‘Son of Sardaar 2’ movie review: Ravi Kishan and Deepak Dobriyal outdo Ajay Devgn to keep this goofy comedy kicking

Lined with India-Pakistan jokes, the stereotypical Punjabi entertainer, starring Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur in lead roles, intermittently comes alive with its politically incorrect humour

After watching Dhadak, one finds a serious layer in this infantile sequel to Ajay Devgn’s tribute to his Punjabi roots as well. The writing plays on the Bollywood Sardar stereotype, one who is innocent, stands his ground, and doesn’t show his back in a battle. Lest we forget, the makers ensure the word Punjabi keeps popping up in the dhol-centric background score as well.

After a long wait for a visa, when the simpleton Jassi (Ajay) comes to London, he discovers that his wife Dimple (Neeru Bajwa) has decided to ditch her. Lost, he strikes a chord with Rabia (Mrunal Thakur), a Pakistani musician who runs a wedding band with a transgender musician, Gul (Deepak Dobriyal), and Mehwish (Kubra Sait), as well as her foster daughter, Saba (Roshni Walia), after being ditched by her philandering husband, Danish (Chunkey Panday).

When Saba falls in love with the heir of the Sandhu family, Rabia convinces Jassi to play Saba’s father, leading to a series of endless and politically incorrect gags. The Sandhu family is led by Raja (Ravi Kishan). who hates Pakistanis and loves Indian army men, forcing Jassi to play a colonel and channelise the spirit of Sunny Deol of Border and Gadar.

Son of Sardaar 2 (Hindi)

Director: Vijay Kumar Arora
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Mrunal Thakur, Ravi Kishan, Deepak Dobriyal, Sharat Saxena, Mukul Dev, Vindu Dara Singh, Neeru Bajwa, Kubra Sait
Duration: 147 minutes
Storyline: Jassi goes to London and falls in love with a Pakistani girl.

Regarding depth, here too, women are seen as the repository of the family and country’s honour. The philandering Pakistani feels bad only when Indians win over his wife and daughter (Roshni Walia). To his credit, director Vijay Kumar Arora finds ways to incorporate long live the neighbour into the script in these frosty times, but does little to build on the crazy plot.

On the bad boys’ side, there is an attrition over the Punjabi, Bihari, and English wives of the rakish patriarch of the family, played by Sharat Saxena as Raja, who nurses a grudge against his father for being closest to his English pole dancer wife and ignoring his Bihari mother. There is a class tussle in the loony comedy because Raja is grumpy because he could neither speak Punjabi nor English fluently. In the livestock business, he judges men by their breed. Too much social context!

As the unlikely sardar, Ravi, who was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Sanjay Dutt, fills the screen with unrehearsed energy and finds his groove in the company of Mukul Dev and Vindu Dara Singh, who were part of the original. Dev, who passed on recently, impresses with his comic timing.

The star of the show, however, is Deepak. As he discusses gender fluidity with Jassi, he finds method even in the most madcap moments. Aided by technology, Ajay is in great shape, but comedy doesn’t come naturally to him, and in the presence of Ravi and Deepak, his comedy comes across as a little too broad. The talented Mrunal gives it all and perhaps sees it as her vehicle for mass entertainment.

However, despite strong performances, in between the jokes that land, there are long passages that make you cringe and question your professional choices. After two sons, one hopes the makers have completed the Sardar family!

Son of Sardaar 2 is currently running in theatres