‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’ Review: Taapsee Pannu Shines in a Moderately Captivating Thriller

Put on that backless blouse and tuck a rose stem into your hair, because the thrilling duo of Rani (Taapsee Pannu) and Rishu (Vikrant Massey) are back in action.

There’s something undeniably captivating about a pulpy potboiler. It doesn’t aim to be a masterpiece in cinema or literature; its success lies in keeping you turning the pages or glued to the screen. ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba,’ the sequel to the 2021 thriller ‘Haseen Dillruba,’ sheds the unnecessary small-town comedy of its predecessor and fully embraces its romantic yet sinister essence. It delivers some enjoyable thrills but eventually gets caught up in its own tangled narrative. What starts off as engaging gradually becomes a tedious watch, dragging on to the point where you lose interest in how it all unfolds, as long as the characters manage to escape. So, don that backless blouse and tuck a rose stem into your hair, because the tumultuous lovers Rani (Taapsee Pannu) and Rishu (Vikrant Massey) are back in action. This time, the setting shifts from Jwalapur to a more recognizable Agra. Both Rani and Rishu are trying to stay under the radar after the events of the first film—one is suspected of murder, while the other is presumed alive. They encounter each other in a cinematic downpour, avoiding eye contact more out of fear than desire. They communicate through wireless earphones in a bustling market or a secluded garden, reminiscent of love-struck secret agents. But, as always, there’s a third wheel. Sunny Kaushal portrays Abhimanyu, a medical compounder infatuated with Rani. He chases after her autorickshaw, clutching two mannequin heads (she works at a salon and left them behind). It’s a quirky gesture of romance. With red roses in hand, he waits outside a movie theater after buying all the tickets for ‘An Action Hero,’ an overlooked gem from Colour Yellow Productions, the same banner behind ‘Haseen Dillruba.’

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba revels in its pulp-inspired charm. Picture a woman in a saree, drenched in the rain, while a man gazes at her with a prolonged smile as she sits across from him on a boat in a river teeming with crocodiles. However, this stylish presentation feels superficial, as the mystery unfolds rather predictably. Taapsee Pannu, in her role as Rani, seems somewhat uncomfortable, lacking the sultry allure expected of a femme fatale. Vikrant Massey, typically a compelling actor, is left with little to work with. Meanwhile, Sunny Kaushal’s transformation from a lovesick admirer to a more dangerous character is evident from the start, yet he brings an intriguing edge to his role. In contrast, Jimmy Shergill portrays a cop who oscillates between being overly involved and completely absent, with no in-between. Similar to the first film, the characters in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba learn about love, life, and murder from the fictional writer Dinesh Pandit. I found myself sighing every time someone began with, “Panditji kehte hain… (Panditji says).” The only moment that truly pulled me in was when a character made a slow entrance while Taapsee’s voiceover recounted the backstory of the pulp novelist. “Thirty years ago, he was humiliated and dismissed from a police station. Since then, he has sought revenge against cops through his stories,” she narrates. Unfortunately, the character wasn’t Dinesh. But imagine if he were? A murder occurring within a murder mystery crafted by a murder mystery writer would have been a fascinating twist.