Kollywood’s track record with sequels has been questionable of late. The trend peaked last year with around eight films hitting the screen and several others being announced. This year already has seen the release of five films. These ventures, with the rare exception or two, have turned out to be disappointments. They are either reshuffled versions of the original or are ‘spiritual sequels’ — films that don’t have a direct connection to the original, in terms of the story. With the latter, the name is used to cash in on the familiarity. Devi 2, a sequel to the 2016 horror comedy, is one of those rare ‘proper’ sequels, and maintains the tone of the first film.
If you have watched Devi, you know exactly what to expect of the sequel. It is not the kind of film where you question why Devi wakes up with perfect hair and flawless eye makeup, or why two ghosts decide to share a body — you just go along. Devi 2 functions in the same story-scape and uses the same running gags — the contract, the mistaken identity… They even use the same horror gags — the revolving rooms, the person afloat… But just when things get too predictable, there is always a teensy-weensy surprise — like the throwaway comment Madasamy (RJ Balaji, who would have been more effective had he chosen a lower pitch to speak) makes about Devi’s skin tone. Devi is visibly darker in the first installment, but in this film, Tamannaah chooses to stick to her real skin colour. Madasamy’s line goes, “Foreign vandhu veluthuta pola.” These aren’t the kind of jokes you laugh out loud for, but they extract a chuckle nevertheless. Small mercies.
And Devi 2 is full of such moments. The ‘special song’ Ready Ready is more funny than seductive and (surprise, surprise!) also has a reason to exist. When a possessed Krishna stalks and almost harasses Sarah (Nanditha Swetha) and Eesha (Dimple Hayathi), you have Lalitha (Kovai Sarala, in a refreshingly subtle version of her Kanchana role) to at least call it out. It did make me wonder if my expectations have dropped, thanks to disappointments almost every week. Moving on...
Even though Prabhudheva gets the meatier role, these small moments of enjoyment come mostly from Devi. Her antics with Lalitha are particularly enjoyable. Similar to the first part, Tammannah holds this film together with her low-key innocence and naivete. I couldn’t stop smiling when Devi borrows Lalitha’s glasses to ‘blur her vision’, as she imagines Krishna’s pretend love story. While this installment gets more sentimental and religious — we see it from Devi’s perspective, so there is some reason — the film doesn’t dwell too much on it. Again, small mercies.
I liked Devi for how it pretended to be nothing other than a simple horror comedy. Devi 2, too, doesn’t aspire or pretend to be anything more than a light-hearted, simple film… and that it is. It might not surprise you but it doesn’t bore you either. If you liked Devi 1, chances are you will like this too.