Movie Review - Phillauri by Suhel Johar

Phillauri Is A Mixed Bag Of Emotions.

 

 

After a hard-hitting NH10, producer Anushka Sharma is back with her second venture Phillauri. This time around she has chosen, Romance, the most explored genre in the Hindi film industry, as the subject for her film. And just like her first production, Phillauri also boasts of a unique storyline and an interesting star cast.

In fact, Phillauri has not one but two love stories interlinked with each other and the narrative sways between the two stories. Both stories happen simultaneously as the film travels from 1919 to 2017.

The first story is about Kanan (Suraj Sharma) and his childhood sweetheart Anu (Mehreen Pirzada). A young Mangalik boy, Kanan, is told he must marry a tree before he can wed his childhood sweetheart, as the ritual will protect him from all bad omen. Grudgingly, he agrees. This marriage between Kanan and the tree introduces us to the second story which is actually the man story of the film.

This story is about Shashi (Ansuhka Sharma) and Roop Lal (Diljit Dosanjh), set in the pre independence period, is told through flash backs. Theirs is an unfulfilled love story in which Roop had gone absconding followed by the suicide of Shashi.

Post marriage to the tree, Kanan, to his shock, finds himself being trailed by the ghostly spirit of Shashi, who used to live on the tree waiting for her lover Roop Lal. The bewildered spirit now finds herself trapped in the human realm. Shashi starts to follow Kanan everywhere and seeks his help to return to her own realm. What happens next is what Phillauri is all about.

Shashi doesn’t don the stereotypical white saree, carry a lighted candlestick and float around at night singing haunting numbers—she is far more earthy and delightful and definitely much friendlier. Her own heartbreak helps her empathise with mortals experiencing similar pain and that in fact increases her appeal to the viewers. But swinging between two stories results in an inconsistency in pace and that hampers the flow of the film to some extent. 

The verbal duel that ensues between the ghost and the young man is fairly interesting. First time director Anshai Lal though fails to liven up the tempo and make the experience more worthwhile. There’s only so much patience you can have with a story that involves lost souls in search of answers.

It takes you exactly a second to guess the mystery of the disappearing Roop Lal who is supposed to have ditched his bride Shashi  but the film takes years to reveal it. Due to which you feel that the film is needlessly stretched and becomes tedious at times.

What is irksome about the film is the absence of logic in its main characters who are shown running around in circles when the problems could have been resolved with plain and simple communication between the couples.

The story is original and there are things in the movie that are good and enjoyable. It is funny too but a little flawed and certainly not extraordinary. The second half of the film is comparatively weak while the climax seems laboured and long winded. What works for the film though is the chemistry between Anushka and Diljit - the two Phillauris (Phillauris because the village they live in is called Phillaur).The earnestness displayed by Suraj Sharma is good as well. Mehreen, though throughout the film except for the last half an hour is just clueless why her Canada returned fiancé Kanan, is having cold feet before their wedding.

Debutante director Anshai Lal does a good job of picking up an original subject (written by Anvita Dutt) which has two parallel stories. Defining romance in the past and the present day is not an easy task which he handles well. His narrative is hampered by somewhat patchy script of Anvita Dutt. Her dialogues work better than her script.

Cinematography by Vishal Sinha is commendable. He captures the whole Lavish Punjabi wedding spirit well and the pre-independance era even better, with all the earthy colors and a lot of natural light. Visual effects is the key contributor in making this film look polished. Anushka’s 3D work of the ghost has been done with immense detailing. The blingy lady looks endearing and less scary!

Music composed by Shashwat Sachdev and Jasleen Royal enhances the mood of the film.  is soulful. Songs like Dum Dum and Sahibaa are clear winners. Background music by Sameeruddin is impressive in parts.

Anushka Sharma, as a funny ghost and a secret poetess before Independence does justice to her role. Her spark and spunk make that other-worldliness matter. Diljit Dosanjh has amazing screen presence and makes you fall in love with him in his Sufi singer role. Suraj Sharma aptly portrays the confused NRI. He’s dumbfounded in most of the scene and that pretty much works for his character. He is funny with his silly expressions and proves to be an excellent foil to Anushka’s ghost. Mehreen Pirzada who makes her Hindi film debut with Phillauri is adorable in her role. She is pretty and shows a lot of promise as a performer. Manav Vij is convincing as Anushka’s strict brother in his short role. Rest of the supporting cast is excellent.

On the whole, Phillauri lacks that knock-out punch due to its patchy script but is still a good one time watch.