As an educated, progressive, modern parent, I have always wondered what curveball my kids would throw at me. Where would I draw the line? And this one comes very close—my 25-year-old wanting to commit to a 50-year-old, gender irrespective—will make me question their judgement. Not because their partner is the same age as mine. But the practicality of my child having to worry about yet another elderly person when they are my age. And this is where De De Pyaar De 2's premise has everything going for it. At least some part of the audience might be rooting against the protagonists. What a lovely concept to play with, writing-wise.

The effort in the writing shows, even if it is uneven.

To a large extent, De De Pyaar De 2 comes through for its subject. The conflict is real. More importantly, the when and how it is resolved seems real too. There is no one-line transition. There is an inner struggle, and it is resolved with a solid, meaningful argument. It answers, "What does being there for your child truly mean?" with rare insight.

The characters' emotional maturity, when it exists, adds a unique elegance to the film. Yeah…"when it exists." The film shuttles between maturity and silliness, which makes the tone inconsistent. The same goes for the humour. The movie/TV show/advertisement self-referencing for the actors doesn't flow organically, making it jarring.

Is that enough to overpower the film's earnest feminist take? Yes and no. Mainly because of the pacing. There is a sudden shift in one of the protagonist's attitude, which feels out of place, and it is a little too late when you find out the reason. This shift in the screenplay is rather meta—the audience is manipulated just like the characters in the film manoeuvre each other.

For a change, though, the plotting and scheming, the emotional blackmail, the rationalisations, the stories we tell ourselves, the making the right noises at the right times—are not at all far-fetched. It wouldn't be surprising if we all know someone who has done that in our families to get their way.

So even if the telling gets loud, the dialogue is often powerful without being film-y. It is an exchange that could very well happen in our drawing rooms with our parents or children. And yet it is meaningful and succinct without being preachy. I actually even enjoyed the subtitles and was amused by an HTML tag that found its way to the screen in one of the songs. That is to say, the effort in the writing shows, even if it is uneven.

Interestingly, there are a couple of situations in which you can't really predict which way it will go, even though you know what's coming next from the trailer. You don't know how they will get there. I also admired that the other suitor for the lead lady is not a red flag, which is usually the case in such stories. Perhaps the character could have used a different actor. But then again, that might be because of how he was directed and his character's personality.

It answers, "What does being there for your child truly mean?" with rare insight.

Speaking of which, this role perfectly suits the secure, sure Ashish that Ajay Devgn has to play. It is a cakewalk for R Madhavan playing Ayesha's (Rakul Preet's) father. Preet is a tad loud and thus irksome. The supporting cast is hit and miss, but no one stands out or stays in memory for too long.

So, when it is not brash and cringe, which it isn't for the most part, De De Pyaar De 2 is engaging. Sadly, though, the former keeps it from being a "must-watch."

- meeta, a part of the audience