Judwaa 2: Varun no patch on Salman Khan

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Taapsee Pannu

Rated: 4/10

David Dhawan indulges in his own make and remake as a retirement benefit but not with the same effect. For one, whether you like or not like Salman Khan, the fact is that not even the hard-trying son of David Dhawan can replicate the superstar with any kind of justice. Two, though Varun energetically tries to do the comic act to the best of his buffoonish capabilities, he is no patch on the poker-faced funniness of Sallu Bhai.

Now, if you can ignore these two main vitals for the film to work, yes there is some amount of same old David Dhawan and his mastery over nonsensical kitsch in this one too. Brain is a baggage here which tends to get heavier as Dhawan and Dhawan junior try to scale new heights of the nonsensical. The recreation of songs Tan Tana Tan and Onchi Hai Building have the beat but not the heart, again thanks to Salman’s gyrations versus a much more petite Dhawan’s. The story is same, same; the background score upgraded with technology and the two heroines sexier than usual, Jacqueline Fernandez being an absolute bimbo delight with a stunning body structure.

Yes, Taapsee Pannu is sculpted to perfection too (check her out in her Bond-style bikini act emerging from the waters) but in comparison to Fernandez looks a wee bit dowdy.

All the props, like a cameo by Johnny Lever and the bumbling cop act by Pawan Malhotra fall flat as they appear like laboured replicas.

As for the film, one wishes an aged Dhawan had gone for an aged Sallu Bhai for Judwa 2 too and, perhaps, released the remake a decade back. It would have worked then, not now so much — not even when an end-shot dangler by Salman Khan.

I would much rather take out the DVD ofJudwa original to have more fun on a free day.

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 01 October, 2017