Phillauri

I created this account specifically because the person who has reviewed this movie before me refers to it as a "rip off" of the Corpse Bride. He has either not watched Corpse Bride (in which case he can't compare the two) or he hasn't watched Phillauri (on which case he cannot post a review here). Corpse Bride and Phillauri are two different movies with two different plots. I would even go on to say that Phillauri is more appealing.

Phillauri is about a man who is manglik. (Manglik is an entirely Hindu idea, no one outside India even knows what manglik means so this can't have happened in an English movie). His parents force him to marry a tree and in the process he gets married to a ghost who lives in the tree. The first half is hilarious and the second drags on a bit but it is watchable. The end makes you feel good about watching it. Diljit Dosanjh and Anushka Sharma are amazing. The maid lead pair don't have much chemistry and not much can be expected of them since it is their first movie.

I think we should start appreciating our home grown talent rather than trying to find similarities where there are none. An original movie and a must watch.

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.

https://stuffiwatchblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/phillauri/

These ghost/friendly spirit films make me cringe a lot especially when I saw Urvashi Rautela in Great Grand Masti. This film is basically a loose adaptation of Tim Burton's The Corpse. When I saw the trailer of this film, I didn't expect much from it.

So the movie revolves around a NRI westernized slacker named Kanan who has plans of marrying his love life Anu. Based on his Horoscope, he is forced to marry a tree to avoid giving any bad luck to his fiancée. While sleeping, a friendly spirit named Shashi comes to haunt Kanan and after a few mishaps, she manages to tell Kanan that instead of marrying the tree, he married the spirit who lived inside that tree. Knowing the truth behind the ghost's past and fixing it is basically what this film is about.

Honestly, this film is highly average at best. The story and screenplay is decent which makes the gripping factors of romance very consistent but this is only during the 1st half of the film. Post the interval makes it too far-fest and uneasiness starts to creep in especially during the climax.

It did become a bore to such extent when it came to the music which didn't do any justice to the film.

The performances were strong which made it a paisa vasool.

Anushka Sharma as usual has given a brilliant performance but the comedic factors in her role was a bit cold at times.

Diljit Dosanjh in Udta Punjab was commendable and so for this film when he played a poet from Phillaur.

Life of Pi was a benchmark with Suraj Sharma's performance. His debut in Bollywood was decent and charming. He is good which did make me laugh alright during some times in the movie.

Mehreen Pirzada was also decent and she started off well in this film but could've been better.

In contrast, there are issues in the film which compromised the depth of the film.

The music is average and no song really stands out as such especially when getting new composers for such movies.

Although Sahiba is a light hearted and kindling soundtrack but still the music is the culprit behind the snooze-fest elements in the movie.

The movie does stretch another 15-20 minutes making the climax very crass with alleviated grips.

Overall, the movie could've been better in terms of avoiding a predictable plot, music, and direction making it a bit rather underwhelming but the earnest performances kept the movie alive.

2.5/5- just save your money this weekend unless if you're craving to see Anushka Sharma's commendable acting chops.

Very worst idea and concept. The fearing is not natural. Dialagues writing is not good.

I am in love with this movie. It's a great blend of romance, comedy, drama, emotions and comedy. I am not expecting anyone to agree with me. But it's after many years that such a lovely movie has been made

Yes, it has its flaws. But the overarching story is too good and overpowers all its shortcomings

Anyone who liked romantic movies should definitely watch it. Haters will hate. But lovers will love eternally