Judwaa 2 film review: Lame and offensive, this reboot is a complete letdown

You have to give it to David Dhawan. He gives you exactly what you expect him to. Over the years, the filmmaker has mastered the art of churning out no-brainers that make you laugh. On the face of it, Judwaa 2 is a classic David Dhawan slapstick comedy. But given that it has been 20 years since the first Judwaa released, you would expect some evolution.

Unfortunately, other than a modern setting, different locales and new actors, Judwaa 2 hardly offers anything new to the audience. It's like a rehashed version of the first Judwaa, an attempt to reinvent it. Like how Don was recreated with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead, years after the original. Except in Judwaa 2's case, it hardly has the same impact. If you crack the same joke twice, fewer people will laugh at it. If you crack the same joke 20 years later, there's a good chance you won't find any takers for it.

The plot 

Two identical twins (played by Varun Dhawan) are separated at birth by a criminal who has a beef with their father. The criminal, called Charles in the film, abandons the baby on a Railway track as the police intensify their pursuit of him. The two kids grow up to be Raja and Prem. While Prem is brought up in a wealthy family in London, Raja grows up on the streets of Mumbai. While Prem lacks in self-confidence, Raja is the opposite. Interestingly, apart from being identical, both twins are inter-connected in such a way that if one of them does an action, the other does the same thing too. Comedy of errors ensues when fate brings Raja and Prem are brought together in the same city. 
 

The analysis

Judwaa 2 does make you laugh and is thoroughly entertaining in parts. But not always is the humour in good taste. There are terrible cases of misogyny, sexism, racism — all justified in the name of humour. Varun Dhawan slaps the backside of a stranger, and his Judwaa does the same to another woman. He also kisses the stranger in a supermarket to avoid the cops, and his twin follows suit (remember they have a condition?).It's quite disgusting and sends the wrong message. When it's not offensive, the humour is lame. Fine actors like Johnny Lever and Rajpal Yadav are wasted in poorly scripted characters. Both the female leads —  Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez — are there in the film only for skin-show. 

The Verdict 

Varun Dhawan in the double role does as well as one would expect from him. Does it have the same effect as Salman had in the first one? Probably not. But it would be unfair to compare the two. Varun puts in an earnest performance but somewhere lacks the punch to pull it off completely. If you want to get a taste of the typical no-brainer, David Dhawan kind of comedy, more for a sense of nostalgia than anything else, go watch Judwaa 2. But if you're expecting good cinema and wholesome entertainment, it may not be the ideal watch. 

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Taapsee Pannu, Jacqueline Fernandez

Director: David Dhawan

Where it nails:  The film has its fair share of hilarious moments and is thoroughly entertaining in parts. If you're a fan of Varun Dhawan, you may just like it.

Where it fails:  Aside from being utterly predictable, the humour lacks punch and on many occasions it's lame and sometimes even offensive. The climax looks hurried and unconvincing. Fine actors like Anupam Kher and Pawan Malhotra don't have much scope to shine, which is disappointing. 

Rating: 2/5