Which was better, Judwaa or Judwaa 2?

David Dhawan’s Judwaa 2, a remake of the filmmaker's own Judwaa (1997), has emerged a winner at the box office despite not-so-encouraging reviews and no great word-of-mouth publicity.

The Varun Dhawan-starrer is one of the few films of 2017 to cross the Rs100 crore collections mark (with Rs130 crore so far). While the film's collection is way higher than the box-office takings of the original (Rs13 crore according to BoxOfficeIndia.com; Rs100 crore films were a rarity back then), does that mean fans loved the Varun Dhawan version better? Or do they still swear by the Salman Khan original?

We presented this question to some members of the group that matters most to filmmakers — the audience. Going by the responses we got, we can say Varun Dhawan has certainly provided the spark needed to power the double role. But, as the popular saying goes, the original will always remain the original. Despite Dhawan's performance as the twins Raja and Prem and the film's box-office collection, the original remains top of the audience's mind.

Pavan Gangawane, an engineer, said that although Dhawan has played his part well, he lacks the qualities of Salman Khan. He also felt the same about actresses Taapsee Pannu and Jacqueline Fernandez when compared with Rambha and Karisma Kapoor.

“This film is likeable because of Varun Dhawan," he admitted. "But the streetsmart spunk Salman showed was not seen in Varun's portrayal of Raja. The sex appeal and style Karisma had wasn't seen in both the actresses here. If we eat the same dish again and again, it becomes boring. Similarly, the jokes and scenes were just rehashed here. Judwaa 2 only makes us recall the original."

Saurav Shivpuje, a student, was disappointed with the ending and felt that Salman Khan was better at playing the innocent twin Prem. “I had seen Salman’s Judwaa probably a decade ago," he said. "I found the sober character was played better by Salman while Varun was a better fit for the Mumbai-based twin. I was expecting a grand ending. Disappointed there.”

Linguist Sachin Prabhu said the newer film was simply a copy-and-paste job aimed at today’s audiences. “The original Judwaa was still fresh in my mind," he said. "So I didn’t enjoy the new one that much. The movie is an exact remake aimed more at the people of today who might not have seen the original. Varun Dhawan did well. His act was the same as in Main Tera Hero (2014). The tapori Raja came more naturally to Salman Khan. Varun’s act as Raja appeared forced.”

Sunil Chandurkar, an engineer, is not a fan of either Khan or Dhawan. “I had set expectations from the movie," he said. "And it was as good as I imagined it. I am neither a big Salman fan nor have I liked Varun. People of non-Salman taste may not enjoy it. But go for the fun ride of two-and-a-half hours pure entertainment. Good dialogues. Horrible PJs also. The music magic of the old Judwaa was missing though.”

Teacher Dipti Patel also felt the makers simply repeated the first film with a different cast. “This is an almost exact copy of the 20-year-old film made by the same team," she said. "Some scenarios remain as silly and illogical." However, she felt that Dhawan deserves praise for his performance. "He excels in portraying both Prem and Raja," she said. "He has an endearing quality in his performance.” But she agreed that fans of Judwaa might not like the new film.

Archana Kadam, a freelance social media executive, is someone who hasn’t seen the original and is all praise for Judwaa 2. “It would be a crime for a 1990s kid to admit not having watched the original Judwaa," she said. No regrets though! Varun Dhawan more than made it up for her in Judwaa 2. "Varun was simply fantastic," she said. "He has insane energy and it’s infectious. The film is a full-on entertainer with whistle-worthy moments. We need more of David Dhawan now.”

Uday Kadam, IT professional, was among the few who felt that Varun Dhawan had done one better than Khan. “Varun has massive youth appeal," he said. "His on-screen presence is too good. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he outshone Salman with this film.”

Kadam also believes the director, David Dhawan, has proved equal to the task of recreating the 1990s film. “The best thing about Judwaa 2 is the director’s work is unadulterated," he said. "He did not ham it up as is usually the case whenever there is a remake of a popular film.”

Clearly, most of those who saw Judwaa 2 have appreciated Varun Dhawan's performance, but nostalgia being what it is, the scales tilt towards Salman Khan. Varun Dhawan wouldn't mind though. After all, Judwaa was a home product.

Which act did you like better? Salman Khan's Judwaa or Varun Dhawan's Judwaa 2? Let us know below.