‘Phir Aai Haseen Dillruba’ review: No longer a pulpy mystery
The sequel to ‘Haseen Dillruba’, ‘Phir Aai Haseen Dillruba’ is now streaming on Netflix. Does it hold the same ‘twistedness’ as the first one? Read our review and find out.
cast Crew
Taapsee Pannu
actor
vikrant massey
Jimmy Shergill
Sunny Kaushal
When ‘Haseen Dillruba’ released in 2021, it received mixed reviews. After all, Bollywood was not used to the pulpy dramas served by Kanika Dhillon. Also, it had certain elements that not everyone could tolerate. But, thanks to the thrills and twists that kept the audience on the edge of their seats and the fine performances of Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane, the film turned out to be a great thriller with pulpy elements.
Now, the sequel, ‘Phir Aai Haseen Dillruba’ is here. Though the story continues to have twists and turns, it is neither suspenseful nor does it have that delicious pulp. Also, it becomes predictable after a certain point, and during most of the big twists, the audience is not given enough time to be surprised by these.
‘Phir Aai Haseen Dillruba’ doesn’t actually start from where the previous film ended. It starts in the middle, once again at the police station. The story then goes into flashback mode, showing all the events that led up to this situation, and then the story moves forward. Rani Kashyap (Taapsee Pannu) starts a new life, while her husband Rishu (Vikrant Massey) stays close to her with a completely new identity. They plan to elope and live their happy life, but their plans are ruined when an officer Mrityunjay, also known as Montu (Jimmy Shergill) comes to her.
See Trailer of ‘Phir Aai Haseen Dilruba’ Here:
In comes Abhimanyu (Sunny Kaushal), who is madly in love with Rani – not the lusty kind but the sweet, straightforward one. Rani plans to bring him into the complex dynamic and, as one can guess, this leads to further complications. What happens next and will someone have to lose their life for love? You will get the answer when you watch the film.
The best thing about the characters in Haseen Dillruba is their flamboyance and the biggest challenge for director Jayapradha Desai was to bring that out while for screenwriter Kanika Dhillon, it was to come up with a character whose craziness matches the craziness of Rishu and Rani.
However, one aspect that Dhillon has overlooked is how characters reflecting societal expectations added depth to the first film. The original film had parents, best friends and other characters who enriched the story. This element seems to be missing in the sequel, except for the sensual Poonam, who is entirely focused on getting intimate with Rishu.
The lack of layers and nuances is made up for by the acting. We saw in the first film what Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey are capable of together. Sunny Kaushal said, Tadka In their relationship. He is dangerous and there is something about him that makes the audience a little uncomfortable even when he looks the most innocent on screen. It is a thin line that is difficult to portray on screen but Kaushal walks it well. Skill,
Vikrant Massey was more twisted and fun in the first part. Though the limelight is on him, his character is not given much attention in this sequel. However, given his talent, he pulls off the role with ease.
Taapsee Pannu is the soul of this film And she gets the meatiest part. What’s even better is that she takes full advantage of the opportunities given to her in the story and proves herself once again.
Jimmy Shergill is also a new addition to the cast, playing Neel’s (Harshvardhan Rane) uncle. However, his attempt to prove his Bihari identity by adding ‘Ba’ to some words can be a bit distracting at times. Also, his character is not fleshed out properly, but Shergill has tried his best to do justice to his role as Montu.
This film was a challenge for director Jayapradha Desai, especially after the first film made its place in the hearts of the audience. Desai accepted the challenge and delivered a good sequel. The audience might like the elaborate climax of the film. However, the script this time is unfortunately more predictable than the previous film, lacking the shocks of the first film.
Sachet-Parampara’s music is a special feature, especially the way the song ‘Ek Haseena Thi’ is woven into the story. Vishal Sinha’s cinematography is also beautiful.
Overall, ‘Phir Aai Haseen Dillruba’ is worth a watch, if you don’t constantly compare it to ‘Haseen Dillruba’ (something I, sadly, couldn’t stop myself from doing). Hopefully, if part 3 is in the works, we’ll hope Dhillon comes up with another great version without compromising on the nuances.
