Haseen Dillruba Movie Review: Haseen Dillruba, the new Hind film arriving on Netflix, is a classic case of the title and the trailer promising a far interesting movie than what we get. Directed by Vinil Mathew, this twisted love/lust triangle, starring Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane, was brimming with enough potential to deliver a smart mystery thriller. I expected it to crack on the black comedy formula - and it does, occasionally - but more or less, Haseen Dillruba turned out to be a huge drag! Haseen Dillruba Song Lakeeran: Taapsee Pannu And Vikrant Massey Feel No Love In This Melancholic Amit Trivedi Composition.

The film begins with a blast in an alley in Jwalapur, resultant from a gas leak. Rani (Taapsee Pannu), the bahu of that house, was feeding dogs outside when the accident happened, and all she could find there was the torn hand of her husband Rishu (Vikrant Massey), with her name tattooed on it.

The investigating officer (Aditya Srivastava) believes that Rishu has been murdered, and Rani is the killer. In the interrogation process that follows, we learn more about Rani and Rishu's marriage, that was sailing on choppy waters right from the start. From saas-bahu fights to Rani's fierce nature leaving the meek Rishu overwhelmed to their unsatisfied sex life, their marriage is nothing but rocks that doesn't even bother being in the honeymoon phase.

And in that turbulent phase arrives Neel (Harshvardhan Rane), Rishu's dishy distant cousin, with whom Rani gets enamoured with. As expected, that affair goes wrong and the  already in-the-dumps Rishu gets to know about it. Does that knowledge lead to his murder? Or was it really an accident? Of course, you know the answer for the second question, but there is more to the incident than what we assume.

Watch the trailer:

And yeah, I forgot, Rani is also an avid fans of the pulpy murder mystery novels of a Hindi author called Dinesh Pandit. Does that play into the movie later? I will let you guess on that one, though if you have seen a certain Mohanlal film, you can definitely draw some parallels here.

The fact that the protagonist's obsession with the novels is hammered down on us from time to time, made me expect that Haseen Dillruba, written by Kanika Dhillon, also goes down that fun pulpy route. Even that title suggests so. The idea of the cops being obsessed with the case of killer 'bhabhi' is one step done right in that path. The first act of the film that establishes Rani and Rishu's brittle start of their marriage also sticks to the path, replete with some very funny scenes.

The frequent clashes Rani has with her mother-in-law are quite hilarious, and so is that scene where she tries to put a control over Rishu by seduction. Their first sexual encounter and the drama afterwards add the needed tadka to the crackling drama. The arrival of Neel into the household only makes things interesting, especially with the investigative track running parallel.

However, from here on, Haseen Dillruba gets what we say is the real struggling phase. I don't mind the change in perception for the film - more than a black comic thriller, Haseen Dillruba is more of an insight into a troubled marriage after being hit by an extra-marital fling. It covers the couple's journey into how they pick up the pieces and move on, but the sequences that follow feel more farcical than engaging, The melodramatic treatment hardly does any favour to the movie. Haseen Dillruba's feeble attempts to get back to the pulpiness of the first act, especially the present-day police station scenes, and insert humour, feels like a saving act that came way too late.

The performances of Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey in these portions are nothing short of appreciable, but their characters come across as hardly likeable. Especially Rani, whose motives of coming into this marriage and even staying in it are never understandable. Sure, Haseen Dillruba could be playing with the Rashomon effect, but we are made to believe the story that Rani is telling the police is to be taken as gospel. Also, what's with the film's idea of trying to portray feminism as being rude and condescending to your partner? It was disappointing to see Yamini Das and Daya Shankar Pandey, who were so good in the first half, not get much screentime in the second.

The final act is a complete downer, and is suffers from (SPOILERS) Drishyam effect. The inspiration isn't the problem, it's the execution though. There is a complete lack of logic in what's happening in these scenes that makes the twist a hardly believable one. Haseen Dillruba Song Phisal Jaa Tu Out! Taapsee Pannu Is Trapped by Love and Tempted by Lust.

After Vinil Mathew's solid debut making Hasee Toh Phasee, it is disappointing to see his next film arriving eight years later, going way beyond the mark. There are flashes of an incredible film here and there, but what we got is just an annoying love story.

Yay!

- The First Act

- Vikrant Massey

Nay!

- The Rest of the Movie

Final Thoughts

The concept had potential, the premise was brimming with scope of delivering black humour, there were good actors cast but Haseen Dillruba feels a letdown in both its execution and writing. Haseen Dillruba is streaming on Netflix.

Rating:1.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2021 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).