Things became more intense in the fight over box office supremacy this week with two long awaited sequels Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 hitting screens. Both the movies, which came with huge expectations, have triggered a lot of controversy not just on their acting levels, but also on the tendency of having sequels in Indian cinema. Both films had their bases covered: This is because of their established fanbases, star power, and interesting storylines, the conflict between the two films was already going to be one to watch. And were they as good as they went before? What does it mean?
Son of Sardaar 2: A follow up with a lot riding on it
Son of Sardaar (2012) is a commercial success, with a mixture of action, comedy, and nostalgia at least infused with an intense Punjabi flavour, presented by Ajay Devgn. The movie, although not so critically acclaimed, managed to generate sufficient mass appeal to make it profitable and built itself a following. Son of Sardaar 2 is its sequel but the expectations may not be too high. Directed by Ashwini Dhir, the film was expected to bring much of the same - high powered action, an over the top personality and the style of Devgn which people have come to love. Nevertheless, this time, a newcomer, Mrunal Thakur, also joined the cast in the hope to bring something fresh.
The storyline of Son of Sardaar 2 builds upon the first one and adds some new twists to the feud between the main hero portrayed by Devgn and the bad guys, as well as more humorous scenes. Some reviews mentioned that the sequel had no new surprises with anything interesting or exciting not being presented. Even then, the movie enjoyed a good opening, and earned 15.3 crores on the opening day, owing to the faithful fan following Devgn has.
Critics were torn apart Others praised the humor and the bigger-than-life screen presence of Devgn, whereas others felt that the movie should have done something different in order to deviate the formula of the movie. The general feeling was sadness, with most people feeling that the movie failed to live up the magic that the original has had.
Dhadak 2: Love and Change
Dhadak 2 which is the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster Dhadak played a very different game. This film too involving Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter was successful because of its intensity of emotions and its themes of loving and being pressured in society. The second part, featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, also tried to expand on the same themes, how to love in the contemporary social environment.
The movie Dhadak 2 added a new generation to the party, as Chaturvedi was a new name to reckon, but Dimri added value by her acting prowess. The movie explores the concept of love in the digital era with a sensibility on wading along personal liberty on the scale of social constraints. The reception of Dhadak 2 was positively received by some critics who praised its performances and emotional content. Other were saying it was simply too much of a copy of the original, not venturing much further other than the original in plot and characters.
The movie faired well at the opening weekend in the box office collecting 12.8 crores on the first day which was slightly behind the son of sardaar 2. Critics, however, received it more favorably, and more elated social media audience reactions, but many still praised the more mature storytelling and poise, especially the lead given by Chaturvedi.
At the Box Office Fight: Son of Sardaar 2 vs Dhadak 2
The clash of Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 represents a larger discussion of the Indian movie industry, the trend to the sequels. Both of the films have their merits and failures that can be attributed to having to live up to the previous ones. Son of Sardaar 2 may be featuring top notch stars but somehow felt like it lacked the zip in it which made the precursor such an enjoyable commercial success. It also has a decent performance but it just could not surpass the hype of Dhadak 2.
The latter, even though it lacked the huge star-power that Devgn boasted of, appeared to transcend better amongst the audiences in need of a mature and contemporary love story. On review counts Dhadak 2 is a winner but when it comes to the box office collection the Son of Sardaar 2 may get a stable run as there is a commercial advantage.
The Future The Future of Sequels in Indian Cinema
The fate of sequels in the Indian cinema is anything but consistent. On one hand, we have a few which are better than the bar set by them (Baahubali 2), and on the other we have films that do not meet the expectations (Race 3). Both Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 have proved that the sequels may create awareness and gross satisfactory figures, but they always have something to compare with the original movie.
In the future, however, filmmakers might have to begin getting a little more creative with sequels so as to not retread the same path without making much adjustment. As audiences grow more savvy and critical, the sequels of the future are going to have to balance between serving up to the fans what they want, and what new and interesting stories can be told with the stories they know.
As the two films keep raging on social media, their box office performance will present a lot of insight about how sequels will play out in Bollywood. Will SON of Sardaar 2 sustain its commercial momentum, or will D hadak 2 become the proof that heartwarming narratives will always have their interest in the cinema hall? It will have to wait to see which one is correct.
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