When Love Circles Back: The Story and Souls Behind De De Pyaar De 2
Where the Past Meets the Present Again
De De Pyaar De 2 opens with quiet disruptions and chaotic sounds, which disturbs the calmness of the screen, is the sort of noise created by families. Ashish (Ajay Devgn), now more settled in, with his second inning of love, finds himself in another web of responsibilities. Ayesha (Rakul Preet Singh), though still a breath of fresh air, is older and wiser, and is not willing to the “child” in the scenario. And Manjana (Tabu), with her trademark calm, and with her soft sarcastic tone has accepted her freedom while still holding the still tied together past with Ashish, in a way that no divorce can reconcile.
The saga continues once relative tranquility has taken root. But in Bollywood, tranquility is merely the precursor to turbulence. He must now relocate to India and manage the proximity to both feminines, as he comments. “Love never dies, but EMIs and egos must be resolved in a timely manner.”
Fabricating The Fiction: The Art Immitates Life
What makes the sequel an artwork is more than the triangles interwoven; what stands out is the wisdom in the execution. Ajay draws a good deal in the performance from what life has to offer him as well.
Ajay is a regular to the character slots a flawless, middle-aged mans whose romantically linked to a much younger dewy face. Off the screen, the symphony of failures, criticisms and re-inventions coiling the character of Ashish, is an uncanny resemblance to Ajay’s own life. Ajay is quoted to have said of Ashish’s emotional math as a baffling enigma, as he set the stage for a lifetime of stardom. Balancing stardom and fatherhood, coupled with a weighty expectation and the ever critical eye of the public.
His performance culminates in being more quiet and fragile. The character understands second chances are real but only a good degree of honesty is acceptable.
Resilience shows itself again, in Rakul Preet Singh and in the reflection of her character, Ayeshs 2.0, as in a woman who, in the face of adversity, stands her ground against the bullying, against the misogyny, against the people, and against the gentleman called Ashish, who in his 20 year old mentality foolishly offers her his so called protection. Rakul has been bold, and has made the bold choice in her career to dip her toes in commercial cinema, a decision Ayesha 2.0 reflects. Also, mental resilience, albeit emotional weariness as someone out there watches Ayesha turn to Rakul and Ayesha, and reacts to the final princess of the final commercial cinema.
A Family That Still Doesn’t Understand Boundaries
The same goes for the emotional centerpiece of both films, Tabu. Manjana, in her silence, carries the weight of unsaid sentiment, a weight that in so many ways represents Tabu herself, for Manjana is neither straining to nor seeking the spotlight. She is here to be the silence for the titular role that is Tabu, and what a wonderful silence it is. It is a silence that speaks and it speaks more than half the dialogues in the film. Manjana once again here embodies silence broken only with heartfelt interaction with others, but a silence nonethless. As her voice is present at the right moment, it represents and is the backdrop of the medley of her voice achieved in communion with the right companions. Still Tabu is a voice that stands.
The film is about Non-Traditional Families and it is awkward. It is about the awkwardness that blends so uncomfortably with the delightful chaos that resides in non traditional families. Ashish is back and Ayesha and the rest of the family are reminded of the chaos that is Ashish. A seam in the family has been struck, but the circus is not in a circus state of equilibrium. It is in a state where each family member presents their inner emotional instability in the family’s circus. Ayesha, emotionally distanced, tries to impose her boundaries, as Manjana, who has a strong emotional burden, attempts to wax emotional distance, to Ashish who is supposed to be the derailing family member.
A very powerful moment of the film is when Ashish listens to his children on the assumption that ‘a man in his fifties even deserves a fresh start.’”
This has a very heavy moment. Why is this the case? It’s not because of the drama, but rather that it is a harsh reality. A lot of people in India bear the silent burden of wanting to start something new after 40 yet feel judged for it. The film pleasantly and genuinely portrays the cultural undercurrent.
The Performances That Grow With You
Ajay Devgn portrays Ashish with a type of charm and discomfort that feels way more true to life than the first film. Now, he embraces his age, including departure from the exhaustion from his character, tired jokes, and endless nagging guilt. His reputation, along with his on-screen age, of being a man who has a lot of emotions but doesn’t show it, helps support his character with a lot of extra flair.
Rakul Preet Singh has an even stronger performance this time. Ayesha disappears from the ‘younger girlfriend’ trope, as she starts to stand on her own. There is a moment in Ayesha’s arc when she criticizes Ashish for always ‘trying to handle’ her. This scene lands great as Rakul seems to have spent a lot of time under the social gaze, which will have given her the emotional intensity needed for this scene.
Unsurprising, Tabu affects the film the most. The most emotional of the film is the second-to-last scene, in which Tabu, rather than dueling with Ayesha, confessionalizes to her, “Love changes form, but never goes away.”
The anecdotes the cast has shared in the past highlight the tight bond the cast members formed over the course of filming. One of the assistant directors pointed to how Ajay and Tabu would seamlessly transition back into the role of old friends in between takes, and how they devised little routines that the film ended up shooting.
Other than the aforementioned actors, Rakul was noted for her extensive Ayesha rehearsals, especially in terms of Ayesha’s transitions during the scenes in which Ayesha had to maintain respect for Manjana, but had to battle her own insecurities. The actor’s choice to shadow a psychologist in order to understand the emotional maturity gaps in a modern relationship that would pair with a sense of depth, but without the sense of ‘preaching’, was fascinating.
The Cultural Pulse of the Film
The film urges reflection on Indian society’s views on age, love, and the proverbial ‘log kya kahenge’; however, the film is not solely passing the time on entertainment.
The film poses uncomfortable questions.
What presumption is behind thinking older men and women cannot love again?
What is the reason behind thinking of divorce as personal failure instead of considering it a step towards new beginnings?
Why does society see women (younger or older), even in respect to their love relations, so critially and harshly?
The philisophical aspects of these questions are not what the film is about; it is about the characters, the screen, and the actors fully embodying the questions in all of their raw and emotional authenticity.
Where Love Finally Lands
Fundamentally, the film is not about deciding between two women; it is about deciding to embrace honesty rather than comfort, chaos, and ego, and to replace them with acceptance, and courage.
The love in these two directly contrasted and squarely bordered moments is still warm and is the inspiration behind the projects bridge between fantasy and reality.
These characters like the people that play them, carry their scars with tenderness and grace and with the knowledge that life has not finished unfolding the unexpected, regardless of age or the extent of love or the number of times they have undergone emotional turmoil.Had the first film dealt with the act of attraction, the subsequent film De De Pyaar De 2 is based on the act of evolution.
An Indian family dispute is but, a familiar story, yet it is as rejuvenating as a new beginning.