‘Cocktail 2’ review: A shallow love triangle built on female stereotypes

Diya (Rashmika Mandanna) and Kunal (Shahid Kapoor) are long-time sweethearts who have been together for 16 years. The lovey-dovey couple hits a small bump in their relationship, but things eventually work out.

That bump, however, comes in the form of Diya's wine-drinking, free-spirited dance instructor friend from Sicily, Ally (Kriti Sanon).

In an Emotional Atyachar-coded test of fidelity, Diya ropes Ally in to seduce Kunal and see if he remains loyal. Kunal passes the test, but not before Ally falls for him. A love triangle emerges, and what follows is two mature, successful, independent women fighting over a man.

That's Homi Adajania's latest, “Cocktail 2”.

Adajania's original “Cocktail” was released in 2012. Even then, seeing both Meera (Diana Penty) and Veronica (Deepika Padukone) fall for Gautam (Saif Ali Khan) was difficult to fully grasp. However, the film had an Imtiaz Ali touch, and the tensions between its characters felt organic. Deepika, in particular, was exceptional as Veronica, revealing emotional depth beneath her impulsive, breezy exterior.

“Cocktail 2”, meanwhile, is co-written by Luv Ranjan, known for writing women as caricatures. Only this time, the two leading women are exceptionally unlikeable and grow increasingly absurd as the film progresses, leaving you feeling that Kunal would be better off without either of them.

Diya and Ally embody the binaries that women in love triangles are often reduced to. Diya is the meticulous planner, the sati-savitri figure. Ally, meanwhile, is the more conventionally attractive, hedonistic woman who seemingly cannot commit to a person, place, or profession. As the story unfolds, Diya becomes increasingly insecure and anxious, while Ally transforms into a full-fledged vamp, with both women fighting over Kunal.

Why all this over Kunal is the question the audience is left asking. Yes, he is the film's most pleasant character — a complete green flag. But while the foundation of his relationship with Diya remains underdeveloped, his chemistry with Ally is barely convincing.

What you end up with is a soulless, hollow representation of modern relationships, one that gestures toward commitment anxiety and endless romantic options without saying anything particularly insightful about either.

Now, don't get me wrong. Some aspects do make some sense.

Diya and Kunal are presented as a committed couple who do not feel the need to put a formal label on their relationship. The film raises an interesting question: Is marriage the only valid expression of commitment? It also touches upon how relationships evolve from excitement into comfort, and how comfort, or even boredom, does not automatically signal a loss of love or a reason to stray. Real relationships, after all, often look ordinary.

But the film stops there.

Mandanna's character is underwritten, and her inconsistent Hindi occasionally makes her dialogues difficult to follow. Ally, meanwhile, is reduced to a pale caricature of Veronica, though Sanon does what she can with the material. Kunal is the best-written character in the film and instantly likeable, but that only takes him so far. Given Kapoor's calibre as an actor, this is unlikely to rank among his stronger performances.

The film's greatest strength, meanwhile, lies in its stunning shots of Sicily. And while “Cocktail” itself wasn’t a great film to begin with, “Cocktail 2” makes it look like a masterpiece.

Film: Cocktail 2

Director: Homi Adajania

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 2/5