Phillauri Review | Anushka Sharma | Diljit Dosanjh

One line Review: This light-hearted tale of love that manages to make take you to a delightful journey.

Positive Points: The refreshing storyline and execution is noteworthy. Also, the special effects and VFX used for Shashi, the friendly ghost, are impressive. The film managed to keep the audience hooked throughout.

Negative Points: Although, the length of the film is perfect, there are a few scenes that seem dragged and over stretched. The transition between the present and the flashback is not very smooth though comprehensible.

Plot: Childhood sweethearts Kannan ( Suraj Sharma ) and Anu ( Mehreen Pirzada ) are gearing up to get hitched. But, Kannan who is a Canada return 26-year-old lad is finding all the big fat Punjabi wedding Jazz a bit too much! He is confused, sad and gripped with all sorts of emotions other than happiness which is making Anu nothing but worried. Anu on the other hand has only one dream since her childhood, which is to get married to Kannan.

In all this chaos, Kannan is forced to get married to a tree because he is Manglik. But, Kannan finds himself in a fix when he learns that he has married a ghost Shashi ( Anushka Sharma ) who lived on that tree! Shahi has a backstory to her life due to which her soul is still stuck in this world! What is her story? Will she ever be liberated?

Direction and other Technical Aspects: Director Anshai Lal debuts in Bollywood via this movie and it is definitely a confident first attempt. His execution of the plot is praiseworthy and the way his camera captures both the pre-independence and present era is commendable. Another important aspect are its dialogues. The dialogues are so intelligently written, placed and used that the plot is readily clear to the viewers and scenes are reduced. The character and other clever details are given out. Many a times, the film fails to render a complete picture or the character details but here, the characters and their stories are simply expressed via dialogues and emotions which is brilliant. There are a few scenes that seem dragged also, the second half slightly loosens up. The costumes are perfect and the cinematography is on point. The team has drastically invested on the VFX and it shows! The way they have carved the ghost’s character is mind-blowing.

Performances: Anushka Sharma who is the lead star of the film as well as the producer is a gem. She balances both her roles aptly. Her ghost act is loveable and she looks like a dream in all the frames. Performance wise, Anushka brings her A game here and shines bright literally throughout the film!

Diljit Dosanjh is a strong performer and his love for Punjab and mastery in Punjabi are his strengths. His presence on screen is a delight and he makes a spectacular pair with Anushka. Their chemistry is striking. He manages to pull off a justifiable act.

Suraj Sharma puts together an adorable act! His accent, his confused look and his dialogue delivery suits his character well. His scared antics turn out to be super funny. The Life of Pi actor is sure to go a long way with his strong performing skills.

Mehreen Pirzada debuts in Bollywood with this film. Her innocent face is perfect for the character that she essays. Although, she has a limited screen space, she manages to make her presence felt. She expresses all the emotions aptly and is perfect for the role.

Music: All the songs are endearing. ‘Dum Dum’ and ‘Saheba’ already a huge hit amongst the viewers and music lovers. These songs manage to stay with you for long. The back-ground score is appealing and gels well with the visuals.

Final Verdict: Phillauri is a perfect weekend treat for all the cine lovers. It is love story that narrates two tales parallelly. It can be summed up as a onetime watch for its fresh and loveable narrative!