Keyur Seta
Mumbai, 25 Nov 2021 15:01 IST
Directed by Milap Zaveri, the John Abraham-starrer is a collection of haphazardly compiled scenes that are neither interesting nor entertaining.
Filmmaker Milap Zaveri has stated numerous times that he believes in making ‘massy’ movies meant only for entertainment. But his latest outing, Satyameva Jayate 2, is nothing but a haphazard compilation of absurd and ear-splitting scenes in the guise of entertainment. If his last outing, Marjaavaan (2019), was dumb, this one is dumber.
The story, which has similarities to the first film in the franchise, takes place in a town in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. The state's home minister Satya Azad (John Abraham) wants to introduce an anti-corruption bill in the legislative assembly but lacks the backing to get it passed.
Satya is married to Vidya (Divya Khosla Kumar) who is also in politics and is as patriotic as her husband. The politician’s late father Dadasahab Azad (also John Abraham), who was a farmer and activist, dreamt of a corruption-free India and gave up his life fighting for the cause.
Meanwhile, a vigilante (John Abraham again) has been executing criminals and corrupt individuals but nobody is able to trace him. Hence, Satya asks his twin brother, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Jay Azad (John Abraham yet again), to nab the renegade.
Even the most mindless masala films have some structure. If not this, they at least fall back on the age-old formula of a hero versus villain where the latter gets killed by the former. But Satyameva Jayate 2 doesn’t have any of this.
The first half is bearable, despite the absurdity and loudness, since the film, which has no story to tell, offers viewers a mystery of sorts regarding the total number of Johns in the movie. But this is solved quite early in the proceedings and the audience is left to endure a series of sequences that have neither any flow nor entertainment value such as a silly flashback of the late Dadasahab Azad. Jay Azad is also seen beating up a policeman inside his cabin because he laughed at someone’s tragic situation, which was clearly 'inspired' by a scene from the Sunny Deol-starrer Indian (2001).
And just when you wonder where the film is headed, the subject of gang rape pops up. The film drones on and on about respecting women and women's safety but ends up espousing regressive views. The rape of a woman is equated to her losing her honour [izzat lootna] while a man who appears weak is said to be wearing bangles.
Apart from this, one is constantly bombarded with cringe-worthy rhyming lines, some of which, amazingly, are even worse than those that were included in the trailer. Take this, for instance – Agar ladki ki izzat nahin ki toh woh haal karunga ki peechhe se mootega kyunki aage ka tootega [If you don’t respect women, I will ensure you will urinate from the backside].
Although John plays multiple characters, there is hardly any variation in his performance and body language. He somehow fits in the image of a cop and vigilante but the same can’t be said about his home minister avatar. And his turn as a farmer falls completely flat, more so when he screams even louder than he did in his last theatrical release Mumbai Saga (2021).
With John hogging the limelight throughout the film, other actors don’t get much scope to shine. Divya Khosla Kumar, who is making a comeback after 17 years, still looks young but struggles as an actress. Harsh Chhaya and Annup Sonii, who play a politician and a cop respectively are average at best.
By the time Satyameva Jayate 2 ends, the writers seem to have forgotten about the main subject clamping down on corruption, just like the audience.