Devi 2 movie review: Devi 2 feels like a film made by a sober-version of filmmaker Raghava Lawrence.Devi 2 movie cast: Prabhudheva, Tamannaah Bhatia, Kovai Sarala
Devi 2 movie director: Vijay
Devi 2 movie rating: 2 stars
Well into the second half of Devi 2, Kovai Sarala’s lawyer Lalitha tells another key character: “Don’t ask logical questions. Just enjoy the magic.” Keep chanting this mantra in your head and you might just end up enjoying the sequel to Devi (2016).
Devi 2 signals a drastic change in the filmmaking style of Vijay. In the film, comedy scenes are very loud, song lyrics are lurid, fight sequences are very dramatic and it has little signs of the director’s subtlety that we have seen in his earlier films. Simply put, Devi 2 feels like a film made by a sober-version of filmmaker Raghava Lawrence. However, unlike Kanchana series, we are not treated to large-scale blood and gore in this film. That’s a major relief.
Devi 2 begins with glimpses of the previous film to refresh the memory of the audience. Krishna (Prabhudheva) is still living in the same house where his wife Devi (Tamannaah Bhatia) was possessed by the ghost of an aspiring actor, Ruby. He now has a three-year-old daughter Pooja, and he is almost living a happy life. But he is still afraid that Ruby might come back to haunt his family. In fear, he doesn’t step out of the house or let his wife go out. You know why if you have seen the first film. Remember, he had made a deal with Ruby that she should not disturb his family when they are inside the house. So, he works from home, orders food and groceries online for home delivery and… wait. He hasn’t stepped out of his house in the last three years? Not even once? What about the time his daughter was born? Or when he took out his wife for regular medical checkups when she was pregnant? What about the time he had to take his newborn to the hospital for a routine checkup? Or the time when he had to make a presentation at his office? I can think of at least 100 reasons as to why he must have gone out of the house. If Ruby has not tried to disturb him for so long, why would she haunt Krishna now? You may ask all these right questions. And whenever you begin to have rational thoughts just remember the mantra: “Don’t ask logical questions. Just enjoy the magic.” If you are a movie nerd and brainless films make you flinch, you are better off re-watching Star Wars or Sherlock Holmes series.
In spite of its numerous follies, Devi 2 still ticks some right boxes when compared to the recent visual revulsion, Kanchana 3. The jokes in the film are mostly clean, except for a few racist Chinese jokes directed at Kovai Sarala’s looks. A sensuous dance performance by Tamannaah Bhatia to pulpish “Ready Ready” song, and scenes where the hero stalks and harasses girls are also problematic.
If you are big-hearted enough to forgive all these missteps and can watch the film with an open mind, you may like the unabashed performances by Tamannaah Bhatia and Prabhudheva in their respective characters. Kovai Sarala repeats her tried-and-tested act of mindlessly gabbing in fear after encountering a ghost/s. Her performance and RJ Balaji’s brief presence prevent the film from becoming a total damp squib.
And, when the film comes to an end, the credits begin to roll and you heave a sigh of relief and get ready to leave the theater, Vijay drops a major hint. He might be working on Devi 3.
