Yamla Pagla Deewana 2

After reading a lot of ambiguous reviews I decided to make the trip myself to catch the much awaited and heavily promoted Yamla Pagla Deewana Part 2, starring the highly celebrated and decorated family of Indian cinema, The Deols.

The film begins with the god fearing Paramveer Singh Dhillon (Sunny Deol) who is now working in the United Kingdom as a debt collector (chuckles begin because of the aptness of the role). He saves a man from committing suicide and is a general Good Samaritan carrying on with his life earnestly. Things seem to be finally falling into place and 'Rabba' is on his side as even from miles away it seems that he has had a positive impact on his infamous father and deewana brother. The devout son and elder brother Param still sends money back home to support the make belief flower shop and even ends up financing their "change of scene" from the holy lands onto the Royal Shores of Great Britain! Here we go…..

Yamla Pagla Deewana and the bells ring through with Dharmji as, Yamla Baba, who comes hand in hand with good luck and commercial success, to all his Bhakts (followers). "Release yourself" "Give in to me" and that is exactly what I did with the legendary Dharmendra posing as a spiritual teacher, effortlessly mesmerizing all his 'Bhakts' (Followers) with a discourse which has them all spellbound while his partner in crime/son Gajodhar (Bobby Deol) makes away with the divine loot. Got to say that this actor still has the legs in him to outrun some of the best today in comedy. The timing impeccable and the panache like he hasn't missed a step.

They have not changed one bit since the original film released in 2011 and are out to make the most of it. The con is still on but this time the action shifts to the United Kingdom, where the almost Sherlock and Watson of the con world have set their sights on Mr Yograj Khanna (Anu Kapoor) a former rich affluent tycoon neck deep in financial debt. To ease his troubled mind and in search of the winds of change he makes his way to sacred Varanasi, where he is in for a holy surprise.

"Oberoi Pranaam" with great gusto and pomp, almost like a Houdini trick masked in some tantric mist, walks in Oberoi, Oberoi and Oberoi, Dharamji's new alias along with Bobby. The Oberoi parivaar and their quirks and tricks really grew on me, something like visualizing the big wig families you only read about in the papers.

The suited booted heavily accented dynamic Mr Yograj Khanna now considers Dharmji and the rich Deewana Punjabi Munda, Prem as his new found friends and associates who can help solve his problems and give him a solution to what he is undergoing. Little do they know that as these 2 crooks are looking to inherit a fortune from the heavily accented and ornamented Mr Khanna. The accent to me was just perfect as it was intended to be a put on, a trademark of the socialite elite in the United Kingdom.

Forever indebted to Yamla Baba, Dharamji is able to convince Khanna Saab to allow his daughter's hand in marriage to his Deewana Punjabi Munda son, Prem (Gajodhar/Bobby).

Khanna saab's daughter Suman and Prem begin their turbulent relationship and subsequent bonding over their favorite actor Salman Khan. Now the showcase of admiration over one's favorite actor is definitely a trick from yesteryear cinema. It brought back fond memories of Kishen Kanhaiya for me, where Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit's love for cinema is criteria that leads to attraction. Whether 6-7 corny references point to things being over done i would beg to differ. "If you are giving it up for Bachchan" less than a month ago then admiration for a current mass superstar is definitely forgivable. Call me lenient but if I'm setting myself up to be entertained not intellectually stimulated and who else to draw inspiration from but possibly the current king, Salman Khan.

This is a story about expressing emotion and coming clean, hoping for a positive result but shedding the weight of the world. It also reflects the various circumstances and situations our 3 main protagonists find themselves in overseas in a foreign land. It also shows us that beneath the facade and charade of showing tremendous wealth, a lavish lifestyle or creating an aura around oneself everybody in life has problems or issues. Through comedy which is fast paced with whacky action, typical Bhangra pop catchy songs, a host of funny and hilarious over the top action sequences, YPD 2 has a meaningful insight to it. Is material gain, pursuing it the only thing which can make us happy today or is living life your own way with those you love, trust the better option. It's what beneath the surface which counts not the outward display which tempts as well as paints an erroneous bigger picture. What is the real truth is what the film asks you? Is landing in to a bigger zone of trouble really worth it with artificiality and living a lie.

It has no relation to the prequel whatsoever. But it makes huge references to Bollywood movies, songs, dialogs and even the plot is based upon them. The story is derived from stupid caper films of Bollywood which go on to make 100 crore. Nothing new to offer, YMD 2 will buy a good nap only if the theater is properly air-conditioned.

The star cast is wasted, although I can;t expect much from the Deols. Dharmendra should stop acting because he's fell into a stage where he is making fool of himself. Sunny Deol is the only credible guy. I can't understand what Anupam Kher was doing there. Neha Sharma is pretty but the other chick is average. Johnny Lever should stay at home. The monkey exasperates but I would love to frame it as one of the Deols, only with better acting.

Irritatingly brought-up dialogs, made-up action scenes, CGI, large number of goofs, bad editing, useless songs, even poorer dancing, timid references to Bollywood movies (Golmaal), songs, cleavages, poor depiction of relationships, bad direction, dramatic screenplay, weird sequences, confusing locations, long running time and a parade of counter-attacking humor - that is what YMD 2 is all about. With nothing new to offer either in story or performances, this is not the summer blockbuster you are looking for. Having its share of slapstick just makes it to be considered if you are a fan. Nothing could improve this blunder.

BOTTOM LINE: Very bad comedy. Not recommended. 1.1/10. I seriously don;t want another sequel. I need peace.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Profanity: No | Sex: No, Implied | Foreplay/Mouth-Kiss: No | Nudity: Very Mild | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: No | Drugs: No | Violence: Strong | Gore: No

A sequel to the 2011 hit 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' is a one-time watch. This over-the-top slapstick comedy will appeal mostly with the masses.

'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' Synopsis: The father-son are back at conning people, but this time again, the only honest chap in their family has come to stop them.

'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' is loud, zany & over-the-top. The Screenplay offers some funny moments, but could've been funnier & smarter for sure. Sangeeth Sivan's Direction is fair. Cinematography is eye-filling. Editing isn't sharp. Songs are foot-tapping.

Performance-Wise: The Deols are a pleasure to watch, yet again! The lovable Dharmendra is flawless, Sunny is efficient & Bobby impresses big time. It wouldn't be wrong to say, that they make this otherwise routine comedy watchable. Neha Sharma adds the glamour quotient. Annu Kapoor fails to impress. Even the English accent looks very fake. Anupam Kher in a brief role, tries hard. Johny Lever & Sucheta Khanna are funny.

On the whole, 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' is primarily aimed at the masses.

Remembering the first installment of YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA, I enjoyed watching it to a large extent as the film did have many entertaining moments to offer, especially in its second half. And the purpose of mentioning this 2011 hit here is to admit that at times I am really willing to enjoy such illogical comedies 'leaving the brains behind' as widely quoted in the trade, when it comes to films like YPD. So expecting a crazy funny film from the Deols, I was there sitting in the theater like a child, eager to laugh along the trio with full spirits.

But unfortunately, nothing of that sort happened even after one hour into the film and the Deols failed to give me anything more entertaining than what I had already seen in the promos running on the channels. Actually YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA 2 turns out to be a complete non performer because its fails at various levels rejecting each and every expectation in the mind of a Deol fan. For instance, its quite surprising to see that the very first scene of the film, introduces Sunny Deol in a hugely uninspiring manner without any exciting build up or energy. And then his character is not able to impress or make any kind of solid impact right till the climax, due to an uneven story progression. Besides the writers try to incorporate too many badly conceived plots into the script which don't let any particular one win over the viewer, resulting in a collective fall in the end quite regrettably.

The deliberate reference of SALMAN KHAN and his hits throughout the film indicate the lack of confidence in their content by the makers at regular intervals. The unrequired inclusion of Orangutan (The Ape), without any kind of clear reason or story angle too displays the questionable vision of its director Sangeeth Sivan. But more importantly, the shockingly uninteresting and long sequences in a comedy film, without any witty or funny dialogues really made me doubt on some probable problems during its making, leading to such lifeless project from the Deols beyond imagination. Further it was indeed quite disheartening to see Anupam Kher, the man who was one of the key entertainers in YPD, wasted in such a cruel manner in its part 2, which can even be called as pathetic without any doubt.

In technical terms, if a comedy film keeps moving calmly without any hilarious dialogues coming at short intervals and doesn't have any fast paced sequences focusing on the entertainment factor, then it really cannot be called A Comedy in its real sense. And therefore while watching the film I was constantly thinking about the reason why the Deols approved this kind of project and its script in the first place?

Frankly it was only the love and respect for the Deol family which didn't allow me to take eyes of the screen watching the trio, otherwise the writer & the director had nothing in store for me in their silly and tame execution of a tasteless plot. Dharmender, as usual looks adorable as the con man with a childlike innocence and Bobby gives his best shot as Dharam's associate in some cool dress ups. But it is Sunny all the way, looking strikingly dazzling as the dashing Sikh on the screen fighting the bad men. Sadly he again gets to do the same kinds of scenes with the Sumo wrestlers this time which still fail to entertain the viewers in a prolonged climax.

Neha Sharma & Kristina Akheeva serve as the essential glamour ingredient of the project perfectly but Anu Kapoor and Johny Lever remain wasted. Plus it was really weird to see Mukul Dev in just one short scene in the film, who was again one of the key scene stealers in YPD1. The soundtrack remains another downer in the list with only the title track & "Main Aidaan Hi Nachna" making some kind of ripples due to its indicative lyrics pointing towards the famous dancing abilities of the Deols. But it would have been better if the track was used within the film in a related sequence than being played with the end credits rolling after its all over. Cinematography maintains the grandeur of the project (partially shot abroad) but background score goes over the top with its repeated use of Punjabi beats and loud chorus voices shouting various words.

To end on a decisive note, with a duration of more than 150 minutes its really hard to sit through this so called comedy featuring the lovable Deols. And the blame completely goes to the writer and the director who fail to deliver miserably in this much awaited film of 2013. It was indeed a treat to watch Dharmender, Sunny & Bobby together in a thoughtful venture like APNE and the trio needs to give us better films in the future as per their big reputation within the industry as well as in their energetic fans all over the world. But if you ask me, then with the Punjabi film industry flourishing like never before, its high time the Deols soon come up with a grand Punjabi film made on a good subject (preferably not a comedy) which would be a great news for the trade market within India as well as abroad, for sure.

As the First Movie of the YPD Series, this movie is also a Comedy, Action, Drama and Romance movie starring the Deols with Neha Sharma and Akheeva Krishtina.

Film starts with Comedy scene of Yamla Baba and then directly to Gajodhar carrying Salman's Dabangg Poster.

Then movie moves to Paramveer Singh, in a New Role of Recovery Agent who is working for International Banks to recover their Loans in his own way. This movie has all the earlier major casts and addition to Cast's List of Annu Kapur as Sir Yograj Khanna.

Then Oberoi's move to London for marrying Sir Yograj Khanna's daughter.

Finally movie ends with the Fight with Anupam Kher as Joginder Armstrong and the Deols. All the movie is fun watching.

Can not be called a complete Comedy movie, but except some scene it is fantastic movie to watch.

Enjoy. My Ratings: 8/10