Deool Band 2 Movie Review: This one's for the devotees of Swami Samarth

Tukaram (Mangesh Desai), a farmer, does something unexpected when his protest against adulterated fertilisers and seeds doesn't gather the momentum he expects. An ardent devotee of Swami Samarth, Tukaram believes that God will come to his aid. When he doesn't, Tukaram's wife Sangita (Snehal Tarde) takes it upon herself to test Swami Samarth. What follows is an interesting take on belief, blind faith and atheism. But like its first part, Deool Band 2 follows a predictable narrative, one that we all know will end in justifying the omnipresent Swami Samarth. Like every Pravin Tarde movie, Deool Band 2 is packed with the who's who of the industry making appearances (Mahesh Manjrekar, Prasad Oak, Om Bhutkar et al), hard-hitting dialogues and dramatic twists and turns. But everything boils down to devotion and acceptance of the presence of the divine entity. What Tarde does here is that he humanises the divine to make him understand the issues plaguing farmers and come up with a solution without any magical prowess. This part works well for the larger audience as the film poses some sharp and pointed questions about belief from the perspective of Sangita, an atheist who unleashes her wrath on Swami Samarth. Till the interval, Deool Band 2 holds your attention. From there on it becomes a means of propagating the belief people have in Swami Samarth. Given the genre, this isn't surprising, especially for people of faith, but from a moviegoer's point of view, the film becomes a stretched watch after the first half's turning point. The atheist vs God Mexican standoff between Sneha Tarde and Mohan Joshi's characters give viewers some of the best moments of the film. Both actors deliver their best. While Tarde is on point with her questions, Joshi infuses humour and drama in his performance to drive a point home. At the core of Deool Band 2 are two of Pravin Tarde's strongholds - his affinity to portraying issues of farmers and the devotion of Swami Samarth. The film conveniently offers some easy answers to difficult problems and tries to justify them with the humanising of a God-like figure. In the end though, this one is purely for the bhakts.