It’s been a long time since Hindi cinema has delivered a truly charming romantic comedy, which is why ‘De De Pyar De 2’ comes with high anticipation. The Ajay Devgan-Rakul Preet Singh starrer brings back the familiar ‘fight in love and fight for love’ trope, but adds a new layer to its coming-of-age romance – this time with a faster, more colorful commercial beat.

The story is simple, almost comforting. The film begins with a brief recap of how Ashish (Devgan) and Ayesha (Rakul) fell in love despite the significant age difference, and how they struggled to take their relationship forward. ‘De De Pyaar De 2’ starts from thereShifting the battlefield to Ayesha’s family home – a spacious, modern household that prides itself on being “open-minded and progressive”, yet struggles to digest that their future son-in-law is just a few years younger than the head of the family.

Ayesha and Ashish now face a new challenge: gaining approval from their progressive-but-not-actually-parents. “Acceptance is a process,” Ayesha declared in one conversation. But if Bollywood romance has taught us anything, it is that nothing ever goes according to plan for on-screen lovers.

Director Anshul Sharma has kept the tone simple, funny, quirky, dramatic and lively. The film retains the dazzling charm of the first installment, and that’s where a lot of its appeal lies. But its biggest hiccup is also its most inevitable hiccup: awkward casting.

Javed Jaaferi and Meezaan Jaaferi bring energy and humor, but R Madhavan, despite his undeniable acting skills, feels strangely misplaced. Maybe it’s because we’re not ready to see Maddy play a father to a 20-year-old girl. His scenes with Rakul, especially the one where he lifts and twirls her in a song, which is meant to create emotional resonance, feel more awkward than tears.

As far as Ajay and Rakul are concerned, the chemistry is still not great, but it is good enough to sell the story. There are no intimate moments here, but both play their roles with conviction – he as the intense, concerned partner, and she as the bubbly, determined young woman who refuses to tell her father about her life.

Meezaan, meanwhile, is a delightful surprise package. Stylish, confident and a natural on the dance floorHe lights up the screen, especially in the film’s most entertaining song sequence with his father. There’s still room for him to grow as an actor, but he’s undeniably charismatic.

Rakul looks charming and effortless in the lighter moments, but falters during the emotionally heavy scenes. Her big breakdown in front of her mother (Gautami Kapoor) inadvertently echoes reality-TV theatrics — think Tanya Mittal of ‘Bigg Boss 19’ — who really could have done it better.

Ishita Dutta and Gautami add warmth and grounding to the story.

Despite all the problems, ‘De De Pyaar De 2’ continues to be entertaining. You’ll laugh, roll your eyes, and even find yourself unexpectedly caught up in the final act. It doesn’t reinvent the rom-com wheel, but it keeps it spinning with enough charm.

It’s a complete crowd-pleaser, and comfortably familiar – never extravagant, but never dull either. This is the kind of movie you watch knowing what you’re going to get, and that’s exactly what you get. ‘De De Pyaar De 2’ is relaxing. If you like rom-coms and want to give Bollywood a try, watch this.