Papa knows best! But papa don’t preach – Beyond Bollywood

R. Madhavan shines as the protective father. Stubborn or immature, Rakul Preet Singh leaves you confused about her character, yet she brings a spirited energy that keeps you invested.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫 ( 2.5 / 5)

By Mayur Lookhar

De de pyaar de pyaar de pyaar de re hamein pyaar de. Amitabh Bachchan struggled to find one in Sharaabi (1984). Ajay Devgn was showered with two women in writer-producer Luv Ranjan’s De De Pyaar De (2019). Love triangles, however, come with their own set of complexities. Though a fun film, the story of a 50-year-old man falling for a 26-year-old girl while still not divorced was bound to raise a few brows among sanskari audiences.

Luv Ranjan’s films often carry traces of misogyny, but six years later, it seems the filmmaker wants to break that image. De De Pyaar De 2 (2025) is a film where the woman speaks her mind loud and clear.

Story

The first film revolved around a man introducing his girlfriend to his estranged wife and kids. Six years later, Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh) wants to marry Ashish (Ajay Devgn) and takes him to Chandigarh to meet her parents, Rakesh (R. Madhavan) and Anju Khurrana (Gautami Kapoor). Rakesh, aka Rajj, and Anju take pride in being educated, progressive, and modern parents and are initially open to meeting Ashish. However, once they actually meet him, their ‘educated-progressive-modern’ ideals fly out of the window. The liberal dad, Rajj, suddenly switches to a ‘Papa knows best’ mode and ropes in Aditya (Meezan Jaaferi) to woo his daughter so that she can dump Ashish.

Screenplay & Direction

Director Akiv Ali makes way for Anshul Sharma, who has previously assisted Luv Ranjan. Tarun Jain continues as the lead writer, with Ranjan co-writing the sequel. De De Pyaar De 2 initially comes across as a refreshing story where Ranjan’s female protagonist has a strong voice – stubborn enough to leave her family for love. Coming from a privileged background, it’s easier for women like Ayesha to rebel. Halfway through the film, there’s nothing misogynistic about this Luv Ranjan production. Rakesh and Anju’s angst feels like an organic reaction to such a conflict. Harsh words are exchanged, but soon the parents realise they need a strategy to handle the situation.

Ayesha initially shields Ashish from her parents’ inquisitive ways. You expect the ‘Papa knows best’ strategy to be met with a ‘papa don’t preach’ rebuttal. However, rather unexpectedly, Ayesha leaves both Ashish and the viewer stunned. While the humour remains intact, the viewer is left confused about the character of Ayesha. For a moment, the thought of misogyny hovers again, but thankfully Tarun Jain and Luv Ranjan justify the bizarre turn in the final act. Eventually, everything falls into place – but the drama still feels like drama, and you question, did it need to be done this way?

Acting

After all that unfolds, you wonder if Ashish is really the protagonist in this sequel. Devgn mostly cuts a silent figure – and you can’t blame him, as the narrative centres on a father–daughter ideological clash. His Ashish shows maturity by staying composed, respecting the genuine concerns of Rakesh and Anju, and rightly choosing to keep things calm. A Bollywood hero usually commands a strong presence, but here Devgn is content to sit back and let the drama play out. Is there a lack of intensity from him? It does feel that way for large parts, but the true ashiq finally emerges in the end. While the characters in the franchise age only a couple of years, the six-year gap between the two films perhaps shows on Devgn’s face. At 56, he surely can’t be game for such romcoms anymore. 

Her baby face continues to work to Rakul Preet Singh’s advantage, and in recent years, she has gradually grown as an actor. Maybe women fight harder for love, and Rakul Preet embodies that feisty spirit. She doesn’t bat an eyelid during her war of words with her father. Traditionalists might deem this behaviour as dissent, while others may call it her choice, but Ayesha shouldn’t be mistaken for a symbol of feminism.

De De Pyaar De 2 truly belongs to R. Madhavan and Gautami Kapoor. As Rakesh and Anju, they bust the myth of ‘educated, progressive, and modern’ parents in Indian society. Thankfully, the CBFC and the makers were wise enough to remove the abusive word Rakesh uses in front of his daughter. Honestly, the more educated and successful parents are, the more likely they are to react like Rakesh and Anju.  Having possessed his daughter in Shaitaan (2024), R. Madhavan now has the gumption to tell Ajay Devgn he’s done some vashi karan (black magic) on his reel daughter in this film. Madhavan delivers a masterclass in expressions – smiling and gloating about his progressive ideals one moment, then smirking like an overprotective, egoistic Indian father the next. They’re both so good, you can’t help but wonder why Madhavan and Kapoor weren’t paired together before.

Jaaved Jaaferi is now joined by his son Meezan in the franchise, but there’s no love shown for the latter. Jaaferi’s Ronak is constantly in Ashish’s ear cautioning him that Aditya has the goods to woo Ayesha.  The father and son do shake a leg, and the former wins that contest down easily too. Meezan has a screen presence, but Aditya’s corny sense of humour doesn’t win over anyone. You can sense that he’s putting on a façade, and the real Aditya buckles when the pressure gets to him. Not as gifted as his father or sister Muskaan, Meezan does everything what’s asked of him in De De Pyaar De 2.

Ishita Dutta is adorable as Ayesha’s sister-in-law Kittu, while veteran actress Suhasini Mulay delivers a delightful turn as the sharp-witted Nani. She takes strong offence to Ashish’s casual remark that she might have forgotten him. Within minutes, Nani proves him wrong by recalling everything about her daughter Anju, son-in-law Rakesh, the weather, the day, cricket scores, and birthdays – and is absolutely certain that Ashish isn’t Rakesh’s college friend as he claims to be.

Music / Technical Aspects

The playback music isn’t captivating, and Honey Singh’s Jhoom Sharaabi remake is thankfully limited to a promotional video that rolls during the end credits. With T-Series backing the franchise, Luv Ranjan has filmed in the UK and on some stunning, palatial sets in Chandigarh that beautifully capture the Khurranas’ opulence.

Final word

2025 has been a year where Bollywood has largely returned to its roots – romcoms. Despite criticism, Luv Ranjan’s films have consistently attracted a large section of the audience, particularly in the northern belt. De De Pyaar De 2 helps Ranjan shed his misogynistic image, though six years is quite a gap for a romcom franchise. This sequel stands out for its sharp writing and humour, which are likely to mask its other creative frailties. Importantly, it respects logic, something missing in Ranjan’s Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. De De Pyaar De 2 packs enough humour to draw in family audiences once again.

Watch the video review below.