Phillauri

Funny in parts, sad in parts, entertaining in parts, boring as a whole. Anushka Sharma keeps a great body language to carry this character successfully. Other actors, Director and script are just below average. USP of this film lies in its Editing. Scenes are connected very beautifully throughout the movie.

Storyline Rating: 2

Acting Rating: 2 Anushka Sharma: 3 Diljit Dosanjh: 2 Suraj Sharma: 2

Direction Rating: 2

Music Rating: 2

Cinematography: 3

Editing: 4

I liked this movie because it imparts a lot of meaning to life. Anusksha Sharma acted her role superbly and the Diljit was true to his role and both of these important roles could not have been edified without our young Bride and Groom. Well written script and of course the poetic love songs of Phillaur takes it to another extreme high. To me it made a big difference since I do not speak or understand the movie but just seeing the movie made me universal and comprehensible. Excellent artistic work of the Director. Credits to all that made this movie a success. The story was of course a standard format but the actors highlighted it and made it dynamic and smooth sailing. Sadness of massacre and sadness and loss by suicide are finally neutralize peacefully with happy endings. My two good friends from training program used to sing clips of poems during lunch hour and of course they were born and brought up as children from this region or culture. I was amazed then and I am amazed now. I give it a 7.4 Also I want my hands on the big collection of LP's just mail me the address of that location.

Last week we saw the release of 'Beauty and the Beast,' a fairy tale romance with magical elements. Interestingly this week's Hindi release 'Phillauri' is a fairy tale in its own right. Phillauri is a brave movie because we don't tend to give stories that stray from the norm an equal chance. We call them different or 'hatke' and that defines their success. It doesn't matter if they're good or bad because they're termed as different and set aside. Phillauri is unique, certainly, but aren't all good movies?

Anushka Sharma was the youngest actor-producer in Bollywood when we she decided to back and act in 2015's 'NH10'- a courageous decision and even braver film. Two years later she's back with her second outing as producer with Phillauri. While polar opposite to NH10 in terms of story and tone, the bravery is still present. First, if you never saw NH10, do. And then give Phillauri a chance.

Phillauri begins with a young groom, Kanan, (played by Suraj Sharma) forced to marry a tree because he's 'mangilk' (possibly cursed) before he can marry his longtime girlfriend. While both families are relatively modern thinking, superstition runs deep. Soon after his nuptials with said tree he's haunted by a ghost named Shashi (Anushka Sharma) who claims he married her and not the tree. These first few moments evoke a few chuckles. The plot is slow to pick up but eventually tells us about the ill fated romance of Shashi and Phillauri (Diljit Dosanjh) in early 1900s Punjab. The movie tells two vastly different stories about a present day couple having wedding jitters and star-crossed lovers from a time long gone. Personally, I enjoyed the scenes in Punjab tremendously. Anushka and Diljit share an easy chemistry and both are incredibly likable in the movie. The present day portion isn't anything special but watching the couple be 'haunted' by Shashi is amusing enough.

Lead actor and producer Anushka Sharma walks away with the meatiest role and does full justice to her part. You're rooting for Shashi the whole way. Diljit Dosanjh, who we last saw in Udta Punjab, is equally convincing as a carefree singer who wears his heart of his sleeve. Suraj Sharma of Life of Pi fame and newcomer Mehreen Pirzada, who plays his fiancé, are fine in their respective roles but don't leave a lasting impact.

First time director Anshai Lal is unpolished but handles a few sequences well. The music is a highlight and gels perfectly with the screenplay. Every song is heavily influenced by Punjabi folk music which might not appeal to everyone but I've been listening to and enjoying the soundtrack for a few weeks now. The portions in Punjab are shot with great care and the flavor and culture is enchanting.

You may have seen pictures of Shashi the friendly ghost making appearances all over the world and throughout history as part of the Phillauri promotional campaign. It was a brilliant marketing strategy that stays true to the nature of the film. Honestly, the promotional campaign was better executed but this is still a light and feel-good movie that blends old fashioned romance with a fairy tale narrative. Watch it for Anushka and Diljit who light up the screen with their charm. And kudos to Ms. Sharma, please continue breaking barriers and taking risks.

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This is a good movie, but it could have been better if the flashbacks weren't so lengthy. It drawls especially towards the second half. Phillauri has a crazy, goofy start with Shashi (Anushka Sharma) getting confused with the technology of the 21st Century. The makers could have added some more confusions and cut most of the flashback scenes to give it some speed. Worth a watch.

Successful fantasy dramas in Bollywood are a rare phenomena. With Amol Palekar's Paheli (2005) as a solid benchmark, it can be difficult to create an interesting film, as this ambitious project by a debutante director shows.

Kanan (Suraj Sharma) is a young man who arrives from Canada and is taken by his parents straight to his would-be-fiancée and high school sweetheart Anu's (Mehreen Pirzada) house for their engagement and subsequent wedding which is scheduled a week from now. Already mad with the swift turn of events and unsure about the whole marriage thing, Kanan tries to speak his mind, but it all falls in deaf ears. Things move at a faster rate as he is directed by the family pandit (Hindu scholar) to first marry a tree so that he can get rid of his astrological curse. No prize for guessing, but Kanan soon finds out that the tree that he married the previous day contained the ghost of a woman named Shashi (Anushka Sharma) who now believes and takes him to be her lawfully-wedded husband. A shaken Kanan tries to avoid her, but for how long? And how is he going to explain it to Anu, who now thinks that Kanan has changed from a genteel lover-boy to a weed-smoking hipster who plays around with women's feelings...

If there is a thing called convenient filmmaking, then this is it. With the setup of a big Indian wedding that reminds me of a yesteryear Malayalam-language film, Anwar Rasheed's Ustad Hotel (2012), used to introduce the characters, the film makes a promising start. Superstitious families, an over-attached girlfriend, and a mysterious ghost from the previous century - the film has everything a Bollywood film could ask for. And for some time, it even manages to entertain. However, the level of quality and entertainment soon falls when you realize that the humor is forced and the drama unceremonious and inconsequential. Kanan is a 26-year old man and his encounters with Shashi are so childish they are cringe-worthy. Suraj's portrayal as the helpless guy does not work either, even when he is supported by a talented supporting cast.

The only positive element that works for the film is that the suspense about Shashi's past stays strong throughout the film, mostly because it is explored non-linearly and is only dug deeper in the final 30 minutes. The base is quite similar to Palekar's 2005 SRK-starrer, with the exception of disappointing performances from the lead cast. Suraj sports a single expression throughout the 2 hours of running time - whether it is him flirting with his would-be or being terrorized by Shashi. Anushka does not do much for her character other than lazing around from point A to B looking like she hasn't a clue. All excuses defending her character should be attributed to bad writing. Pirzada is a cutie, but needs to improve her acting chops if she wants to stay. Diljit Dosanjh is the only main character who gives out an authentic performance, and we cannot thank director Anshai Lal for that. The direction is overall average, with Lal using tried and tested methods to narrate his story and still failing to impress. The fitting and well-crafted background score and few hummable songs further accentuate the film as a one-time watch.

With laudable CGI for a Bollywood film and the fact that the romance in the film is tied to an important part of Indian pre-Independence history, this second production by Anushka Sharma is a watchable but average affair. Go for it if you have nothing else to do.

BOTTOM LINE: Anshai Lal's "Phillauri" is a ghost story that flip flops between romance, fantasy, and comedy with these genres providing entertainment in the descending order. It is high on romance thanks to the backstory set in the 1910s, but is pretty low on comedy, no thanks to the writing. Watch it on TV.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES