The making of a quality commercial film depends on a good plot on a big canvas and gripping acting. Raaj Shandilya's Dream Girl 2 fails to score on the first count but is redeemed by Ayushmaan Khurrana and his team.
The film starts where its prequel Dream Girl (2019) ends. Rising debts and unreasonable demands from his would-be-father-in-law force Karam (Ayushmaan Khurrana) to play a girl once again.
He is joined by his dad Jagjit Singh (Annu Kapoor) and buddy Smiley Singh (Manjot Singh) in his shenanigans. Smiley's inter-religious romance takes the trio to his sweetheart's house, where they have to deal with her taskmaster father Abu (Paresh Rawal) and his son Shahrukh (Abhishek Bannerjee).
Karam also has to placate his sweetheart Pari, who suspects his odd behaviour with other women. His avatar as Pooja, marriage to Shahrukh and the subsequent revelation of the latter's sexuality spark off a hilarious set of incidents that lead to the climax.
The film has its predecessor's imprint both in tone and tenor. Abhishek Bannerjee's reprisal as the male opposite Pooja and Kapoor's passionate old-age romance only increase the parallels. However, the plot is loosely knit, with the twists and turns superimposed to push it forward. The moralistic speech at the end is too raw to be taken seriously.
Dream Girl 2 is another Ayushmaan Khurrana show, as the versatile actor pulls off a memorable performance with style. His presence evokes laughter as he strikes a strong rapport with Annu Kapoor and Paresh Rawal, who use their experience to good effect. Khuranna's double role leaves little for Ananya to do. All in all, seasoned actors save a sinking ship but not entirely.
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