Phillauri: When the good actors jump into a bad film

Movie: Phillauri

Genre: Romance, Drama

Run Time: 2 hours 18 minutes

Director: Anshai Lal

Cast: Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma, Mehreen Pirzada

Rating: 6.5/10

Phillauri is an unconventional drama film that grips you in certain moments but fails to deliver in a larger perspective.

Plot:

The movie is a part-comedy, full-romance drama film which takes place in the backdrop of a Punjabi wedding in a town called Phillaur, in the Jalandhar district of Punjab. Kanan(Suraj Sharma) is a young boy who has just gotten back from Canada after completing his education to get married to his childhood lover and girlfriend Anu(Mehreen Pirzada). He is told by his family fortune-teller that he is manglik(carrier of bad luck) and has to marry a tree in order to get rid of the bad luck. After some slight hesitation, he goes ahead with it and is confronted by the ghost of Shashi(Anushka Sharma) that same night. After overcoming his initial fear of facing a ghost, him and Shashi soon discover that Shashi's soul was bound to the tree and they are now married. As Shashi observes how the world works 98 years after she died, certain things remind her of her time while she was alive. The flashbacks show that she was an anonymous poet who fell in love with a renowned local singer named Roop Lal(Diljit Dosanjh). Essentially a playboy who loved indulging in alcohol and women, Roop only sang songs which were flirty in nature, until he came across Shashi. Her words turned out to be an eye-opener for him and soon he started singing mellow and profound songs, the lyrics of which were given by Shashi. As Shashi's brother wasn't accepting of their relationship, he left town to make his mark as a musician and come back able and dignified enough to ask for her hand rightfully. An unfortunate incident took place because of which he failed to return and Shashi committed suicide by hanging herself on the tree as she was unable to handle it. Kanan and Shashi, now discover that there is an unfulfilled task that she needs to complete for her soul to be liberated.

What's to like:

Anushka Sharma's performance as the lead actor is substantial and convincing, with her being the center of gravity for the movie and rightfully so. Diljit Dosanjh does justice to his role and has a certain unshakable grip on the screen in scenes which require emotional depth and maturity, and delivers a decent all-round performance. The cinematography of the movie is grand and precise, leaving little margin for improvement. Suraj Sharma presents himself with an excellent on-screen comic timing, and performs the deeper and more substantial scenes with equal amounts of fervour. The music in the movie does justice to the setting in the film, with songs like Dum Dum and Sahiba leaving a pleasant sensation in the ears. The supporting actors in the movie do their part convincingly, and add weight to the film.

What's not to like:

The major flaw lies in the script, with the story failing to create impactful and long-lasting moments. The plot of the movie isn't clear till half-way through the second half of the movie, and the audience is left to wonder what the motivation behind the flashbacks is till then. The direction of the movie falls short on most levels, and fails to bond with the performances of the actors to bring out the best in the movie. The film lacks a large-scale perspective, with there being multiple missed chances to build on the drama and give the movie its cutting edge. All in all, the movie falls short and fails to leave an impression despite good performances by the actors and a decent story line.

Why you should watch it:

An ever-lasting chemistry between Anushka and Diljit, and precise and perfect comic timing by Suraj Sharma paired with there being no senseless action, unnecessary melodrama or fake plot twists makes for a decent one-time watch over the weekend.