War 2, Son of Sardaar 2, Dhadak 2: Should Bollywood stop making unnecessary sequels amid back-to-back failures?

Sequels are made for two reasons- To take a story forward or satiate own’s commercial appetite. In the case of most of the outings, the reasons fall towards the latter. 2025 has largely been the year of sequels and franchises- Kesari Chapter 2, Housefull 5, War 2, Son of Sardaar 2, and Dhadak 2. None of them have been hits. What has gone wrong?

The first name in the aforementioned list was still more intense and rousing than its predecessor but not gripping enough to write its name in the books of box-office juggernauts. It told a crucial chapter of a traumatic event but was unfortunately defeated by its own pretentious telling despite the earnestness on display.

Talking about Housefull 5, unlike comedies like Baadshah and Dhamaal, this title was unable to strike the balance between carefully crafting a deliciously bizarre plot and then winking at it with all glee. The leading man Kumar and his vein popping mannerisms and preposterously revealing jokes were bordering on being exaggerated and excruciating. The effortlessness of Garam Masala and the recent Khel Khel Mein lacked here purely because of Farhad Samji’s inept writing.

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Dhadak 2 stands out despite not getting the audiences it strove for. It was not banal as the first one and far more effective and in control of its craft. But the curse of the fluffy world of Saiyaara could have played spoilsport. Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri’s film chokes more than it comforts. The film offers closure but the story does not. It reflects the agony of caste politics and horror of inequality. It’s an important watch but not an easy one.

But the cherry for the most inconsequential sequel goes to Ajay Devgn’s Son Of Sardaar 2. Was this a sequel we ever needed in the first place? And even if the makers decided to go ahead and come back 13 years later, all they needed to do was ensure it doesn’t turn out to be a archaic and inane outing. Maybe next time!

It’s War 2, whose failure hits hard as the first film in the franchise is arguably the most fun in the spy universe.

Some endless conversations and combats barely serve any purpose. The sheer disappointment of the enterprise fails its two competent leading men, that have shone in masala stories before. And War 2 is not the end, we have more films in the spy universe coming. One happens to be Alpha and then what not.