awkward trying to act goofy because that once worked a decade back. At least, we were warned beforehand through the promos, but that still doesn't make the viewing any more bearable.