Last Updated: August 29, 2020, 20:18 IST
Sadak 2
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Jisshu Sengupta, Gulshan Grover, Makrand Deshpande
Director: Mahesh Bhatt
This is what we call lifting the baton from where it was left because director Mahesh Bhatt’s film is straight out of the ‘90s, or maybe ‘80s or ‘70s, depending which timezone you think produced worse films. It’s so terrible that you would love to take any other road than this one, which is full of potholes.
Sadak 2 is not what the trailer promised, which received a truckload of dislikes. It’s worse.
As far as the story goes, it’s forcefully fitting Sanjay Dutt playing a supportive elder to Alia Bhatt in a film with at least 10 minute footage from the original film, Sadak (1991). They have used a hit song from the past too with Sanjay Dutt reminding that once we ran after high-waist pants, and silhouettes were fashionable for DOPs in Bollywood. And the sequel is named Sadak 2 because there is a road trip. That’s how simplified the film is!
So, taxi driver Ravi (Sanjay Dutt) has lost his wife and wants to die but the ceiling fan gives up. After making some sweeping statements about mental health while trying to look concerned, he agrees to take Arya (Alia Bhatt) and Vishal (Aditya Roy Kapur) to Ranikhet.
Among other things that happen on the road are some big revelations about Vishal’s drinking issues and Jisshu Sengupta’s tricky position as a businessman and father. Then there is Makrand Deshpande, but he deserves a separate paragraph, so we will come back to him later.
It’s a typical Mahesh Bhatt ensemble with only Avtar Gill missing though a couple of characters look tailor-made for him. It’s like one of those films where characters announce their arrival with either whistling a peculiar tune or by simply blurting out a really bad line.
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It’s surprising to see the primary actors’ submission to such a badly written script, and then they translated everything on to the screen with even worse body-language and movement. There is an armless person trying to wrestle five people, there is a woman swaying as if she is high on substance with half a kilo vermillion on her forehead and Aditya Roy Kapur, who is once again an addict. There is some kind of competition to look and act weirder.
And before I forget, there is an owl called Kumbhkarna who attacks bad guys on Dutt’s command. If only he had sent the owl towards the writer!
On paper, the film is about a godman and his exploits, but in reality, it’s about being sociopaths for no reason.
You would, in fact, feel bad about Alia Bhatt and Sanjay Dutt, who probably wouldn’t have done this film if it was not by Mahesh Bhatt. It’s worse than even Mr X which has a ‘brahmarakshas’.
But you know what really pained me? A character saying, “Tum meri poori baat sune bina nahi mar sakte (you can’t die without letting me complete).”
What do I do! I paid a heavy price, only because you could be saved.
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It’s the worst Hindi film of the year with such recognisable faces. I am not going with zero only because it also has Akshay Anand, who still looks the same.
Don’t take this road. Puncture your own car if others force you to come along.
Rating: 0.5/5
