Netflix India has been striking hard, which is evident in the content of its offering. The platform is coming up with stories that deal with the diversity of human emotions, seen in many anthologies recently. The recently released film “Haseen Dillruba” is another addition to the list.
The story starts with Rani Kashyap (Taapsee Pannu), a homemaker in a Jwalapur (a Town in northern India), feeding dogs near her home. A short time later, an enormous explosion takes her house down. At the same time, she goes inside, sees a hand with her name tattooed on it; it turns out it is the hand of her Husband, Rishu Saxena (Vikrant Massey). She is the prime suspect of the murder.
In contrast, she visits the police station. The story takes place six months in the past. It showcases how Rishu, a stereotypical engineer who is sweet and innocent who falls quickly in love. He meets Rani from Delhi, an attractive and homely girl and thinks she is a complete package anyone will wish to have. We know that Rani had her own sets of relationships. Still, she decides to tie the knot with Rishu in an arranged marriage. Their marriage life seems pretty normal, yet we see Rani is unhappy with the way Rishu showcases his love. Still, she is trying her patterns, so is Rishu.
Rani is a huge fan of a mystery/erotica comic writer named Dinesh Pandit. As Rishu and Rani’s relationship moves, we can see that she is too tough to handle an innocent guy like Rishu. While the struggle in their correlating contrasting personalities restrict them from coming closer, we see the entry of Neel Tripathi (Harshvardhan Rane).
Harshvardhan Rane in “Haseen Dillruba.” Photo: Color Yellow Productions, 2021.
Neel is a cousin of Rishu, who is tall, dark, and handsome; he is all one will fall for, and he usefully grabs the attention of Rani. On one end, Rani is struggling to be with the man she married. She slowly starts to fall for Neel. Eventually, Rani and Neel get into an intimate relationship and see clearly that Rani is falling for all her heart for Neel. While they decide that she will leave with Neel to Delhi and start their life, Neel leaving her without intimation, leading her to heartbreak.
Rani’s life changes completely when she confronts Rishu about her love for his cousin Neel. We see some twist and turn in the story that gives us a question on her bringing innocent and evil at the same time. While the investigation officer (Aditya Srivastava) is sure she is the killer who made it happen with Neel. The attempt of finding the killer and understating the three-way relationships forms the gritty and thrilling story.
“Haseen Dillruba” is written by Kanika Dhillon, who is among the finest writers in the current time. Like her past films, she is again forming the story on the complexity of human relationships but more darkly and thrillingly. One of the good parts of the script is that it shows the good and bad aspects of all three prime characters and showcases its flaws. The concept of timeline switching helps the film in the best way, and the twist that story offers us wallops us.
Vikrant Massey and Taapsee Pannu in “Haaseen Dillruba.” Photo: Color Yellow Productions, 2021.
Despite the interesting subject, however, the film falls short in shaping a brief storyline. The story seems inordinate. But in self-belief, due to the multi-genres, it tries to achieve. The film is directed by Vinil Mathew, who has done fine execution on this story. The detailing in the film is excellent, and the humor that comes from the situation sets a perfect tone. Cinematography by Jayakrishna Gummadi is ideal for capturing the vibes of Haridwar. The music by Amit Trivedi and background score by Amar Mangrulka help the narrative of the film well.
As Rani, Taapsee Pannu surprises us again with her choices and performance. One who follows her acting journey can make out that she is on a roll with excellent constituent performances and challenges herself in the complexity of characters. The character of the Rani goes through all sorts of human emotions, which Taapsee delivers flawlessly. Her chemistry with both Vikrant and Harshvardhan is pitched perfectly. The way she gives her line to the way she projects the constitution of her role is pleasing. The film’s supporting cast is also excellent, especially Aditya Srivastava as investigation officer and Yamini Das as Rishu’s mother, Lata.
Rishu is played by the versatile actor Vikrant Massey, who has set new milestones for himself with his performances. As an actor, he has been out for a while now, and it won’t be wrong to say that he can portray anything with ease. In this role, we see Vikrant’s exceptional performance. One can see his transition from being sweet, innocent, and all in love to dark, gloomy, and madly in love perfectly. The way he showcases both extremes of human emotions is excellent.
Vikrant Massey in “Haseen Dillruba.” Photo: Color Yellow Productions, 2021.
The last we saw Harshvardhan Rane was in “Taish” as Pali, where he was brilliant in showcasing the human emotions with rage. Sometimes we see small firecrackers burst heavily—which we can clearly say for Harshvardhan Rane, who may have less screen time than the other two leads. Again, he left his mark noteworthy. Harshvardhan, in the role of Neel, is quintessential; he excellently uses his looks and physicality to frame the needed charm to his dramatis personae. He displays the emotions of desirability and complacency wonderfully. Rane shifts him from a lover boy to a nasty boy and the voice simulation he uses to show his dedication to his craft.
Overall, “Haseen Dillruba” is a thriller with enough twists that keep you inserted until the end of the film. The film has a good story, director, and top-notch acting of the cast. If you are a fan of the cast or not, this film won’t disappoint you with its offering.
“Haseen Dillruba” is currently available to watch on Netflix via subscription.
