Judwaa 1 vs Judwaa 2: Who takes the cake?

David Dhawan is back with a yet another comic caper, and this time it’s a remake of his own film Judwaa, titled Judwaa 2, which he has made 20 years later after the release of the original with his son Varun Dhawan filling up for Salman Khan as the iconic twins Raja and Prem. The film, which is strictly a reboot of the original, came with a lot of expectations as it was evidently going to be compared with a SALMAN KHAN FILM! Can you imagine the pressure?

The story, the twist and the concept of the film stay the same. Instead of Salman, it’s Varun. Instead of Karisma, it’s Jacqueline Fernandez, and, instead of Rambha, it’s the gorgeous Taapsee Pannu.

Although Varun Dhawan puts up a decent act as the twins, but, if you’re going to compare it to the original as you run the same scene from the original in your mind, Dhawan’s earnest portrayal comes across as a mocking performance, in which he gives an ode to Shah Rukh Khan instead. Salman’s innocence as Prem was not faithfully recreated by Dhawan, but as far as Raja was concerned, Dhawan brought a new life to this character with his own signature style and charisma.

What we really missed while watching Judwaa 2 was, obviously, Karisma Kapoor and her charm, whose place has been filled in by Jacqueline Fernandez. We personally loved Karisma Kapoor a lot more. She’s a much more nuanced actor and she had a lot more to do in the original film. Judwaa 2, in that respect, felt like a regressive version of the original, which made us ask ourselves: Are we really progressing as a society or just heading back to the caveman times?

Taapsee Pannu gave her best to the role like the talented actor that she is. But, there’s only so much an actor can do if the character doesn’t do anything. Acting wise, Taapsee takes the cake, but character-wise, it’s still Rambha.

Apart from the lead cast, it’s the same old David Dhawan film. The screenplay is vibrant, the story is almost nonsensical but it works and there are some great action sequences in the rebooted film. But, the film falls flat on the overuse of lame jokes to the point that you’d want to say “God, please just stop already”

For us, it is still Judwaa 1 that works. But, if you’re wanting to see how the story turned out in 2017 and are ready to let go of a handful of lame jokes that will eventually be thrown at you, Judwaa 2 might just help you in killing your time (but in a very tedious way)