The boys are back!
What do you expect when Nadeem Baig puts Humayun Saeed, Vasay Chaudhry and Ahmad Ali Butt together? And then what happens when Nadeem Baig throws Fahad Mustafa, Mawra Hocane and Kubra Khan in the same frame? There are several other characters in this 3-minute trailer of Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 – perhaps the most highly anticipated film of the year – but these are the stand out characters that create the ensemble cast. The old guard holds fort but I have to say that Fahad Mustafa and Mawra Hocane completely steal the show with their persona and presence.
Yes, the ‘boys’ are back and they’re looking better than before!
Two blockbuster films into direction, Nadeem Baig obviously knows what he’s doing even in his third. The camera work of JPNA2 is vast, vivid and larger than life. It’s evident that no cost has been spared on the stylization of the film, which looks pretty good.
It’s refreshing to see Fahad Mustafa in a glamorous role
The cast, which is apparently JPNA’s main draw, is its second pillar and flaunts actors you expect to see – reprising their roles from the original film – and then some new entrants. There’s veteran actor Sohail Ahmed in apparently a negative role, Indian actor Kanwaljit Singh as the the leading lady’s anti-Pakistan father and fashion model Omar Shahzad (whose 6 or 8 pack makes a special appearance) as her beaux. Fahad Mustafa and Mawra Hocane, as I mentioned earlier, look terrific. And then there’s Kubra Khan, playing the slightly odd Indian girl and Humayun Saeed’s love interest. Her only dialogue in the trailer is a comment of the impossibility of cross-border love.
Kubra steps in as Humayun Saeed’s love interest but will fans accept her as a replacement for Mehwish Hayat?
The third and strongest pillar of the film is comedy and unfortunately, I feel that this is where it falls short, or at least that’s what it seems from the trailer. The humour seems stale in this 3-minute clip. I like the fact that it begins in the same way the last film did, with one friend jumping off a height, but then the repetition continues; that is a risk that sequels run. There is the risk of situational deja vu.  The gay-jokes, the Humayun Saeed passing off as a boy jokes, the wedding dance-song and then the India/Pakistan and zaalim samaaj plus sarhad ki deewar situation. It’s a has-seen status.
But the trailer could be misleading and the 3-minute clip may not be doing justice to the 150-something minute film. Again, it ‘looks’ really good; let’s just hope it doesn’t fall short of being just as effective of a ‘feel-good’ experience when it comes to comedy. Regardless, this isn’t one I would sit out. I’d like to be proven wrong.
Here’s the trailer…
