Phillauri

Phillauri is Anushka Sharma's second movie as a producer after NH10 and this time she has ventured into the genre of romantic comedy.

While there are many Bollywood movies consisting of love stories, Phillauri is a movie you don't get to see everyday. Although the story of the movie was not new, the concept of the movie was something fresh and people were eager to watch the movie right after seeing the trailer. Phillauri's story is an average story but the way the story was set up was new. Anvita Dutt has written the story and screenplay of the movie and she has done a really commendable job. Anshai Lal as a debutant director has done a job worth praising.

The cast of Phillauri consist of Anushka Sharma, Diljit Dosanjh, Suraj Sharma and Mehreen Pirzada. Anushka Sharma's performance as a ghost and a long lost lover was quite heartwarming and lovely to watch. Suraj Sharma's performance as a confused NRI was quite fun to watch although he was lacking a bit of depth in the emotional side, Mehreen Pirzada's performance as his lover was quite impressive. While all the cast members did their job wonderfully, it is Diljit Dosanjh who steals the show, Diljit handled his role quite sincerely and weaved his character brilliantly in the movie.

The music is probably the best part of the movie. The music has its own uniqueness and this kind of music is rare to find in any Bollywood movie nowadays. The background scores by Samir Uddin and the songs by Shashwat Sachdev & Jasleen Royal were wonderfully composed which sincerely sticks to the theme of the movie.

The VFX and editing was very good and impressive, the cinematography was quite impressive as well.

The only downside of the movie was that it was progressing in a very slow pace and it gets slower in the second half. Certain scenes looked stretched, certain scenes could have also been avoided and more elements could have been added to the story instead.

Although the progression of the story was slow, the ending of the movie was totally unexpected, it was also quite quick owing to the fact that the movie was slow, but then again the ending was quite satisfying and truly concludes the whole movie.

Conclusion-

Although Phillauri is your average love story, it has been beautifully weaved with a new concept. The progression of the movie was slow but the performances of the cast makes you forget about the slow pacing. In short, it is a heartwarming film about love which will truly entertain you and won't make you disappointed.

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/

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

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