Movie Review - Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 - Goes Much Beyond The Monologue

Rating: ***1/2

Ok, so I have a real doubt here. I guess writer-director Luv Ranjan has been hurt badly, really badly, by a girl (or two) during his growing up years. Otherwise it would be near impossible for anyone to vent out so much anger on the female species one film after another! When he did that first with Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011), it was sheer fun. However, one wondered how he would take the outburst further for another two hour affair? Would he have more ammunition in hand? Would he manage to keep the spark alive? Would he still elicit all-around laughs?

As it turns out, in the world of Luv Ranjan, there is no love lost for women. And now if the sequel to the film is anything to go by, expect third in the franchise to come over soon. There are many more in the offering and it would be sheer fun to see what he brings in Part III.

Reason being that even four years after Part I, the hilarity quotient hasn't gone down in the film. The film is super breezy, super exciting and super engaging. Reason being that even as it retains the same template as Part I, Luv brings in altogether new situations in Part II that make the film a riotous outing. While that is a difficult thing to do even in a regular franchise, the fact that Luv manages to do that in a film like this that has a simple theme - 'Girlfriends are the cause for all troubles', it is all the more difficult. Luv still makes it all possible, and how.

So even as Kartik wonders if it is love at first sight with Nushrat, he has to first deal with her girlfriends and then a male best friend. Sunny Singh thinks that it is a Hum Aapke Hain Kounmoment with Sonalli but has to become everything from a printer fixer to a bin-bola bhai.Omkar Kapoor could well be next Mark Zukerberg in the making but his hisaab kitaab loving girlfriend Ishita Sharma has plans of her own. In the midst of this all, the boys truly wonder if Maa ka pyaar is actually the most 'sachcha pyaar' of it all.

(Spoilers ahead) What makes Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 special is the fact that it has an absolutely fresh treatment to it with new situations, new scenes and several unpredictable moments. There isn't anything that is 'seen before', be it the bonding between the three boys, a girl preferring her male best friend to spend nights with, another one pretty much demoralizing her much smarter entrepreneurial boyfriend and the third just not able to decide what she wants in life. The scene featuring all six characters in the restaurant, the cricket match, the police station episode, the I Love You jig towards the climax - just about everything surprises you as an audience.

Amidst all of this, there arrives the monologue by Kartik which is set to be a rage all over again, just as it was in Part I. It is brilliant in the way it is written and enacted, which makes the film a totally paisa vasool affair. Add to that numerous other rib tickling scenes and the film pretty much sorts itself as a true romcom in the offering. Moreover, the team also scores well in the last 20-30 minutes when drama takes over. Unlike Part I where the film lost its sheen towards the end, none of that happens here as the film retains its momentum with some surprise twists and turns.

All of this wouldn't have been possible without its six lead actors. Kartik takes giant leaps and does quite well in a much more layered part. He also looks much better on screen and gives a confident performance. Sunny is the surprise of the film. He truly entertains in a party that is similar to that of Divyendu Sharma from Part I and entertains you with a confident and fun act. He is truly superb in his scene at the police station. Omkar has a very good screen presence and gets to balance comedy, romance and drama. Nushrat brings in a variation in her performance and does quite well as a bimbo. Sonalli plays a character which is antithesis of the one she played in the first part and comes across well as someone confused. Ishita has truly worked on her physique and plays the opportunistic part rather well. Sharat Saxena is fine in a rather small part.

Coming back to the film, this one does something near impossible - it turns out to be better than Part I. I am certainly stepping in a theater all over again with a large bunch of friends.

Go, watch it!