I was so ready to like Phillauri. It was by far one of my most anticipated films of 2017, which boasted of some great actors and fantastical elements. And yet, while these are all theoretically present, they are brought to life with poor direction from newcomer Anshai Lal, leaving you with a film which tries hard but one which falls flat and is surprisingly mundane.
What’s particularly sad here is just how much the film has going for it at face value, with so much acting talent with the likes of the unendingly pleasant man-of-the-moment Diljit Dosanjh, leading lady Anushka Sharma and Life Of Pi’s Suraj Sharma making his Bollywood debut. This, coupled with a wonderfully whimsical concept makes this a sorely wasted opportunity as a result of poor, patchy execution and riddled with characters and actors that deserve a better film.
Throughout Phillauri I couldn’t help but keep wondering what it could have been in more capable hands, as there is so much promise here and it's amply clear what the makers are trying to do and how they attempt to tie the various interesting threads together. It just fails to land it. At best, Phillauri is an effort to be appreciated, just not a ride to be enjoyed.
The story tells of Kanan (Suraj Sharma) the Punjabi boy settled in ‘Canedah’ who returns home to marry his childhood sweetheart only to find out he’s Manglik and must first marry a tree, as is the (ridiculous) tradition. To his dismay, he finds out that that very tree was inhabited by a ghost named Shashi (Anushka Sharma) who he is now inadvertently married to. The film explores Kanan’s apprehension towards his own nuptials whilst exploring Shashi’s turbulent past and love story with Phillauri (Diljit Dosanjh) as they try to determine what her unfinished business might be. The film continually intercuts between Kanan’s story in present day and the past with Shashi’s budding love story with Phillauri.
The first half is by far the easier watch and is enjoyable enough, focusing largely on the comedic aspects of Kanan getting used to the fact that he now has a ghost bride, with this portion largely resting on the shoulders of Suraj Sharma’s impressive comedic timing with some fun albeit overlong gags. The equation between Kanan and Ghost Shashi is ironically one of the only arcs of the film’s plot which is given ample attention. Almost every other relationship, conflict and narrative arc in the remainder of Phillauri is casually skimmed over, barely giving the audience enough time to fully invest, digest or appreciate what’s unfolding.
This culminates in an over-dramatic midpoint where suddenly these characters we barely know, let alone care about yet, all find themselves in some sort of anguish that we are supposed to empathise with. This is particularly true of Shashi’s backstory with Phillauri which is by far the weaker of the two narratives, where again we are made to feel for characters and situations we are barely introduced to.
Similarly, the film’s music is largely used to emphasise various moments of love and pain when we've barely been able to feel them organically. Suffice to say, a great deal of it feels forced, which is particularly sad given it boasts of a great soundtrack from composers Shashwat Sachdev and Jasleen Royal offering a well-rounded mix of energetic beats and deep ballads alike.
What’s more, the film does a poor job of bringing the two stories together in how past and present interact, both in terms of editing and narrative. The transitions and inter-cutting between the two feel random and despite all best efforts, fails to draw meaningful parallels between both love stories. As a result, you find yourself increasingly coming out of the film and caring less and less as it goes on.
In terms of the performances, Suraj Sharma clearly has a lot going for him but, much like the rest of the leading cast, he deserves a better film and role through which to showcase that. Anushka Sharma fails to have the impact she usually does, more so because she doesn't have much to do, particularly as Shashi in the past, who is easily the film’s least well-realised character.
Diljit Dosanjh, Bollywood’s latest blue-eyed boy, has great screen presence and is just a lot of fun to watch and despite essaying a very patchy and underwritten character, Dosanjh oozes sincerity and makes the most of what he’s given. Not to mention getting to have quite the superstar entrance because that’s exactly what he is - a superstar in the making. Special mention of Mehreen Pirzada as Kanan’s bride Anu who makes a noticeable impact, as she manages to demand your sympathy far more than some of the film's lead characters.
Whilst Phillauri certainly has its heart in the right place, it severely falls short and in the end, it looks like the Sharma siblings will have to revisit the drawing board and follow their new company’s titular philosophy of starting with a clean slate. I'm going with 2 stars.
