" JATT & JULIET 2 " : Movie Review

      " Jatt & Juliet ", is a cult movie which changed the scenario of Punjabi flicks as it offered almost everything right -from the good looking stars,brilliant performances, eye catching locales, fine plot and in fact it can be credited as the movie which catapulted the genre of Rom-com in Punjabi cinema. So, when sequel to such a movie is planned and that too with almost the same team, the expectations of the audience is definitely going to be sky high. Although, Jatt & Juliet 2 is not in league with the prequel as far as content and originality is concerned but still it makes you smile with some brilliant performances, laugh-riot punches n charming chemistry between the lead pair. Well, it's always easy to propound something, but once it turns into a landmark then it becomes all the way too difficult to maintain it's legacy and repute. The immense pressure that director Anurag Singh might have felt while making this sequel can only be fathomed, since the prequel is said to have acted as a catalyst for Punjabi Cinema's second renaissance. One thing which works in favor of the movie is that the plot as well as the story line of the sequel is not an extension to the first one and it is an absolutely different saga that can be savored by even those who have not seen the prequel.        

STORY & SCREENPLAY                            :  The story has been penned down by Dheeraj Rattan & Amberdeep Singh who have tried all the tricks available in the book to write down a laughable script along with a romantic angle attached to it. Just like the first one, the sequel also displays the similar characteristics n traits of the two main protagonists who not only practically disagree on everything but are also complete opposites n poles apart to each other. The first half has light moments to make you laugh aplenty. The interaction between Diljit Dosanjh & Neeru Bajwa in Vancouver is truly enjoyable and takes the graph of the movie upwards. Diljit's funny antics are commendable and the way he both pokes fun at and later, strengthens the image of ' Punjab Police' in front of all those 'Goras' speaks volumes about this man's ability as an excellent actor. Although, the post interval portion begin on a promising note but things begin to deteriorate in this half when movie starts venturing into the intense ,romantic zone which thankfully are savaged by the camaraderie between Diljit n Neeru. Moving on the storyline, a hawaldar in the Punjab Police, Fateh is aching to break the tradition of his family tradition of being hawaldaars and become an inspector. His dream seems to find wings when his immediate senior , inspector Joginder played by Jaswinder Bhalla , asks Fateh to travel to Canada in order to convince the Commissioner's estranged daughter Pooja to return to India. Little does Fateh know that Joginder is an insecure senior who wants Fateh out of his way. On the pretext of finding a fugitive called Shampy Daaku, Fateh boards a flight to Canada, where officer P.Singh ( whom he later learns is the Commissioner's daughter ) has been asked to help him on the case. From the Pakistani cabbie who hates Indians in the day and becomes friendlier after taking pegs in night, to Preeti ( Played by Bharti Singh ), an Indian who runs a beauty parlor and who Fateh mistakenly believes to be Pooja- every character adds richly to Fateh's incidental encounters and mix-ups.        

STARCAST                                                  :      Diljit Dosanjh as Fateh is so apt that it would be hard to imagine anyone else who could have essayed this character of being cute, witty, funny and strong willed too. He is simply outstanding and delivers a performance that certainly deserves an ovation. His captivating performance is sure to increase his fan following manifold. One of the scenes, where he speaks to to himself looking into the mirror is one of the major highlights of the movie and he truly steals everyone's heart with this heart -touching monologue. Throughout the movie, he takes us into him completely and we not only laugh and cry with him- we take back his emotions and innocence as we exit the movie hall. He is such a natural actor with almost perfect sense of comic timing that helps him deliver punches that hit at the intended spot. Coming to Neeru Bajwa, she is really charming and pretty and she is the only leading lady who could have and as a matter of fact, has managed to sustain herself in the movie despite the powerful character and performance of Diljit. Her effervescent personailty infuses Pooja with charm, and her act as a tough cop is a treat to watch.Later, she shows her vulnerable side too which surely earns her some brownie points. She is a wonderful charming actress and her title of being undisputed queen of Punjabi Cinema is completely justified.Jaswinder Bhalla is excellent.as always and raises enough guffaws through his character of being a senior cop to Diljit.  Rana Ranbir is fine enough and  B.N. Sharma as his Dad gives his character a sheen that only a veteran like him can.and his voice module is stupendous. Rana Jung Bahadur is first-rate as a cabbie, Bharti Singh sends us to splits of laughter every time she appears on screen.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                     :  Musical renditions for this movie that have been composed by Jatinder Shah are catchy but not that impressive when compared to its prequel. Akhiyaan ( featuring RJ Priyanka n Amber Vashist ) and the two renditions of Naina by Sukhwinder and Kamal Khan are soul stirring. Most of the movie has been shot in Vancouver, Canada, and the man behind the lens as cinematographer of the movie is Anshul Chaubey who has done a descent job, if not brilliant. He has captured some good moments in his camera and has especially utilized some good locales while shooting the songs. The movie has been edited by Manish More, the man who has edited some of the last very popular Punjabi flicks. Although, the length of the movie has been restricted to 137 minutes but some of the scenes seem to have been stretched which bug you at times.As the director of this movie Anurag Singh succeeds on two fronts, he has shot the movie exceedingly well and has also extracted fantastic performances from not just the lead pair but also from every character in the movie. Anuragh also should be praised for allowing his characters to evolve in a new setting and not let an easy sense of Deja-Vu set-in, a possibility that every director making a sequel is inevitably faced with. One aspect where he faltered is the climax of the movie as the movie finishes with kind of a hurried ending.    

OVER THE TOP                                         :    Firstly, the confusion of Bharti Singh being Pooja is dragged a lot which looks quite unconvincing. Secondly, antics of Shampy and his Daddy which are supposed to lighten you up also to irritate after a certain time frame.

WOW MOMENTS                                      : The poker faced act of Diljit while delivering a lecture to Canadian Police on the effective ways adopted by Punjab Police in Nabbing criminals, is a laugh riot. Also, the scene where Diljit stands in front of a mirror and talks to himself is too hilarious.

 CONCLUSION                                                 :  On the whole, ' JATT & JULIET 2 ' has laughter in abundance, with very less emotions moving alongside. However, while the prequel was about extremity of JATT & JULIET both, the sequel relies heavily on comic talent of our 'Jatt' and charm of our 'Juliet'. It is a kind of movie that you along with your family can go and watch for some light humor based entertainment.

ROHIT SHARMA.

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