When Haseen Dilruba first hit our screens in 2021, it was a messy, uneven, yet undeniably entertaining blend of romance, crime, and pulp fiction. It wasn’t a perfect film by any means, but it had a certain charm that kept audiences hooked, despite its flaws. With the release of Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba, I hoped that the sequel would build on the original’s potential, ironing out its rough edges while retaining its dark, twisted allure. Unfortunately, what I found instead was a film that, while not without its merits, ultimately fell flat, failing to capture the magic of its predecessor and leaving me more frustrated than entertained.
The film picks up where the original left off, with Rani (Taapsee Pannu) and Rishu (Vikrant Massey) now on the run, having narrowly escaped the consequences of their previous actions. They find refuge in Agra, but as anyone who’s seen the first film knows, trouble is never far behind when it comes to these two. The premise itself had the potential to be gripping—a fugitive couple, a relentless cop on their tail, and a new cast of characters to complicate matters. However, Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba quickly squanders this potential with a plot that feels more like a retread of old ground than a fresh, exciting continuation of the story.
One of the most glaring issues with Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba is its reliance on the same tropes and narrative devices that defined the original, without offering anything new or innovative.
The film is content to recycle the same twists, the same moral ambiguities, and the same over-the-top melodrama that characterized Haseen Dilruba, but this time around, these elements feel tired and predictable. What was once fresh and intriguing now comes across as formulaic, as if the filmmakers were more interested in cashing in on the success of the original than in creating something genuinely engaging.
The characters, who were one of the highlights of the first film, also suffer from this lack of innovation. Rani, who was such a compelling figure in Haseen Dilruba, is reduced to a shadow of her former self in the sequel. Taapsee Pannu tries her best to bring depth to the role, but the script gives her little to work with.
Rani’s scheming, manipulative nature, which was so captivating before, now feels one-note and repetitive. There’s a sense that the film doesn’t quite know what to do with her, resulting in a character who is more of a plot device than a fully realized human being.
Rishu, played by Vikrant Massey, fares even worse. In the original, Rishu’s transformation from a mild-mannered, loving husband to a man driven by rage and jealousy was one of the most intriguing aspects of the film. But in Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba, this transformation is barely explored, leaving Rishu as little more than a passive participant in the unfolding drama.
Massey’s performance is competent, but the lack of character development makes it difficult to care about Rishu’s fate. He’s simply there, going through the motions, without any real agency or emotional depth.
The introduction of new characters, such as Sunny Kaushal’s Abhimanyu and Jimmy Shergill’s Mrityunjay, should have injected fresh energy into the story, but instead, they only highlight the film’s shortcomings. Abhimanyu, a local compounder who becomes infatuated with Rani, is supposed to add a new layer of tension and danger to the narrative. However, his character is so underdeveloped that it’s hard to take him seriously as a threat. Kaushal does his best with what he’s given, but the role requires more charisma and complexity than the script provides.
Jimmy Shergill‘s Mrityunjay, the cop determined to bring Rani and Rishu to justice, is another missed opportunity. Shergill is an actor who can bring a lot of intensity to his roles, but here, he’s hampered by inconsistent writing that makes it difficult to understand his motivations. One moment he’s a ruthless, relentless pursuer, and the next he’s surprisingly ineffectual, allowing the fugitives to slip through his fingers time and again. This inconsistency undermines the tension that the film is trying to build, making it hard to believe that Rani and Rishu are in any real danger.
The film’s attempts to create atmosphere and suspense are also hit-and-miss. On one hand, Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba does a decent job of capturing the sense of unease that permeates the couple’s lives as they hide out in Agra. The city’s historic landmarks, particularly the Taj Mahal, are used effectively to create a backdrop of looming danger. However, the film’s over-reliance on these visuals eventually starts to feel gimmicky.
The Taj Mahal, for instance, is so overused as a symbol of both love and danger that it loses its impact, becoming more of a visual cliché than a meaningful element of the story.
The narrative structure of Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba is another area where the film falters. The constant back-and-forth between past and present, which was used to great effect in the original, feels forced and disjointed here. Instead of building suspense, these flashbacks often disrupt the flow of the story, making it difficult to stay engaged with the characters and their predicaments. The editing, which is supposed to create a sense of tension, instead comes across as gimmicky and unnecessary, adding to the overall feeling of a film that’s trying too hard to replicate the success of its predecessor without understanding what made it work in the first place.
One of the most disappointing aspects of Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba is its failure to capitalize on the moral ambiguities that were so central to the original.
Haseen Dilruba was a film that reveled in its characters’ flaws, never shying away from their darker sides. But in the sequel, these ambiguities are watered down, leaving us with characters who are far less interesting and far more predictable.
The film seems unsure of whether it wants to portray its characters as sympathetic anti-heroes or as outright villains, and this indecision results in a narrative that feels muddled and unfocused.
The dialogue, too, is a far cry from the sharp, witty exchanges that characterized the original. Too often, the characters’ lines feel on-the-nose, spelling out emotions and motivations that should have been left to the audience’s imagination. This lack of subtlety is particularly frustrating in a film that is supposed to be about deception and misdirection. When every emotion is spelled out in explicit detail, it leaves little room for the kind of tension and suspense that Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba so desperately needs.
The film’s climax, which should have been a high-stakes, nail-biting conclusion to the story, is instead a letdown. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that the resolution feels both rushed and underwhelming, with a final twist that is more predictable than shocking. Where the original left audiences with a sense of unease and ambiguity, the sequel opts for a more straightforward, and ultimately less satisfying, conclusion. It’s a disappointing end to a film that never quite manages to live up to its potential.
As a woman watching Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba, I found myself increasingly frustrated by its squandered opportunities. The film had the potential to be a dark, thrilling exploration of love, betrayal, and crime, but instead, it settles for a shallow, uninspired retread of the original.
The characters, who should have been the beating heart of the story, are reduced to clichés, their complexities and contradictions ironed out in favor of a more straightforward, but far less interesting, narrative.
There’s a sense throughout Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba that the filmmakers were too focused on replicating the success of the original to take any real risks or push the story in new directions. The result is a film that feels safe, formulaic, and ultimately forgettable. It’s a shame because there were moments—fleeting as they were—where the film hinted at the kind of bold, audacious storytelling that could have made it truly stand out. But these moments are few and far between, buried under a mountain of predictable plot twists and lackluster character development.
In the end, Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba is a film that, despite its best efforts, fails to capture the magic of its predecessor. It’s a sequel that feels more like a pale imitation than a worthy continuation of the story, lacking the spark and originality that made Haseen Dilruba such a compelling watch. For fans of the original, there may be enough here to warrant a viewing, but for those hoping for something fresh and exciting, Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba is likely to disappoint.
This film serves as a reminder that sequels, especially those in the realm of dark romance and crime, need to offer something new to truly resonate. Simply revisiting old characters and rehashing familiar themes isn’t enough. There needs to be growth, evolution, and a willingness to explore new territory.
Unfortunately, Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba falls short in all these areas, leaving me longing for what could have been—a bold, daring sequel that pushed the boundaries of its genre. Instead, what we get is a film that, much like its characters, is content to play it safe, even if that means losing its edge in the process.
Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba had potential for success but lacked the right balance. It’s a frustrating watch, not because it’s outright terrible, but because it’s so painfully mediocre. For a film that deals with love, lust, and betrayal, it’s surprising just how little passion it manages to stir. And in a genre where passion is everything, that’s the biggest flaw of all.