‘Son of Sardaar 2’ (2025) Movie Review - From Punjab With Love

Vijay Kumar Arora's Son of Sardaar 2 is in conflict with itself. One part of it wants to be a vehicle for lowbrow humor. One part of it wants to be a cheeky, casual social message. And finally, one part of it wants to be a drama of weepy proportions. Only the lowbrow part manages to hit its target. When Son of Sardaar 2 unabashedly hugs its plebeian identity, it successfully tickles your funny bones. I am thinking of that scene where Jassi (Ajay Devgn) and Rabia (Mrunal Thakur) meet for the first time (she mistakes him for her date; he mistakes her for his lawyer). I am thinking of that scene where Jassi, when asked to discuss an incident from his life as a colonel, starts narrating the story of Border. I am thinking of that scene where two women — hired for a funeral — start flirting with Ranjit Singh (Sharat Saxena), and I am definitely thinking about the climax where Raja (Ravi Kishan) spirals into physical and psychological chaos after discovering the truth about Jassi, Rabia, and their web of deception. These jokes are on the same level as those in Housefull 5, but their success rate is higher. You just have to have an appetite for a certain low-level sense of humor. The bar for comedy — actually, for most genre films — in our Bollywood movies is already so low it's almost non-existent. Still, within this narrow range, Son of Sardaar 2 could have been the comedy film of the year. 

What stops it from, um, scaling those heights? Well, Kumar Arora doesn't have a very good eye for comedy. For instance, he sets up a scene involving a tank, only to deliver nothing especially wild or entertainingly absurd. The scene just remains serviceable. But the main reason behind the film's failure lies in those two other parts that deal with providing a social message and weepy drama. Son of Sardaar 2 wants to be about trans people, about India-Pakistan enmity, about jingoism, about patriarchy, and about so-called Indian culture. These heavy issues, though, don't fit into a waggish world where a pole dancer receives a puckish death and Jassi plays around with a tank and gives cartoon injuries to Bantu Pandey (Sanjay Mishra) and his men. Kumar Arora is too afraid of having fun. He, unfortunately, wants to be socially and morally responsible, which works against the film's flavor and humor. A dumb, impish comedy like Son of Sardaar 2 can't bear the weight of Kumar Arora's good intentions. And the melodrama further undercuts the comical charge of the film, especially during the climax, when a steady stream of jokes is drowned in tears and hugs. During such mushy instances, you feel like repeating Jassi's line to the director, "Paaji, kadhi has bhi liya karo."

Final Score- [3/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times