Dream Girl 2

wogma rating: Switch channels if it's on cable (?)

quick review:

Numbed me, in mind and body.

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Director: Raaj Shandilya
Running time: 135 minutes
Genres: Slapstick
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That felt like the longest 135 minutes I have spent in a theatre. I cannot even remember when I so desperately waited for the interval, just to get a break from what was going on. I never imagined a film with Ayushmann Khurrana had the capacity to induce adverse emotions.

The other talent seems exhausted from being loud too.

From the word go, the movie is loud and has a 90ish feel to the story with a Maine-Pyaar-Kiya-esque challenge to the protagonist. Karam—earn XYZ if you want to marry my daughter. Only Karam is a good-for-nothing whose modus operandi is to vehemently resist job suggestions made by his father and best friend before taking the job on.

And yet, almost everyone is attracted to him. Not just like, attracted. Age, no bar. Gender, no bar. Religion, no bar. Marital status, no bar. Not because we know he is a good human being. Not that he might not be. We just don’t know. The writers skip the characterisation part of the character. For any of the characters.

If your aim is to make a slapstick film, writing is irrelevant, is it? Because the film doesn’t seem to have any purpose other than making a juvenile slapstick. For a bit, I thought it wanted to present a progressive view on topics such as gender, obesity, and appreciation of looks other than the norm. But if it was indeed the objective, it wasn’t working. Sure, it did bring a few laughs from the handful of people watching the film. But, they seemed to be laughing at the characters by passing judgments on them.

When you are not enjoying a film, it is difficult to appreciate the departments involved in the film. Sure, the actors are all performing as is required by the genre. It certainly must not have been easy for Khurrana to play a woman. But then, he is hardly able to carry the monologue in the climax. The other talent seems exhausted from being loud too.

I am trying to wrap my head around why anyone thought it was a good idea. And why do so many people don’t have a single person to tell them it is a bad one?

- meeta, a part of the audience

22 reviewers(?) - 4 yays 11 so-so 7 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...Khurrana’s dance numbers are jokey versions of mujras which he performs in a sporting spirit. He gets the point: it’s okay to cross dress without becoming a flag-waving symbol of the LBGTQ community. Ananya Pandey has nothing to do.And she doesn’t do it well.... full review

Thumbs up, by Urmimala Banerjee, Bollywood Life : ...Dream Girl 2 with its zany plot and sharp performances is a film that will drive away your stress. It is a comedy that will appeal to a majority of Indians with its desi vibes. Ayushmann Khurrana, Vijay Raaz and Ranjan Raj are stars of the show. For someone who has not watched Dream Girl, the movie is the perfect Bollywood comedy.... full review

Thumbs up, by Ganesh Aaglave, FirstPost : ...On the whole, Dream Girl 2 is an absolute entertainer lifted by amazing performances by the ensemble cast.... full review

Thumbs up, by TITAS CHOWDHURY, News18.com : ...Dream Girl 2 has chaos written all over it and that’s its biggest strength. Sometimes, all you need is a light entertainer to unwind and laugh till your stomach hurts, and Dream Girl 2 is exactly that. This Ayushmann starrer truly deserves a watch... full review

So-So, by Abhimanyu Mathur, DNA : ...Dream Girl 2 ends with the only new thing it can offer in this genre – a typical Ayushmann monologue that descends into being a sermon pretty soon. That is the part where despite the short screen time, the film begins to feel a bit oblong. I wish mainstream Hindi films did not resort to spelling each and every message out in those many words and let the actions do the talking sometimes.... full review

So-So, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...Watch the film if you love leave-your-brains-behind products. Don’t expect too much from it and you’ll be fine.... full review

So-So, by Ganesh aag lave, FirstPost : ...On the whole, Dream Girl 2 is an absolute entertainer lifted by amazing performances by the ensemble cast.... full review

So-So, by Nitin Jain, Glamsham.com : ...All in all, we have been seeing too much of male actors getting into the female getups on TV shows that the humour gets boring beyond a point and does not justify the time, money and effort spent on it. In ‘Vicky Donor’ or ‘Dream Girl’ (2019) Ayushmann was not required to get into the literal act to bring the house down or communicate the story unlike ‘Dream Girl 2’ where Khurrana looks uncomfortable and out of place while trying hard to pull off the act.... full review

So-So, by Monika Rawal Kukreja, Hindustan Times : ...Dream Girl 2 is full of massy humour and its sole intention is to entertain. And it more or less accomplishes that.... full review

So-So, by Joyeeta Mitra Survana, India TV : ...While growing his franchise, Ayushmann has worked hard on his voice as well as his style. He does comic scenes very easily. The film has less scope for Ananya Pandey. She is looking very beautiful. The good thing is that she is not loud among so many senior and talented stars and her support is good. Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee, Seema Pahwa, and Annu Kapoor are all seasoned actors and their performances are effortless.... full review

So-So, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...Dream Girl 2 works best when it has Ayushmann Khurrana unerringly bringing out the concept of ‘ardhanareeshwar’ so strongly and with such ease: Pooja is Karam and Karam is Pooja. Genders can be beautifully fluid, and yes, men can like men.... full review

So-So, by Ambica Sachin, Khaleej Times : ...'Dream Girl' is great for laughs and the message about the lack of affinity we have for each other and the loneliness faced by people in the modern world is one which needs to be paid attention to. But somehow 'Dream Girl' runs through it at such a pace, many of the jokes don't work and we are left wondering when matters will come to a head and the film will end.... full review

So-So, by Himesh Mankad, Pinkvilla : ...Dream Girl 2 works primarily due to the gags and one-liners in the first half. While the novelty factor does evoke laughter in some instances, there isn’t enough situational humor in the second half to keep the entertainment factor intact. The film depends heavily on the gags, which go dull in the later part and rides on a rather thin storyline. Overall, Dream Girl 2 is a one-time watch for some solid punch lines, quirky characters, Ayushmann Khurrana’s performance, and a great ensemble of the finest comic artists. On the box office front, the business will benefit by the franchise value to reach a respectable number!... full review

So-So, by Dhaval Roy, Times of India : ...Dream Girl 2 relies on familiar territory, often straying into unnecessary comedic tangents. Despite some good performances and moments, the film falls short of recreating the quirky charm of its predecessor.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rohit Bhatnagar, Free Press Journal : ...Raaj’s Dream Girl 2 looks like a far-fetched dream that is anything but funny. Well, it is needless to say, the film with obligatory humour doesn’t land anywhere. Unfortunately, as audiences, we all take back the second half to our homes and that is questionable.... full review

Thumbs down, by Mayank Shekhar, MiD DAY : ...That’s the thing, though, with a mindless movie, or pedestrian humour, and why it doesn’t merit much dissection—you either find it really funny, or care a sweet f*** all, for whatever’s going on. There’s no accounting for taste (and shouldn’t be). Wouldn’t be surprised if you returned from the theatre, thinking this was such a laugh-a-thon, while I wonder if we watched the same pic. Being kind!... full review

Thumbs down, by Sameer Ahire, Movie Talkies : ...Comedy is not easy. I agree, but it’s definitely easier than turning the same comedy into cringeworthy jokes. Raaj must have been very fond of Facebook memes and WhatsApp forwards because his writing seemed more dependent on them. Talking about technical aspects, Dream Girl 2 would land in a safe zone. The camerawork, editing, and background score have been decent enough. Raaj Shaandiyaa has directed only one movie to date, so it’s technically unfair to ask too much of him. If it weren’t for those expectations, or even the standalone sequel to cash in on the non-existing brand, then Dream Girl 2 would have been a decent, average comedy. But if he is trying to make something out of his previous box office hit and letting people think that this is the same material again, which is happening with Dream Girl 2 if I’m not wrong, then sorry. It’s a below-average film and an almost skippable affair. A wannabe dream comedy turned into a nightmare, but my question is, why dream so much in the first place?... full review

Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...To the credit of Ayushmann Khurrana, he never gives the impression that he is on a sinking ship. He does not hold back one bit even when the writing lets him down. Manjot Singh, when the script permits, soldiers on gamely and lends the lead actor some support.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...Dream Girl 2 has no story, only bad jokes in its big garish bag of entertainment where about 75 percent of its large cast fall for either coquettish Pooja or macho Karam's charms.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...While Khurrana’s comic timing is on point, he is defeated by the complexities of womanhood. The 133-minute movie has nothing to say on the subject either despite giving Karam a declamatory speech.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pratikshya Mishra, The Quint : ...If this is a film that is attempting to recreate the nostalgia of the 90s (which I believe is what is happening), it almost succeeds. But ‘nostalgia’ isn’t easy to create and iconic cinema tropes aren’t easy to recreate. Above all, they require a strong vision and sensibility that is absent from this film. For a crowd that believes the world has become ‘too woke’, this film holds a lot to laugh at but even they would agree it lacks the charm of the first Dream Girl.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 0 yays 0 so-so 1 nays

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Raj : EXHAUSTING...

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: None
  • Language: A lot of swearing
  • Nudity & Sexual content: A bare chested Ayushmann Khurrana.
  • Concept: Slapstick
  • General Look and Feel: Garrish

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Lead Actors:
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Comments (2)

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Raj

Dear Meetu, must have been an exhausting and excruciating experience, but the box office is lapping it - it amazes me how today's generation loves violence and bafoonery

oh well...

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