Haseen Dillruba

The screenplay as well as the dialogue are quite gripping and full marks to Kanika for maintaining an even pace. The editing and cinematography too are on point. All the technical wizardry would have gone for a toss if the actors hadn't done their job. To sum it up concisely, they’re all quite brilliant. The hallmark of good acting is believability and all three main leads come out as extremely believable characters. None of them are playing conventional characters but are doing roles which are constantly evolving. And that evolution isn’t abrupt but gradual. Harshvardhan Rane plays the catalyst who tears Rishabh’s and Rani’s world apart but also acts as a binding agent of sorts.

Now, while the narrative is consumed by an overarching theme of revenge with pulpy flamboyance it just seems like it starts taking itself too seriously and that’s when the messaging becomes convoluted and deeply problematic. Putting any kind of toxic relationship on a pedestal and calling it as the supreme example of love and sacrifice is completely unacceptable and one wishes that those highly disturbing scenes were handled with more sensitivity and care. While they may be in a make-believe universe where passions run high, the treatment feels like Haseen Dillruba endorses these twisted tricks which to be honest is quite off-putting. Having said that, one must acknowledge that Haseen Dillruba keeps us riveted for most parts at least. Taapsee and Vikrant are in top form ensuring we quite willingly get sucked into this pulpy universe.

In the execution, though, it becomes a ‘manohar kahani’ that wasn’t. What’s missing is frisson, and a sense of shifting unease that needs to be such a crucial part of films like these: each roiling emotion is spelt out, and what you get is blandness. And flatness. I expected more from the director who gave us the impactful rom com ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’. The characters are tropes, underneath the detail. There’s your hero’s Best Friend (Ashish Verma, good actor stuck in these BFF side roles), who only shows up to underline things. There’s the bad-tempered, loud mother-in-law, and jokey father-in-law. Pannu’s delivery is exactly the same in her films: only the costumes change. Rane is appropriately heavy-lidded. The only one who tries valiantly to rise, and succeeds in most places, is Vikrant Massey. He deserves better.