Anupama Chopra reviews the sequel to 2019's De De Pyaar De for The Hollywood Reporter India. The film follows the continuing saga of Ashish Mehra (Ajay Devgn), a 50-plus man, and his much younger partner Ayesha Verma (Rakul Preet Singh) as they now face the challenge of getting Ayesha's parents on board with their relationship. The plot thickens when Ayesha's father Rakesh (R. Madhavan) discovers that his daughter's partner is his own age, leading to comedic attempts to break up the couple, including introducing the young and handsome Adi (Meezan Jafri) as a potential rival.
Anupama finds the film convoluted and exhausting, noting that while the first installment had flashes of fun elevated by Tabu's presence as ex-wife Manju, the sequel lacks both emotional logic and sufficient laughs. She observes that despite the film's performative progressiveness about modern relationships, it's riddled with double standards and relies heavily on obvious age-gap jokes and nostalgia. Anupama particularly critiques Rakul's overly energetic performance and Ajay's coasting on his stardom, though she appreciates R. Madhavan as the most compelling character and Jaaved Jaaferi's bromance with Ajay. The review concludes with bewilderment at the head-scratching climax and a plea to bring back Tabu for any future installment.
