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The 2019 comedy “Dream Girl” directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa and starring Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role was pretty funny and entertaining, but their 2023 spin-off “Dream Girl 2” is a disappointing mess that does have a few good jokes, but is largely a stretched out boring nightmare. In ‘Dream Girl,’ Ayushmann only pretended to be a girl on the phone, but in this new installment, he fully embraces his alternative female personality.
Ayushmann Khurrana plays Karam Singh, a struggling theater artist who’s head over heels for his lawyer girlfriend, Pari Srivastava (Ananya Pandey). But here’s the catch: Pari’s dad (Manoj Joshi) wants Karam to land a steady job, snag a home, and stack up some cash within six months if they want to tie the knot. Karam’s dad, Jagjit Singh (Annu Kapoor), is drowning in debts, and their buddy Smiley (Manjot Singh) drops a crazy idea – that Karam cross-dress and dance in bars to rake in the moolah. With no better options on the table, Karam transforms into Pooja, and that’s when things take a turn for the worse for him, leading to a string of comedic problems.
The first half an hour of “Dream Girl 2” is quite funny and engaging, but things begin to go downhill from there. Besides, Ayushmann Khurrana might sound like the perfect girl on the phone, but he isn’t very convincing as a woman when he cross-dresses. Director Raak Shaandilyaa has co-written the script with Naresh Kathooria, and the duo cram in too many characters and twists, turning the story into a chaotic mess. Paresh Rawal portrays Abu Saleem, the affluent and open-minded father of Smiley’s girlfriend. He consents to their marriage but lays down a condition – Smiley’s heartbroken older brother, Shah Rukh Saleem (Abhishek Banerjee), must wed first. Smiley conspires with Karam to help get Shah Rukh hitched, but their plan backfires when Abu Saleem insists that Shah Rukh marries Puja, who is actually Karam in disguise. If the plot were limited to this situation, delivering laughs, it would’ve been fine. However, the plot involves at least 3-4 more romantic subplots that weren’t necessary. For example, Seema Pahwa plays Shah Rukh’s thrice-married aunt Jumani, who falls for Karam. Even though Seema Pahwa is hilarious as the spoiled, childish, and flirty Jumani, her subplot wasn’t as funny. Vijay Raaz plays Sona Bhai, the owner of the bar where Pooja dances, and in another nonsensical twist, he also happens to be related to the Saleem family.
At 2 hour 14 minutes, “Dream Girl 2” might not be too long for a regular Bollywood film, but it feels painfully stretched out due to the mediocre jokes and ridiculous twists. The cinematography is quite pretty and colorful, accompanied by a foot-tapping background score. The make-up team however, could’ve done a better job with Ayushmann’s make-up. He looks more like a gossip-y neighborhood aunt nobody would cast a second glance at (if not for the shiny clothes) than the femme fatale the script wants him to be. “Dream Girl 2” is barely much different from the 1988 Govinda led comedy “Aunty No. 1”, where Govinda pretends to be a woman for his friends and two men fall in love with his female avatar.
Even for a plain silly entertainer, “Dream Girl 2” isn’t good time-pass. Raaj Shaandilyaa’s recent work, the 2022 mini-series ‘The Great Weddings of Munnes’ starring Abhishek Banerjee is a lot more riotous and fun to watch.
Dream Girl 2 is available to stream on Netflix.
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