Parents' Guide to Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba

A sequel to 2021's Haseen Dillruba, this Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller lacks the comedic interludes and novelty of the original. Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba dives into the Hindi pulp fiction genre again, in all its scandalous glory. Intrigue, lust, murders, and desperate decisions, the genre is definitely enjoyable. It is meant to be outrageous and unhinged. The characters are supposed to make mistakes and get embroiled in overly dramatic plans. However, the film does not have its own legs and relies on the audience having watched the first one to follow certain threads of the storytelling. It is also quite morose and serious, and not as fun as Hasseen Dillruba because the charming small-town dynamics and characters are now set aside. Pannu, however, is excellent as Rani, and Kaushal delivers a chilling performance as Abhimanyu, the quiet, unassuming doctor who is capable of making dangerous moves when the time comes. Massey reprises the role of Rishu but seems to have shed the slight malicious edge of the character seen in the first film. Jimmy Shergill gets little range to work with as the police officer in charge and seems uncomfortable as he struggles to act menacing. As a series, the Hasseen Dillruba films work tolerably well in tandem, but as a standalone movie, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba turns out to be average fare.