Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba Review: Unbelievably Silly

After the mixed feelings associated with 2021’s Haseen Dillruba, we are back again with our frenzied and violent tale of love between Rani and Rishu, who continue to fight against everyone around them (and less against each other) in order to find their happily ever after. However, unlike the last movie’s Neel Tripathi, this time the thorn on the road seems to be soft-mannered compounder Abhimanyu. Will justice catch up with them or will the two erratic lovers be able to get away once and for all?

The film is directed by Jayprad Desai and written by Kanika Dhillon.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba Movie Review

The thing about Haseen Dillruba and now its sequel is that it requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief that you’d need to have for, say, a fantasy show. In spite of being set in the real world and concerning real people, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is lost in its own sauce to such an extent that there is no semblance of realism in the movie anywhere. From the characters to the situations, it’s as if we are watching teenagers trying to live through the anti-social phase of their lives, but with adults and concerning real consequences. Or lack thereof.

Starting off after the end of the first movie, the second film showcases Rani and Rishu stealing sexy glances and brushing their arms in passing as they hide out in Agra in hopes of running off to Thailand on forged passports. It’s nothing new – it’s a trope that we have seen many times. However, the entry of Montu, Rishu and Neel’s uncle and a hardcore inspector who will stop at nothing before getting vengeance for his nephew’s murder, and Abhimanyu, a mild-mannered compounder with a hidden past, complicates everything and pushes everything into overdrive. And wow – what an overdrive it turns out to be!

The first movie itself wasn’t able to sell this sordid tale much thanks to it being a bit too unbelievable. This time around, complete with crocodiles and jumping off cliffs like Hrithik Roshan in Dhoom 2, the film is insane. At 132 minutes, the storyline just goes from one impossible thing to another, with betrayals at every turn. At some point, you wonder who in their right mind would go to such lengths to be with their apparent soulmate and just then Rani reminds you that if your love story doesn’t have a tinge of madness, then it’s not a love story at all.

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That line, haunting us viewers since the first movie, reminds us Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba isn’t interested in giving us an engaging or believable story. The storyline, thus, pushes this over-the-top and hardcore narrative of love above all else and the twists and turns are just so damn silly and unbelievable that it becomes clear after the first few minutes that all of this is nothing but a ploy to hide the fact that without the pazzazz one might be able to figure out that there is nothing but a paper-thin story underneath.

Vikrant Massey and Taapsee Pannu continue to look longingly into each other’s eyes but you don’t see the passion or the romance between them because they just can’t stop themselves from quoting Dinesh Pandit at every turn. There is not one moment of genuine feelings that you can see and it all feels too arbitrary considering the fact that people’s lives are at stake. You hate yourself for following these two brats who think that their love is above other people’s feelings, emotions and lives. Added to the insanity is Sunny Kaushal’s Abhimanyu who, although with a tinge of madness behind his eyes that is strikingly effective, has very little going for him character-wise. I guess I was just left to wonder constantly why anyone would sign themselves up for a life of misery in a country with the highest population in the world.

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Rant aside, we also have Jimmy Shergill here, who is apparently a no-nonsense, hound dog of a detective who will hunt you to the end of the world. But his character is just so ineffective and uninteresting that he is almost forgotten the moment he comes on-screen and has little impact on the story. And sure, Rani and Rishu make a great fuss about him, but we just don’t feel that same intensity.

Listen, I am a fan of twisted romance thrillers just like any other person. But Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, like its predecessor, thinks that it is too smart. The major problem for me is that the movie hardly feels grounded in reality in any way – things just happen for the sake of it and you can just smell the scent of desperation as the creators push one insane twist after another. It’s such a disappointing waste of talent and storytelling.

Final Thoughts

Much like its predecessor, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is an empty and hollow film that is neither thrilling nor believable. Although I liked the first one better because it still tried to be somewhat relatable, the moment someone jumps off cliffs and makes it out alive miraculously is when I take my leave and that’s exactly what happened with this film as well. Even Massey can’t save this one.

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