Critical response
Son of Sardaar 2 received mixed reviews from critics. [31] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 15% of 13 critics' reviews are positive. [32] Lipika Verma of Deccan Chronicle gave it a 3.5/5 rating praising it as a perfect family film- A story with fresh comedy, action and emotions, with the ingredients matching, while also praising the cast, music, cinematography and direction. [33] Dhaval Roy from The Times of India gave the film 3 stars out of 5, noting the film delivered hilarity regularly, while finding the plot tangled and overstuffed with characters and comic tracks, the song-and-dance sequences further dragging on without advancing the plot, and the climax convoluted, predictable, and over‑dramatised. [34] Rishabh Suri from Hindustan Times also gave the film 3 stars out of 5, praising the performances and calling it a light-hearted comedy with a simple screenplay and engaging characters. [35]
Nishad Thaivalappil from CNN-News18 awarded a similar rating of 3 stars out of 5, praising the performances while feeling the film lacked good humour. [36] Devesh Sharma from Filmfare gave it 3/5 stars saying it is fun and games - a loud, loony, live-action cartoon which gleefully chucks logic out of the window and asks you bring along your funny bone. [37] Piya Roy of The Telegraph wrote that Son of Sardaar 2 starts out in the first half as genuinely funny and keeps the viewer's interest high, but felt that some elements in the second half added unnecessary baggage to it, while also mentioning that the complex issue of Indo-Pakistan dynamics is handled in the film in a "humorous and clever way". [38] Anuj Kumar from The Hindu wrote that this film is a stereotypical Punjabi entertainer, a goofy comedy with strong performances (in particular Deepak Dobriyal and Ravi Kishen) and jokes that land, but also said that there are passages which make you cringe. [39]
Vineeta Kumar from India Today gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5, remarking that while the film mixed India–Pakistan banter and awkward romance, it lacked the original's charm, and Devgn and Mrunal Thakur's chemistry felt forced and unconvincing. [40] Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2 stars out of 5, finding the story promising and praising the background score, cinematography and production design, while feeling the music was not up to the mark and the humour was limited. [41] Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express also gave the film 2 stars out of 5, praising Dobriyal's portrayal of a trans character, while feeling the film wanted to be a laugh-a-minute, madcap caper, but kept slackening. [42]
Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5, labelling it a comedy in which neither the whole nor the sum of its parts added up to much, while finding Kishan sporadically funny and praising the cinematography. [43] Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost similarly gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5 and praised the performances of Kishan and Dobriyal, while finding the storyline bogus and the film poorly executed. [44] Shreyas Pande from Cinema Express gave the film 1 star out of 5, remarking that while it was promoted as a family entertainer, parents will uncomfortably squirm on their seats watching the film continuously make bottom line derogatory jokes. [45] Rahul Desai from The Hollywood Reporter India found the film more progressive and less performative than a majority of mainstream Hindi cinema, while also feeling the film blurred the lines between unintentional and intentional humour. [46]
