Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2

The film is a celebration of the Great Indian Delhi Male. He can do no wrong. His obsession with the female anatomy is a benevolently childish trait, to be scolded for appearance’s sake, but really to be admired and loved for in reality. His uber-masculine demeanour mask a sensitive being who really respects woman though his words and actions betray nothing of the sort.

Of course he is a naughty one, but not of the bad kind; of the adorable kind. And if the girlfriend and he have a misunderstanding, it’s clearly she who is to blame – what with her shallow and manipulative ways taking advantage of and making this innocent child bend to her shrewish wishes.

The basic screenplay idea for the film boils down to a simple plan. Come up with clichéd couple situations, show how they always come down to the boys being blamed when actually it’s never their fault (and they manfully take the hit, elevating them to heroic levels), and ultimately reveal the “real” nature of their girlfriends, those incarnations of Lucifer himself. Multiply this by three for each of the male leads, and lo behold – you have Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2.

Call me old, because the fact is the cinema hall I went to was in splits through the movie. Boys and girls alike (strictly under 22 and above 18) were rolling on the aisles, no matter how sexist or misogynist the lines spewed on screen.

It is true though, that to label this film as being sexist is giving it credit for actually attempting to be something. The only parts where effort is visible are where the film titillates. Note slow motion gym shots of the heroine working out, or a male and female mating call represented by a mutual strip tease, or the token party song with booze, bottles, and booties swinging across the screen.

And so I learnt that I shouldn’t take the film seriously; that an embarrassingly naïve plot with no respect for intelligence is yet another thing I should numb myself to so that I can roll with the times. Hurrah for the youth. God save the films.

Hindi/Comedy/Color