MUMBAI: Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 (YPD 2) looks like one of those attempts at comedy where the cast and crew claim to have thoroughly enjoyed the making of the film, thus promising lots of fun to the prospective viewers. The viewers on the other hand finally discover that whatever the reason the cast has had a gala time, the film has little to offer to the audience. The film is a sequel to the Deol clan‘s earlier film, Yamla Pagla Deewanawhich, besides the legendary bonding of the family, had a lighter, entertaining theme. The sequel falters at the very basic stage – the script.
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Producer: Sunny Sounds P Ltd, YPD Films. |
Except for the three leading men, Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, the film has left the previous ties behind. Dharmendra and Bobby continue to be conmen operating in Banaras while the other brother, Sunny, earns an honest living in England as a recovery officer for a local bank. He has been convinced by the other two that they are also earning by honest means. Sunny has been asked by the bank to find out why Annu Kapoor, a local big shot who has borrowed a few billions from the bank, won‘t return it. His visit to Kapoor‘s posh club coincides with Anupam Kher‘s goons, led by Johnny Lever and Sucheta Khanna, who have come to wreck the club. Kher wants to take over the club property to build a virtual mall there. However, the super Sikh – Sunny spoils their plan. Impressed, Kapoor offers Sunny the job of manager at the club.
Dharmendra and Bobby soon arrive at London with a plan to deprive Kapoor of all his wealth. Bobby plays the oldest con, developing proximity with Kapoor‘s daughter, Neha Sharma. In a comic twist in the proceedings, Sharma is not really Kapoor‘s daughter and hence not entitled to his property. His daughter and the heiress to his estate is Kristina Akheeva; under Dharmendra‘s guidance, Bobby now shifts his attention to Akheeva. He has to shift focus from Sharma to Akheeva. But Sunny has fallen for Akheeva hook, line and sinker. His heart pounds at high decibel levels when he sees her. Straightforward Sunny is pitted against crooked father and son.
Being Sunny Deol, he must give his fans ample doses of action. Kher is a big help on this count. Not only Kapoor‘s club, he also wants whatever the other people have. To impress Akheeva, Bobby has become an artist. He can‘t paint but there is an orang-utan at their disposal which, on a full moon night, with ample alcohol in its tummy paints classy paintings that are passed off as Bobby‘s work. Kher now wants these paintings; he is a resourceful man; he has all kinds of fighters to stop Sunny. First the white toughies followed by ninjas and, ultimately sumo wrestlers. Thankfully, with the sumos, the film ends.
YPD 2 looks like just the idea, that of making a sequel to a fairly successful film. The development of this idea and intent is not evident in the 155 minutes of forced comedy. The gags are half-baked at most times and childish at others. The orang-utan is fun for a while but soon gets repetitive. Action sequences are stretched. Music is a letdown. Sangeeth Sivan‘s handling of the film is disappointing. The film rests mostly on the Deols; while Sunny is sincere, Dharmendra and Bobby overact. Sharma and Akheeva are okay but look too young with their respective heroes. Kher and Lever are too loud while Lever‘s sidekick, Khanna, needs subtitles to her dialogue. Kapoor is good in parts.
All in all Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 is a disappointment.
Pradeep Indulkar, director of "High Power", is an Indian engineer who has been working during 12 years for India‘s nuclear programme.
The Festival is being held from 16 to 23 June, and will open with Monsters University, the upcoming Pixar animated feature – the first time that the Shanghai festival will open with an animation film. The film will be shown in an English-language version, although it will be introduced on stage with its Chinese voice cast, headed by Xu Zheng and He Jiong. The animation, directed by Dan Scanlon (Cars), is a prequel to the original Monsters, Inc (2001). It will screen in Shanghai ahead of its global commercial release. The animation is set to open in the US mid-festival on 21 June.
International Film Festival. Jolly LLB and Murder 3 are films that we are proud of and they are also representative of our commitment towards creating diverse and high content cinema- which while being massy and entertaining also pushes the envelope. For us, it‘s an honour that in the 100th year of Indian cinema, we have got a chance to showcase different strands of our cinema at a global platform.
Award winning films that commence here today.
An endeavour by Benaras Mediaworks in association with ‘Gulaab Gang‘, the campaign will bring forth stories of valor from across the country and talk about unheard stories and unsung heroines.
