Dream Girl 2 movie review: Ayushmann Khurrana is the best thing in this messy, massy comedy of errors

Balaji Motion Pictures’ Dream Girl 2 (UA) is the sequel to Dream Girl. Karam (Ayushmann Khurrana) loves lawyer Pari (Ananya Panday) but her father won’t hear anything of their marriage till Karam has a respectable job and a fat bank balance. To win Pari’s hand in marriage, Karam has to pretend to be a girl, Pooja, and marry Shahrukh (Abhishek Banerjee) for a fee of Rs. 50 lakh. Karam’s best friend, Smiley (Manjot Singh), is also keen that Karam alias Pooja marries Shahrukh so that the way for his (Smiley) marriage with Shahrukh’s sister, Sakina (Anusha Mishra) is paved. Shahrukh and Sakina’s father, Abu Saleem (Paresh Rawal), has decided to get Sakina married only after Shahrukh’s marriage is solemnised. Of course, the objective is that Pooja will run away with the Rs. 50 lakh he receives from Shahrukh’s family, never to be found again. But this entire drama to make a fast buck is beset with unforeseen problems.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Pre-Release Buzz & Impression

As Bollywood films are showing consistency at the box office, there’s a feel-good atmosphere all around. This feel-good vibe and a sequel factor have put Dream Girl 2 in a comfortable position. Yes, you read that right! After the COVID era, the goodwill of predecessors is working really well as sequels are tasting more success than expected. The list includes Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Drishyam, OMG 2 and Gadar 2. Now, the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer seems to be a new entrant!

Released in 2019, Dream Girl was a massive hit and became one of the most loved Bollywood comedies in recent times. With such glory, part 2 obviously has high expectations pinned on it. Though the trailer and songs were just average, the film had an undercurrent, and it was reflected on the opening day. So, the film gave the impression that despite the promotional material not doing that well, it will take a good start as the audience is eager to catch this sequel.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Initial Start, Positives & Negatives

Apart from the good advance booking, Dream Girl 2 is also finding support in on-spot bookings, confirming that Ayushmann Khurrana is going to witness the best opening in his post-COVID career. There are high chances that the film might hit the 10 crore mark today as word-of-mouth among the ticket-buying audience is favourable, resulting in high footfalls during evening and night shows.

Starting with positives, the Dream Girl sequel has a decent screen count of over 2200 screens, which is much bigger than OMG 2’s initial screen count. This allows the film to shine and earn its maximum potential during the opening weekend. Along with this, the makers have also kept standard ticket rates, and the average ticket price is said to be 210-220 rupees. This strategy will help in attracting more footfall among college-going students. Speaking about the competition, the film will face some dent from Gadar 2, at least during this weekend, but other than that, there’s a free run of almost two weeks until Jawan storms the nation on 7th September.

Now coming to the negatives, this Ayushmann Khurrana starrer is stuck in a sandwich-like situation. Many cine-goers have already watched Gadar 2 and OMG 2 in theatres and are now waiting to spend money on Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. So, this in-between period of 13 days is like a buffer for the audience before gearing up for the next big-screen release. Another thing is that Ayushmann’s films were big money spinners before the pandemic era, and in the current situation, his brand of cinema isn’t that huge. So, despite positive audience feedback, talking about the extent of the film’s success is still dicey.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Script Analysis

Naresh Kathooria and Raaj Shaandilyaa have written a fun-filled story and screenplay. Although the drama has entertainment, it is not a seamless drama but rather looks like an assemblage of funny scenes. Also, there are no outstanding scenes that can bring the house down with laughter, like there were in Dream Girl. No doubt, a number of scenes evoke laughter, some of them even guffaws, but the scenes in which one is in fear of falling off his chair are conspicuous by their absence. In that sense, the screenplay appears to have been written in a template format rather than in a natural flow. Raaj Shaandilyaa’s dialogues are extraordinary and, in fact, are far better than the story and the screenplay.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Star Performance

Ayushmann Khurrana does a splendid job as Karam/Pooja. He gives his cent per cent to the character and evokes a lot of laughter with his brilliant acting. Ananya Panday hardly gets any scope or worthwhile role. She is okay as Pari. Paresh Rawal does a fine job as Abu Saleem. Annu Kapoor is outstanding in the role of Karam’s father, Jagjit. His nuances and sense of timing are to die for. Vijay Raaz shines as Sonabhai. Seema Pahwa is first-rate as Jumani. Her sense of comic timing is praiseworthy. Rajpal Yadav makes a mark as Shaukiya. Abhishek Banerjee gets limited scope to evoke laughter and will, therefore, not be able to live up to the expectations of his fans. Manoj Joshi has his moments as Pari’s father. Manjot Singh is absolutely marvelous as Karam’s bosom pal, Smiley. Asrani is natural as Dadaji. Ranjan Raj makes a fine impression as Tiger Pandey. Sudesh Lehri is quite funny as Baby Baba. Sapna Sand stands out in a single scene as the school principal. Anusha Mishra is alright as Sakina. Raj Qushal (as Ali) and Raj Bhansali (as Quli) are entertaining. Vishal Handa (as Cyrus), Bhavki and Abhiraj Mishra (both as Jumani’s kids), Fawad and Riwan (both as Sonabhai’s kids), and the others provide nice support.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Music and Direction

Raaj Shaandilyaa’s direction is very good. Music (Meet Bros. and Tanishk Bagchi), including the songs from the first part, is quite appealing. Lyrics (Shaan Yadav, Kumaar, and Rashmi Virag) are appropriate. Bosco Martis and Raju Khan’s choreography is eye-pleasing. Hitesh Sonik’s background music is very impactful. The cinematography (Ramani Ranjan Das, Aseem Mishra, C.K. Muraleedharan, and Jitan Harmeet Singh) is extremely nice. Aejaz-Gulab’s action and stunt scenes are all alright. Rajat Poddar’s production design is of a fine standard. Hemal Kothari’s editing is super-sharp.

Dream Girl 2 Movie: Conclusion

On the whole, Dream Girl 2 is a winner and a much-needed comeback for Ayushmann Khurrana after consecutive flops. Though not as huge as the first installment, this sequel will still add enough moolah to set cash registers ringing until Jawan hits theatres.

Director	Raaj Shaandilyaa
Cast	Ayushmann Khurrana, Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Seema Pahwa, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz, Manjot Singh
Run-time	134 minutes
Storyline	In need of money, Karam poses as a bar dancer, a psychiatrist and eventually a rich heir’s wife