In 2014, a film featuring a new actor was released which actually highlighted his abilities of dancing and acting. That film got a sequel in 2022, “Heropanti 2” with the same hero, Tiger Shroff. Directed by Ahmed Khan who has previously collaborated with Shroff for projects like Baaghi 2 and Baaghi 3 in the past, this movie seems to be based on a similar skeleton. The cast of the film also includes other talented actors like Nawazuddin Siddhiqui and Tara Sutaria in the main roles.
While Nawazuddin Siddiqui has played the role of a magician, Laila, with a weird dressing sense, Tiger Shroff as Babloo is a cyber genius and a hacker. Laila hires Babloo to design games with the intention of scamming people off their money. The plot of the story is actually very old and rusty and it doesn’t excite the audience as much. Coming out of the pandemic, back into theaters for some authentic thrill, the audience this time around expected a lot more.
In the process of scamming people, Babloo falls in love with Laila’s sister Inaaya (Tara Sutaria), who apparently does not know about her brother’s deeds. Devicing various publicity tactics like memes and other modes of promotion, the movie tried to gain attention via social media but it seems like it didn’t help a lot. If one is able to find something bearable in the movie, it is the co-ordinated action sequences in the first half that use Tiger Shroff’s best skills and physique. It looks like Tara Sutaria is clueless about the story and her role in it and the chemistry between the lead couple does not seem to exist.
The story by Rajat Arora is the same old with nothing new and catchy for the audiences to hold on to. There are multiple loopholes in the story which have obvious rectifications but no executions. This could easily be labeled as a cinematic misery with no story, no decent dialogues, no strong background of the main leads at all. As for the antagonist, Siddiqui, he has done phenomenal roles in the past with real substance but this one is just too lame to be even acknowledged. His representation as a queer member also seems to be insensitive and what.
Tiger Shroff is a talented actor who comes from a line of great actors but it is shocking to see how creators do not know this. Actors are versatile in nature and the right creators know how to bring out the best in them with newer scripts and diverse characters. Only employing one’s physique and dancing skills in every movie looks a little rugged and tiresome. Tara Sutaria is not so new in the film industry but it looks very shocking to see what sort of stories they pick in their course of career.
“Heropanti 2” has Laila as a magician with absurd skills and a link between a serpent highlighted throughout the film. “Heropanti (2014)” felt different and even engaging for the most parts but this sequel hardly stands upto the mark of it’s predecessor.To talk about individual roles, that of Babloo was done quite well by Shroff. His chiseled physique and brilliant martial arts skills are top-notch as always.
To sum up, “Heropanti 2” has actors but their full potential doesn’t incorporate a loosely held script and a not-so-good execution. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala, director Ahmed Khan and writer Rajat Arora have joined hands and invested so much energy to make a movie with an old storyline.
