Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba review: A chaotic tale of love, deception, and unfulfilled promise

The main reason Haseen Dillruba, written by Kanika Dhillon and directed by Vinil Mathew, worked was because it refused to be pigeonholed into a single category, instead weaving together a story that is part murder mystery, part love story, and part psychological drama. Its female lead, Rani Kashyap (Taapsee Pannu), is a small-town beautician with big dreams and a penchant for Hindi pulp fiction. She finds herself embroiled in a convoluted love triangle that leads to an investigation into the ’fake murder’ of her husband, Rishabh ‘Rishu’ Saxena (Vikrant Massey). The story, told in a non-linear manner, unravels through flashbacks as the police interrogate Rani after Rishabh is found dead under suspicious circumstances. The film uses this structure to build suspense. And we come to know of the ‘fake murder’ plot.

A couple on the run, a cop on their trail

The characters of the first part of the whodunit are different in the sense that they are not the cardboard types; each of them are complex, flawed. Driven by a mixture of desire, insecurity, and a yearning for something beyond the ordinary, they are far from the idealised, one-dimensional figures often seen in mainstream Bollywood romances. Rani’s character, in particular, is a standout. She is unapologetically bold, aware of her desires, and willing to manipulate those around her to get what she wants. Yet, she is also vulnerable, trapped in an arranged marriage that fails to meet her expectations.

This duality in Rani’s character makes her both relatable and unpredictable, drawing the audience into her world. Rishu, on the other hand, is initially portrayed as the timid, earnest husband, but as the story progresses, his character acquires a darker side. This evolution challenges the audience’s initial perceptions, making the film engaging in parts. The fact that tts cinematography (Jaya Krishna Gummadi) — especially, the use of contrasting settings, from the claustrophobic interiors of Rani and Rishu’s home to the expansive, scenic landscapes — and music, composed by Amit Trivedi, were in sync, made the film memorable — warts and all.

Phir Aayi Hassseen Dillruba, written and co-produced by Kanika Dhillon and produced by Aanand L Rai’s Colour Yellow Productions and Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series Films, plunges us back into the messy lives of the married couple, whose chemistry, as combustible as ever, forms the film’s emotional core; it picks up where the first film left off. The couple is on the run after faking Rishu’s death and successfully deceiving the police. Their escape to a secluded hideout in Agra offers little solace, as the past continues to haunt them in the form of the dogged cop (Aditya Srivastava reprising his role as A.C.P Kishore Rawat), who is still on their trail.

The stakes are raised when Mrityunjay aks Montu Chacha (Jimmy Sheirgill), a sharp investigating officer who calls himself a ‘kadhphodwa’ (woodpecker), seems determined to uncover the truth and, in the process, wear down Rani and Rishu’s defenses. His personal vendetta against the couple adds a layer of tension, as he believes they are responsible for the death of a loved one. His nephew Neel Tripathi (Harshvardhan Rane) disappears in part one, and he must resolve the mystery surrounding this.

The twisted love: of pain and passion

The story of the star-crossed lovers unfolds in a series of tense confrontations and high-stakes encounters, set against visually striking backdrops in Agra. where it’s set. Director Jayprad Desai, known for his compelling works like Mukhbir, Kaun Pravin Tambe?, Nagrik and Hutatma, ensures that Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, ensures the film is rich in detailing, and atmosphere.

After having royally bluffed the police, the couple are planning to escape to the safe haven abroad, leaving their past behind, to avoid the jail term for their past crime in the first instalment. But it finds strange ways of catching up with them and they land themselves in more troubled waters, faced with a set of fresh challenges. Throwing spanner in their plans are both Mrityunjay and Abhimanyu Pandit (Sunny Kaushal) — Vicky Kaushal’s brother, and the new addition to the franchise. The latter, a compounder by profession, is known for being besotted with Rani, who complicates her life all the more by marrying the man.

In the flashbacks, we are told that Rishu has now become Ravi, and is the love interest of his specially-abled landlady Poonam (Bhumika Dube). Since the police is still on the couple’s case, they must find new, twisted ways to be together even as their facade keeps falling apart, one by one. The extent the couple can go for love forms the crux of the rest of the film. In the climactic showdown, the lovers must once again navigate a dangerous game of deception to survive. If you know the franchise, you can easily decipher that the plot twists (woven well by editors Hemal Kothari and Abhishek Shetty), are something that Dinesh Pandit, the fictional crime novelist Rani idolizes, would relish, revel in. The Dinesh Pandit references serve as both a narrative device and a thematic anchor for the film, reflecting the characters’ descent into moral ambiguity.

Phir Aayi Hassseen Dillruba uses the haunting title song, Ek Haseena Thi, Ek Diwana Tha from the film Karz (1980) as a soundtrack to amplify its impact. While it works as a strong device, where the film majorly falters is the story department. Dhillon’s story veers into the outlandish at times and there are a few sequences that seem forced, unduly stretched. The dynamics between Rani and Rishu seem feeble, even forgettable. Abhimanyu is good but he doesn’t quite evolve into a formidable contender in the love triangle, dragging the film into the territory of the ordinary despite its bizarre twists. In the end, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba attempts to juggle too many elements — love, deceit, vengeance, and dark humour — but it doesn’t quite succeed in becoming the kind of film that it could have been. To be fair, it tries though, and that’s perhaps what counts.