RATING: 4
MOVIE: Phillauri
CAST: Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma
DIRECTOR: Anshai Lal
GENRE: Rom-com
Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma has impressed with her second production Phillauri, produced by Clean Slate Films. Directed by Anshai Lal, Phillauri is a story of a friendly ghost's journey and her unfinished business.
Also read: Phillauri review by CRITICS | CELEBS | AUDIENCE
PLOT
The story starts with preparations for a big fat Punjabi wedding. Kanan (Suraj Sharma) is a 26-year-old who returns to India from Canada to marry his childhood lover, Anu (Mehrene Kaur Pirzada). Kanan, who is confused about the marriage, finds out that he is mangalik and a priest from the bride's side asks him to marry a tree to get rid of the trouble. Though he unwillingly marries the tree, Kanan's real trouble begins after that. He finds out that he has not married just the tree, but a ghost named Shashi (Anushka Sharma) who lives in the tree.
The movie then tells viewers all about the comedies and tragedies of Shashi's past life and the unfinished business that has managed to keep her spirit wandering. Phillaur is a place in Punjab and people from there are often called Phillauri. The movie shows two eras simultaneously -- one set in 1919 that shows Shashi's love story with 'Phillauri' (Diljit Dosanjh) during India's independence war and other is 2017, in which Shashi returns as a ghost.
Diljit plays a singer in the movie and his lyricist is Anushka aka Shashi. How Shashi and Phillauri met and what is Kanan and Anu's role in it forms the crux of the film.
PERFORMANCES
Suraj has done an amazing job as Kanan in the movie. After Life of Pi, the actor is brilliant in his Bollywood flick, in which he shows his comic side pretty well. Anushka and Diljit have touched hearts with their acting. Diljit's performance proves that he has the potential to outshine any Khan, Kapoor or Bachchan. Anushka, as usual, was at her best. Mehrene aka Anu deserves a special mention in the movie. Though she doesn't have a long part in the film, her work is impressive.
POSITIVES
Phillauri has a lot of positive moments and gives you an amazing feel of Punjab. Anshai Lal has done a great job with the movie and it is very well made. The story, the actors and cinematography steal hearts. The VFX skills have been used wisely as the presentation of Anushka's ghost character is quite impressive. In fact, the side actors, including Anu and Kanan's family members and Shashi's brother and best friend, too have done a commendable job. Anu's grandmother is swag personified with a glass of whiskey all the time. Phillauri also has beautiful heart touching songs.
NEGATIVES
The only drawback in Phillauri was the climax, as it looked like the makers wanted to flaunt their VFX skills. Also, I expected the movie to end with a big fat Punjabi wedding, which was not the case.
PLOT
Overall, the movie is a breath of fresh air in today's Bollywood masala films. It has a refreshing storyline and the entire cast and crew make it a joyride. The beautiful ghostly love story will stay with you for a while.
