The Gist: Rani and Rishu will stop at nothing to be together—including killing her lover Neel, Rishu chopping off his hand to cover it up, and the twisted couple fleeing town at the end of Haseen Dillruba . But getting away isn’t that easy: in the sequel, Rishu’s police officer Uncle Montu is on the case, keen to find Rishu, whom he knows killed Neel. What follows is another twisted tale that involves Abhimanyu, who loves Rani and agrees to marry her even when he realizes it’s a sham relationship, and Poonam, a handicapped woman who pursues Rishu. The cat-and-mouse game continues as Uncle Montu gets closer to sniffing them out and separating them once and for all.
What Will It Remind You Of?: Despite not having overtly romantic undertones, Monica, O My Darling hits a similar tone and spins a twisted narrative.
Performance Worth Watching: Jimmy Shergill plays Uncle Montu as a sly but devoted cop investigating a crime that feels personal to him, and honestly it’s just great to see Shergill pop up anytime.
Memorable Dialogue: “If love doesn’t push you to the brink of insanity, it’s not true love,” Rani narrates at the beginning. And boy, is this an insane love story.
Sex and Skin: There’s a few hints at sex, but we barely see any skin.
Our Take: A follow-up to the romance thriller Hasseen Dillruba , Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is diabolical. The film picks up after the events of the first installation, in which Rani and Rishu frame his cousin/her lover Neel for the supposed murder of Rishu. If you missed the 2021 film, this one provides a quick recap with snapshots of the plot that we’re jumping off from, but it is a bit confusing and probably best to at least read up on the events of the first film before diving in.
Still, even just relying on the short refresher, this film has a lot more twists to deliver. Rani and Rishu, now hiding out in Agra, are separated (as he’s assumed to be dead) but meet clandestinely whenever they can. Things are complicated when his Uncle Montu (because, of course, Neel and Rishu were cousins) is convinced that Rishu is actually alive and the number one suspect for Neel’s murder. While this police officer begins to investigate, the duo believes the best case scenario is to, somewhat inexplicably, get Rani married off to Abhimanyu, a man who has been low-key stalking Rani from afar after one chance encounter. Later, he promises to help Rani reunite with her true love and help them escape to elope, but he has ulterior motives in the plan.
The first hour of this film is thrilling, but things begin to unravel in the second half. As it turns out, Abhimanyu has a lot of skeletons in his closet, and the story weaves an extremely convoluted tale that changes point of view, shows flashbacks that were never hinted at before, and introduces new twists constantly.
Rani and Rishu’s love story is told to us, not shown, and it’s to the detriment of the film. With the entire plot hinging on their ability to be together, the couple’s chemistry is missing as the fuel to propel the story forward. I didn’t care whether or not they got together, and that’s not what you want to hear about a tragic love story.
Our Call: SKIP IT. This movie is the personification of the “they had us in the first half” meme—a promising start that utterly falls apart in trying to tie all of the loose ends together.
Radhika Menon ( @menonrad ) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
For more entertainment news and streaming recommendations, visit decider.com
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