Sadak 2 Movie Review: When we meet Ravi (Sanjay) in Sadak 2, a lot has changed for him since the events of the first film. He is no longer a taxi-driver but owns a tours-and-travels service. He is also a grieving man, reeling from the death of his beloved wife Pooja (Pooja Bhatt), that happened a year back. He keeps hallucinating her voice, and is often suicidal. In his tormented life comes Aryaa (Alia Bhatt), an equally troubled soul. Sadak 2: Netizens Remember Late Actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar's Iconic Act Of 'Maharani' From Sadak As the Sequel Premiers On Disney+ Hotstar.

Aryaa is a 20-yo activist who is spearheading a movement against fake godmen, especially Baba Gyaan Prakash (Makarand Deshpande). Gyaan, manipulating her father (Jisshu Sengupta) and step-mother (Priyanka Bose), gets her admitted to a psychiatric facility, from where she escapes. She asks Ravi to take her to Kailash, and since she is the last booking made by his deceased wife, he agrees after some reluctance.

On the way, they also pick up Aryaa's boyfriend Vishal (Aditya Roy Kapur) who had been just released from jail. Vishal doesn't trust Ravi much, while he himself has some shady dealings. They are also being followed by Baba's men. The rest of this journey is about how Ravi turns saviour for these younglings, as he battles his own demons.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Sadak 2 could be the sequel that took the longest to arrive, 29 years to be exact. Its predecessor Sadak came out in 1991 and was a big hit. The sequel not only brings back the distant memory of a well-liked film, but also its director Mahesh Bhatt back the camera after a big gap. It also marks the first time Alia Bhatt is working with her home banner (Vishesh Films), apart from that blink-n-miss cameo in Ugly. So Sadak 2 arrives with some very special factors (and also a lot of hate, thanks to SSR controversy).

Sadly, Sadak 2 isn't anywhere as special for the kind of nostalgia tt tries to evoke from the fans of the original. Yes, the main reason that you even find this film somewhat engaging is when it brings back memories of Sadak through recycled footage, and Sanjay Dutt's effective performance. While his Ravi may be a pale shadow of what we saw in the first film, Dutt convincingly depicts the pained fury of the character and creates some emotional connect with us. Even when the writing and the execution let him down again and again. Fact Check: This Video of Mahesh Bhatt Losing His Cool and Lashing Out Is Not From Sadak 2 Event, Here's The Truth Behind This Viral Video on Twitter.

The original Sadak, drawing influences from Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and errr... Van Damme's Cyborg, was dark, gritty and had some squeamish moments. Even in the inherent grimness, you don't feel it to be disenchanted, lustreless, and above all, a bore. All three adjectives that could apply to the sequel.

Watch the Trailer of Sadak 2:

The mental breakdown of Ravi, especially when we connect to his past, should have been a very staggering plot point. Even him connecting with the youngsters and becoming their guardian could have been good developing arc for him, recalling what he did in the original.

There is a scene when Ravi sees Aryaa and Vishal's PDA, and reminisces his own romantic moments with Pooja from the past. The scene shows the change in dynamics in not only how the movies are so different in the two eras, but even how the romance is done these days. Sanjay Dutt Gets His Five-Year US Visa, May Start His Cancer Treatment There.

It was a really nice moment, a smart creative input. Such good pickings are very rare in Sadak 2 as everything surrounding the character is pretty thanda. The screenplay is convoluted and filled with convenience tropes and is a huge drawback. It also doesn't allow the other characters, the new entrants, to turn into fully fleshed ones.

Coming to think of it, even Dutt's role is also that well-etched, if we take out the memory of the previous film.  At least, his performance leave some sort of impact for the viewer. The same cannot be said for Alia and Aditya's.

Aryaa is a very okayish character; despite her ambitions, she ends up being a damsel-in-distress to be saved time and again by Ravi. She may be the crux of the whole story, but her entire track is built on very formulaic plotting. Mahesh Bhatt (who has also co-written the script) doesn't even establish her camaraderie with Ravi properly, thus not letting us feel connected to their bonding, a crucial part in the film's finale.

Moreover, Alia's performance is very inconsistent. She comes across as screechy and whiny in the initial portions, though her act improves as the film surges ahead. But this is not the Alia act that I have grown to admire, that we saw in HIghway, 2 States, Udta Punjab and Raazi. Remembering how Pooja Bhatt gave her best performances in her father's films like Daddy, Sadak, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi and Zakhm, Alia's work in her first film with Mahesh Bhatt is a total letdown.

Aditya Roy Kapur's Vishal comes more of an afterthought than a well-established character. His performances also meremy passes muster. Pooja Bhatt's presence is, sadly, confined to a voice cameo, silhouettes (that aren't of the actress), pictures and her scenes from the original film.

Returning to the original Sadak, it is most remembered for its villain, the terrifying Maharani, played by the late Sadashiv Amrapurkar. While the character may come across as problematic in these comparatively progressive times - showing the third gender as someone to fear - we cannot take away the fact that Maharani's horrors still haunt us.

Sadak 2 has nothing of that sort, despite having multiple villains. The supposed terrifying enigma of a hammy Makarand Deshpande's Gyaan Prakash is rendered moot by the character's reduced scope in the film. Gulshan Grover's one-handed henchman leaves no impact. There is a surprise third antagonist (a twist that you can smell from a mile off), who comes across a cardboard caricature, despite the actor's best efforts.

Also, surprising is how easy it was for the hero to overpower these villains, even though they are supposed to be very powerful. The climax is overdrawn, badly edited and unintentionally hilarious in places.

When neither the heroes or the villains manage to awe you, what's left on this road trip? Yup, you can savour some of Sadak 2's decent soundtrack, though even that falters when compared to Nadeem-Shravan's memorable score in the original. Jay I Patel's camerawork is decent enough. Apart from that, and Dutt's performance, this is a road trip you want to get off as soon as possible!

Yay!

- Sanjay Dutt

- Some Nostalgic Touches

Nay!

- Almost Everything Else

Final Thoughts

Sadak 2, despite a committed act from Sanjay Dutt, doesn't become a trip worthy to take down the memory lane. Nor does it have anything to hold on to impress the fans of its younger stars, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. This is perhaps Mahesh Bhatt's dullest film to date, something we didn't expect when the filmmaker returned to directing after 20 years. Sadak 2 is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Rating:1.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2020 11:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).