First things first - 'Bheja Fry 2' comes with high expectations but just about manages to pass muster when it comes to igniting the humour quotient. So while the film turns out to be an easy and comfortable watch, it isn't memorable on any count. Yes, there is a smile on for most part of this two hour story and there are three-four moments where you end up laughing uproariously. However, the entertainment here falls short with full throated laughter being intermittent.
Vinay Pathak stays on to be what he was in 'Bheja Fry', a good natured human being who can't do anything wrong and believes in the policy of forgiving and forgetting. This can be evidenced from the fact that despite business tycoon Kay Kay Menon being hostile, Pathak doesn't really mind that and continues with the journey, both inside and outside the cruise. Eventually all is well for them even as director Sagar Ballary tries to make their journey spicy by filling in enough ingredients so that he could keep the interest level alive for the audience. However that doesn't turn out to be good enough.
The first half of the film goes on rather smoothly and has it's moments. Friendly bickering between Vinay Pathak and his colleague Suresh Menon, him falling for pretty girl Minissha Lamba, their journey together on a cruise, their scene together in his room, Kay Kay's irritation with his presence and then eventually their fall into the sea - you do feel that the story is going in the right direction.
In fact the second half begins well as well. However last 30 minutes have one unbelievable (and too coincidental) situation after another that takes the sheen out of the enterprise. Accidental landing of Pathak's Chacha (Virendra Saxena), encounter with a looney (Amol Gupte), Suresh Menon managing to hunt them all on the island - all of it only takes the film downhill. In fact it won't be wrong to say that the entire Amol Gupte episode is a complete compromise from the entertainment point of view.
Moreover the film just refuses to end and continues to stretch on for no reason. Vinay Pathak and Suresh Menon being left to fend for themselves on the island, their strange bickering around North-South India and then eventually an epilogue featuring Minissha - all of this just stretches the film for no reason.
Thankfully it is performances by Pathak and Kay Kay Menon that lift the film by many notches. While Pathak is excellent all over again, it is Menon who surprises with his straight face comic timing. He is superb and not just matches Pathak at every step but also tops him in a couple of scenes. Suresh Menon is just okay though while Amol Gupte irritates. Minissha Lamba does well throughout her presence in the first half and is sorely missed in the second half.
In the recent times, if there is one film which has managed to gain a cult status for itself despite lack of any star, it is 'Bheja Fry'. No wonder, there are tremendous expectations from the sequel as well with the obvious question being - 'Is it better than the first in the series?' The answer, unfortunately, is 'no'. In fact let aside bettering 'Bheja Fry', Part 2 doesn't even come close to the original. At maximum it comes across as just another comic attempt that works in bits and pieces but that's about it.
Rating: **1/2
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