A wife, girlfriend or a murderer ? Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane starrer Haseen Dillruba explores the who-done-it-murder which is a slow burn thriller with a solid climax.
Rani (Taapsee Pannu) is hitched to Rishu (Vikrant Massey) in a compromised arranged marriage (Rani wanted an adventurous and hot guy while Rishu wanted a simple and homely girl). Due to different nature and thinking, things do not go down well between Rani and Rishu and soon their marriage turns rocky. Enter the cool and handsome Neel (Harshvardhan Rane), cousin of Rishu bhaiya, who arranges the seasonal rafting session for the tourist in the beautiful city of Jwalapur (close to Rishikesh in Uttarakand). Neel uses his charm on Rani and she being unsatisfied physically and mentally from her husband, falls for him. Rani wanted to confess everything to Rishu about her affair with Neel but Neel ditches her mid-way and runs away.
Now, Rani is feeling guilty about what she did to Rishu, wants to rectify her mistakes to which Rishu forgives her and both eventually start living peacefully. However, one fine day as Rani steps out of her house, a blast occurs which kills Rishu on the spot. As the police investigation begins, all the eyes turns on the prime suspect Rani and her lover, Neel, behind the murder. Has Rani actually killed her husband with the support from Neel or is she a victim of an extra-marital affair gone wrong ?
From the director of likable, Hasee Toh Phasee, Vinil Mathew is back with a murder mystery, Haseen Dillruba, which is backed up by Aanand L Rai under his banner Color Yellow Productions. Haseen Dillruba was supposed to hit the theaters on 18th September last year but was pushed to 2021 eventually hitting the OTT platform.
While the trailer of Haseen Dillruba was edgy setting up a mammoth expectation, the movie starts on a slow note. In fact, the first few minutes is about boy meeting girl followed by a typical song and drama which could have been cut short and come straight to the point. However, it is the second half when the murder mystery gathers steam especially towards the end with a good twist and satisfactory ending. If Haseen Dillruba could have been trimmed by few minutes and unnecessary songs, the impact could have been more considering the plot was pretty strong. Editing could have been sharp while the music by Amit Trivedi was just about okay.
Despite the hiccups, there are silver linings in Haseen Dillruba which makes it a good watch - Kanika Dhillon's (behind Manmarziyaan and Judgementall Hai Kya) novel based story, Jayakrishna Gummadi's eye-catching cinematography and background score which sets the mood of the film.
Haseen Dillruba is uplifted thanks to the shinning performances by the star cast. Vikrant Massey's acting is applauding. From being a soft-spoken shy guy to an angry-infused husband, Vikrant's transformation is exceptional. Taapsee Pannu is outstanding who puts in effort and clearly shines as Rani. Aditya Srivastava as the investigating officer is brilliant. I wish the makers could have included more scenes for the exemplary actor. Harshvardhan Rane does fine in a small role. Yamini Das as Rishu's mother brings some humor to the dark murder mystery.
Overall, Haseen Dillruba may not be a perfect who-done-it murder mystery thriller but still has enough juice to keep you entertained. Good 3/5
