When Comedy Crosses the Line: Dream Girl 2 and the Mockery of Gender
Dream Girl 2 (2023), a famous Bollywood movie starring Ayushmann Khurrana is directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa. It is a sequel to the previously released Dream Girl. The audience highly appreciated both of these films, but it has been widely criticized for their depiction of masochistic supremacy and patriarchal bias. The film includes sexist dialogue as part of evoking comic relief. Karamveer, played by Ayushmann, merely makes fun of women; he never transforms into one. There’s more to being a woman than just putting two oranges in a shirt and shaving off the extra chest hair. Films claiming to explore the complexities of gender should put up a more serious effort because gender is a more complex concept. Bar dancers are more than just ladies who spend their days dancing on a stage covered with bills and hoarding large amounts of cash. These are women who are harassed and exploited and who nearly always have to negotiate a place in the patriarchal society. They are desire objects devoid of any sense of self.
However, Ayushmann’s “Dream Girl” never really dug into the life of bar dancers. He is conveniently taken from the pub and brought to a cosy home while posing as a psychiatrist. By doing so, he makes fun of both the feminine and the profession of psychology, which questions and caricatures femininity. The Indian audience has a long-standing belief that cross-dressing is nothing more than a cheap joke. The slapstick comedy that makes the audience laugh is when a male makes casual comments about being feminine or when a woman’s breast size is compared to an orange, watermelon, or grape. The castrated lady is represented portraying the damsel or mother in a phallocentric society to satisfy her longing for a phallus. In Dream Girl 2, Ayushmann Khurana’s character Karamveer attempts to impersonate the woman to eliminate her existence and yearning. She is not the girl (object) or the fantasy (desire).
The theme of the male gaze is underlined by the man’s passionate look in the mohalla and Karam’s abrupt transformation into a red sequin saree. The objectification occurs due to the celebration and decoration of the masculine gaze. Dream Girl 2 goes beyond only imitating women; it also uses pregnancy and menstruation to drive the humorous storyline. Ayushmann’s character Pooja marries a male appearing person. However, she uses the phrase “ladies’ problem” to try to postpone their nuptials. Shahrukh, who seems depressed, marries Karamveer, also known as Pooja. There’s confusion, humour, and clamour in the ensuing turmoil. The film ignores several sensitive issues raised by this partnership, including the insensitive depictions of sharing a bed, the unrealistic realisation of space, and the belittling of marriage itself. Few people have appreciated the portrayal of queer elements in the film, but Shahrukh’s queer identity is not discussed much in the movie.
Dream Girl 2 is ironic in that it plays on the patriarchal notion of femininity while fumbling with the idea of the manufactured woman in society. Phallocentrism and allusions to the penis are excessively prevalent and dispersed. The film might have been a carousel or a social media joke. From the confusing start to the didactic finish, it’s a haphazard attempt to create a cinematic experience. The protagonist and director seem to make a last-ditch attempt to lighten the mood among masochistic patriarchs with a joke.
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