Tapsee Pannu in 'Haseen Dilruba'.
Netflix
"Red is the colour of anger, revenge, blood... and also love,” declares Taapsee Pannu, whose life is mired in several buckets of the shade.
On the run after a murder, our ‘dilruba’ is back with her partner (Vikrant Massey) in another cat-and-mouse game, that has more to do with crocodiles and snakes this time.
The sequel is set in Agra, with the Taj Mahal looming in the background as the lovers plot their next move to outwit cops and flee to Thailand.
The movie remains anchored in its pulp fiction roots. The lead characters are obsessed with a fictitious writer’s crime thrillers, where reptiles add some bite to the police proceedings.
There is something endearing about cheap paperbacks where the dead inevitably rise to avenge. It’s a journey of deja vu, but the bumps are overlooked for the thrills of a fast-paced ride.
And it’s a love triangle again. The third corner is Sunny Kaushal, a compounder smitten by Taapsee and her sky-blue dupatta and pink salwar at first sight. But the woman is more comfortable in saris and stringy blouses, the mainstay of the love-sex-deceit drama.
The franchise has a new cop — Jimmy Shergill who takes his “woodpecker” moniker seriously. The man pecks away until he makes a hole in the wood. That said, the movie’s main plot holes are also attributed to the cartoonish cops who can’t smell a rat when it’s right under their noses.
While the scheming couple holds its own, the movie truly belongs to Sunny Kaushal, the amoral lover who will go to any lengths to obtain the object of his desire.
Cut-off box - Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba Hindi (Netflix) Director: Jaiprad Cast: Taapsee Pannu Vikrant Massey Sunny Kaushal Jimmy Sheirgill Rating: 2.5/5