Ajay Devgn’s Son of Sardaar 2 Leaves Much To Be Desired, Isn’t The Sequel Fans Were Waiting For

Ajay Devgn returns with a quirky twist in Son of Sardaar 2, this time trading Punjab’s pind for the scenic streets of Scotland. Reprising his role as the ever-spirited Jassi (Ajay Devgn), he lands in the UK 11 years after his wife (Neeru Bajwa) moved there - only to be hit with a divorce bombshell. What begins as heartbreak quickly turns into a comedy of errors when he crosses paths with Rabia (Mrunal Thakur), a Pakistani woman who performs at Punjabi weddings to make ends meet. After an ugly spat, Rabia and Jassi unexpectedly end up under the same roof. But the real chaos begins when Rabia, hiding behind a face mask, pretends to be Jassi’s wife during a phone call with his mother. What starts as a harmless lie quickly spirals into a web of complications. As a favour, Jassi agrees to pose as a colonel to helpSaba (Roshni Walia), win over the ultra-traditional Sandhu family.

For context, Saba is in love with Goggi (Sahil Mehta), the son of Raja Sandhu - a man who holds rigid views on family values and cultural identity. The catch? The Sandhus want an Indian bahu, and Rabia’s Pakistani roots don’t fit their vision. So, to help Saba’s case, Rabia ropes Jassi in to act as her Indian father, setting off a classic comedy of errors - disguises, lies, misunderstandings, and a house full of cultural contradictions.

What starts as a hilarious setup, Jassi narrating a scene from Border as if it’s his own experience at the India-Pakistan border, quickly stretches into absurdity. The joke lingers far too long, losing its charm and turning into a forced attempt at comedy. Even Tony and Titu’s efforts to salvage the moment fall flat, leaving the scene as an example of missed comic timing.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the case for much of the movie. Scenes that initially feel full of promise end up as lost causes, undercut by weak execution and inconsistent writing. The movie unfolds like a mismatched puzzle - random pieces forced together in the hope of completing a bigger picture, but the maze never really makes sense.

A few jabs at Pakistan scattered throughout the script do manage to land, with one moment - Ajay Devgn delivering the line, 'Humara aapse lena dena bandh hai' - drawing a chuckle. But these are rare sparks in an otherwise dull fire.

What truly felt jarring, though, were the random, unexplained scenes thrown in without any effort to tie them together.

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For instance, Jassi, out of nowhere, asks the Sandhu family’s pole-dancer Bebe to show him her dance moves. Why? No one knows. The dialogue delivery is awkward, and her sudden death later in the scene is just as confusing - abrupt and unexplained. It’s the kind of scene that makes you pause and question if the writers ever asked why they were including it in the first place. It adds nothing to the plot, nothing to the humour, and ends up feeling like a complete misfire.

The film never explains. It expects the audience to fill in the blanks, but doesn’t provide enough pieces to work with.

The chemistry between Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur just doesn’t land. From their first café banter to the moment she convinces him to pose as Saba’s father, their dynamic feels flat and unconvincing. Despite the screenplay trying hard to build some spark between them, it never really takes off.

Performances

Ajay Devgn, on the other hand, often felt like an AI-generated version of himself. In several scenes, especially the comedic ones, he just didn’t fit -almost like he was walking through them without really being present. While he does manage to shine in a few emotional moments and does land the core essence of Jassi at times, it still feels like he wasn’t fully invested. There’s a noticeable lack of effort - as if he didn’t push himself to work the character, to live in it.

His dialogue delivery felt flat more often than not, and even lines meant to trigger laughs  like the much-hyped 'kadhi has bhi liya karo' - failed to land with the punch or timing they needed. In the end, this version of Jassi didn’t feel like the Jassi we once rooted for. He felt like a distant, diluted version - a shadow of the original

Mrunal Thakur shines bright. Her screen presence is undeniable - she brings a certain energy and vibrancy that lights up every frame she’s in. Her wardrobe is fun, colourful, and unapologetically bold, perfectly matching her character’s loud yet lovable personality. Honestly, she doesn’t let you miss Sonakshi Sinha from the first film; she owns this space completely and makes it her own.

What truly salvages some parts of the film are the supporting characters. Ravi Kishan’s Raja, Sanjay Mishra’s Bantu, and Deepak Dobriyal’s Gul end up stealing the show. Their comic timing is sharp, their characters are written with a certain ease, and each of them brings their flavour without trying too hard. They feel natural, grounded, and most importantly, funny. In a film where the leads sometimes fall short, it’s these three who manage to hold the comic core together and leave a lasting impression.

Ashwini Kalsekar, Dolly Ahluwalia, Chunky Panday, Vindu Dara Singh, and the late Mukul Dev complete the outstanding supporting cast. The ensemble never feels overused or underutilised thanks to the efforts of each character.

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First Half vs Second Half

The first half barely tries to impress, and what’s worse is that you walk in expecting lighthearted brainrot comedy with a few guaranteed laughs - but even that is rare. The second half, thankfully, picks up and manages to leave a better impact. The film almost entirely rides on it. There’s a noticeable shift in pace and tone - the story starts to piece itself together, and a few genuinely funny moments begin to shine through.