De De Pyaar 2 Review: A genuinely funny, breezy rom-com that revives the sequel magic!

Luv Ranjan’s organic follow-up delivers sharp humor, progressive vibes, and stellar Rakul-Maddy chemistry!

Getting a sequel right seems like a lost art in Bollywood. The last few years in particular felt like the films were losing out on their soul in the process of expanding their scale and ambition. However, Luv Ranjan, with his panache for curating sharp urban rom-coms laced with some relatable Gen Z chaos and unapologetic bro code humor, breaks this curse with De De Pyaar (DDPD) 2, offering a rare organic sequel which is colourful, progressive, and surprisingly refreshing!

Also Read: POV: How Luv Ranjan rom-coms makes me laugh, rage, and reflect all at once!

Picking up right where things left off six years ago, this Anshul Sharma directorial follows Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh) and Ashish (Ajay Devgn) on a quest to convince the former’s parents for their marriage. The mayhem, revelations, and confrontations that unfold next form the rest of the story. The film opens with Ronak’s (Jaaved Jaaferi) quirky commentary giving us a quick re-cap of the events in the last film and what to anticipate next but just when you expect the plot to follow the Cheeni Kum route, the rom-com makes it clear that the parents here are modern, educated and progressive people who are in fact open to accepting a ‘slightly’ olderdamaad who is divorced with kids. While Cheeni Kum was witty, restrained, and sarcastic in its tone. DDPD 2 is chaotic, breezy, and a fun-filled family entertainer that also has sly commentary on family dynamics and the delicately precious daughter-parent relationship. Like I mentioned before, the movie feels like an organic sequel, and so does the comedy in it, and there lies the biggest win for the film. DDPD keeps you invested throughout its run-time thanks to the signature Luv Ranjan humor in it.

While Ayesha’s parents Rajji Khurana (R Madhavan) and Mrs Khurana(Gautami Kapoor) boast about their liberal and non-judgemental outlook in life time and again, the scenes where, their mask of modernity slowly wears off to reveal them as hard-headed egoist parents who don’t trust their daughter’s choice, is presented with cheeky humor and the kind of emotions that also make you sympathize with their concerns. The arguments between a fiery and spirited Ayesha and the mature and witty Ashish alongwith the bromance between the latter and Ronak are sharp-witted, engaging, and entertaining. However, one thing that is sure to elicit maximum laughter is the meta humor of the film that is executed with the smoothness of a frozen butter melting on a hot pan! By the end of the film, you get a fair idea of how brilliantly aware Ranjan is regarding his audience’s wit when senior Jaaferi smartly slides in an explanation to another referential joke that was tricky to decode, making you realise why his rom-com outings enjoy an impressive following among the youngsters!

De De Pyaar 2, despite an unconvincing and slightly dragged second-half, works mainly because of its well-aware humor and rock-solid performances. IMO, it is one of the most finely cast films of the year as each member of the ensemble embodies their roles impressively well. However, the film is an out and out Rakul Preet Singh and R Madhavan show; the two steal every frame with their comic timing and infectious energy and fittingly so as at the end of the day De De Pyaar De 2 not only celebrates a love that defies conventions but also the new age father-daughter relationship which is rooted in respect for each other’s agencies and decision but also those sweet-salty moments of vulnerability that deepens their bonds ever more!

De De Pyaar 2 is now playing in cinema halls near you!

For more entertainment content, follow us at @socialketchupbinge.