‘De De Pyaar De 2’ Movie Review: R Madhavan Outshines Ajay Devgn (Again) in This Funny but Flimsy Romcom Sequel (LatestLY Exclusive)

De De Pyaar De 2 Movie Review: De De Pyaar De 2 is the sequel to the 2019 romcom De De Pyaar De, which revolved around an older man falling for a much younger woman and the chaos that ensued when he tried to introduce her to his ex-wife and children. While the first film was directed by Akiv Ali, this sequel is helmed by Anshul Sharma, with co-producer Luv Ranjan and Tarun Jain returning to handle the screenplay - along with all its highs, lows, and the tired moral gymnastics. ‘De De Pyaar De 2’ Song ‘Raat Bhar’: Rakul Preet Singh and Meezaan Jafri Sizzle in Romantic Track (Watch Video).

Six years may have passed, but in this universe, nothing seems to have changed.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - The Plot

Even the story picks up just six months later. If the first film focused on Ashish (Ajay Devgn) convincing his family to accept his relationship with the much younger Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh), the sequel flips the script. This time, it’s Ayesha’s turn to make her parents accept the relationship. Think Meet the Parents by way of Cheeni Kum - which, ironically, was also influenced by Meet the Parents.

Watch the Trailer of 'De De Pyaar De 2':

Ideally, it should have been an easy task for the couple, since Ayesha’s parents Rakesh (R Madhavan), an IAS officer, and Anju (Gautami Kapoor), pride themselves on being modern and progressive - they even share the occasional on-screen kiss to prove it. But their façade of liberalism shatters the moment Ayesha brings Ashish home, and they realise their prospective son-in-law is their age contemporary. (Though, to be fair, Devgn looks older than both of them) Rakesh, in particular, is outraged - and not subtle about it.

When they realise their daughter isn’t backing out, her parents resort to more manipulative and underhanded methods to break them up.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - Still Struggles With Modernised Profoundity

The beginning of De De Pyaar De 2 reminded me of an episode from the Kajol and Twinkle Khanna chat show Two Much…, featuring Karan Johar and Janhvi Kapoor. During a game segment, Kajol, Twinkle, and Karan all agreed that physical infidelity isn’t as bad as emotional infidelity (“raat gayi, baat gayi”), while Janhvi disagreed. I suspect Kajol’s husband, Ajay Devgn, shares her philosophy - after all, the first De De Pyaar De had that infamous line: “Ek baar sone se pyaar nahi hota, toh ek baar sone se khoya kaise jaata hai.” It’s meant to sound profound, conveniently forgetting that the "sona" here involves two different partners.

I’d completely forgotten that gem of a line - until this sequel reminded me. The recap sequence, narrated by Ashish’s best friend and therapist Ronak (Jaaved Jaaferi), includes that dialogue almost proudly, as if the writers thought it was iconic. I had a feeling it would return later in the film, and when it did, it landed with the same misplaced profundity as before.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - Humour Works

But while De De Pyaar De 2 may struggle with sagacity, it certainly doesn’t do so with the humour. Much of its comedy still relies on age jokes, but the cast’s comic timing and the admittedly witty one-liners make most of them land. The scenes where Rakesh and Anju slyly try to estimate Ashish’s age are particularly funny - one involves asking him about the pound-to-rupee rate when he last visited the UK. There’s even some cheeky meta-humour poking fun at Devgn’s filmography, from Shaitaan to Singham, with a Zubaan Kesari gag thrown in for good measure.

The film occasionally stretches its jokes a bit much - Jaaved Jaaferi’s running gag about how Meezaan Jafri’s Aditya is "like his son" wears thin - but the comedy mostly works. It’s the storytelling that begins to falter.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - Drama Doesn't

Predictability is the film’s biggest curse. Aditya’s entry into the love triangle and his growing closeness with Ayesha add a spark of conflict, but the trajectory is easy to guess. Once the film shifts gears into drama, it slows to a crawl. There are occasional moments that hit the right note - like Rakesh telling Anju that even if their daughter makes a mistake, it’s their duty as parents to support her, not control her - but these flashes of maturity are buried under conventional melodrama. De De Pyaar De Movie Review: Tabu Towers Over Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet in This Unusual Romcom.

Then there’s the film’s so-called 'secret weapon', a twist the makers clearly think is brilliant. Some might appreciate it, but for me, it felt like cheap narrative manipulation masquerading as cleverness. It undermines everything that came before, making the emotional beats leading up to it feel hollow - a recurring Achilles’ heel in Luv Ranjan’s brand of cinema, once again only saved by the humour (till it becomes loud) and the performances.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - The Performances and Music

As for performances - what’s going on with Ajay Devgn? His recent turns have felt increasingly low-energy, and that continues here. His Ashish is meant to be now a wizened, self-assured 'green flag' type, sure, but Devgn’s performance often feels detached, almost lethargic, especially against co-stars who are operating on a livelier tempo.

Rakul Preet Singh, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of that spectrum. She’s full of energy, sometimes too much - there’s a dramatic breakdown scene where she overplays it - but overall, her enthusiasm remains buoyant. And if she is on the opposite end, then Ishita Dutta - who plays her pregnant sister-in-law - breaks that barrier to go beyond.

The scene-stealer, though, is R Madhavan - for the second time in a row in a Devgn-starrer after Shaitaan. He’s terrific, equally comfortable in comic and emotional scenes. The moment where the camera lingers on his face as his character silently realises the cost of his ego is easily one of the film’s best-acted moments. Gautami Kapoor is delightful as his wife, though she gets little to do in the latter half.

Meezaan Jafri shows marked improvement here, particularly in the climax, while Jaaved Jaaferi remains a dependable comic presence. Suhasini Mulay, in her limited screen time, shines in a funny scene where she hilariously reprimands Ashish for 'testing her memory.'

Among the songs, two stand out - the romantic ballad "Raat Bhar" (by Payal Dev and Aditya Dev) and the hauntingly melancholic "Aakhri Salaam" (by Sagar Bhatia). Both elevate the emotional quotient that the script itself struggles to sustain.

'De De Pyaar De 2' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

De De Pyaar De 2 is funny in places, sporadically charming, and intermittently frustrating - a sequel works well with the safe gags and then mistakes contrived twists for clever storytelling. The supporting cast sparkles, particularly R Madhavan, but Ajay Devgn still hasn't ended his sleepwalking, and the dramatic points bring down the momentum before they all get derailed by the 'subversive' final act.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2025 10:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).