Raja and Prem are conjoined twins, who have similar reflexes. They are separated at birth by a smuggler, Charles, who kidnaps Raja. The geek Prem grows up in the lap of luxury in London with his parents, the Malhotras; loud Raja finds shelter in a Mumbai’s fisherman’s colony. Of course when the twins’ paths cross, there’s too much fun.
When you enter the movie hall for this outing, remember to let your hair down and guffaw because from the opening scene itself you’re familiar with the tropes. David Dhawan who has made three dozen vacuous comedies, with an enviable success ratio. He was even crowned the undisputed king of comedy once. Here, he gives you a rebooted version of his 1997 comic-caper of the same name. The earlier one had Salman Khan, this one has Varun. It helps that the leading man has a mammoth following with today’s kids. And, he is viewed by those clued into Hindi mainstream cinema as a combination of Govinda and Salman, both of who carried off their kitsch routine with a certain flair. Varun doesn’t let you down either. Whether he is playing a geek or a goon, he is absolutely endearing and delivers, exactly what his daddy orders him to.
The script (if you can call it that) is a combination of familiar gags borrowed from Manmohan Desai films. The sidekick stammers, the hero repeats dialogue from various masala movies, the villain develops amnesia when hit by a coconut, a football butt allows his memory to return, etc. There’s nothing intelligible here so please stop searching.
Judwaa 2 is a reboot of David Dhawan’s 1997 hit Judwaa. For those who are unfamiliar with the story, identical twins Raja and Prem were separated at birth, thanks to the bad guy, Charles. So while Prem grows up in London, Raja grows up in aamchi Mumbai. They are as different as chalk and cheese - Raja is your boisterous, street-smart tapori characterised by machismo and violence, while Prem is your soft-spoken guy who can’t fight to save his life.
It’s basically innocent fun meant to pander to the child in you. The only ‘wicked’ thing here are the heroines’ skimpy costumes (just kidding). The girls, Samara (Taapsee) and Alishka (Jacqueline) are brought out for chartbusters - Chalti Hai Kya 9 Se 12 and Oonchi Hai Building. They sportingly kiss, cuddle and are happy horsing around doing precious little.
Lame lyrics, loud gags and leggy lasses never really hurt anyone. Believe me, at one point, you’re tempted to join Varun when he is doing those perfect pelvic thrusts. Judwaa 2 could be a substitute for your Dussehra party. Consult Salman, even he sportingly shows up in a cameo in the end.
The Times of India
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