Cherishing phillauri’s fresh sparkle

The spark that is seen in the eyes of two star crossed lovers every time they see each other is by far the most electric feeling present in the universe. One that jolts your soul and not your earthy body. And if that attraction is combined with how beautifully the two souls enhance each other’s human traits without letting pride, ego, and jealousy getting in the way is nothing less than pure addictive magic that is enough to last not one but all your lifetimes. And one that is worth waiting for, once found. Phillauri has managed to capture the same essence on camera and portray it on screen which is my favorite part of the film and the reason the film works for me.

Set in the rustic background of undivided India and Punjab, Phillauri is fairy tale about two souls destined to be one but have been left to discover each other in a lifetime they have been given. I say fairy tale because it is close to imaginary what the two leading characters, Sashi (Anushka Sharma) and Roop Lal (Diljit Dosanjh) share. Close to imaginary but not completely so.

I have not felt a love like this, a love to fight for, a love that compels you to leave your near and dear ones, a love that requires you to make a choice of one over another. But I sure have seen such love and experienced it in extremely close quarters which is why I believe in the subject of the film. The only thing that anyone ever hopes for I guess is that they have the courage to stand by and fight (if need be) for such love, if you are fortunate to be blessed with it. Or, maybe just showing up for your wedding and have faith in the love you share with each other like the adorable, young and more relatable couple of Kanan ( Suraj Sharma) and Anu (Mehrene Kaur Pirzada) who discover their path through Shashi and Roop Lal’s saga.

The story carries this freshness with it throughout the running time of 138 mins which is something that can only be achieved by a new and talented team which is the USP of film. Phillauri is a film with power packed performances that are subtle yet impressive. You will find that most of the emotions are conveyed through the eyes of the four lead characters that all have a childlike innocence that touch your heart.

In a time where Bollywood is being brash about its script, ideas and performances this trait is hard to spot as you may mistake it for boring. Trust me, I made the same mistake. After watching Ranbir Kapoor take an earthen pot and beat it on his chest or Varun Dhawan dumping Alia in the boot of a car in a foreign land, it tunes your mind to believe that high intensity drama = high intensity love.

Phillauri is that holy bath that you need to wash away these atrocious ideas that have been planted in your garden of thought.

A round of applause to debutant director Anishai Lai as he has managed to turn an average script into an extraordinary film. There is no over the top drama, unnecessary or unrelated songs or even impractical sequences in the film. However, in spite of that it does seem like a slight drag, but again that is because the filmmaker and producers (Read Anushka Sharma’ Clean Slate Films and Fox Star Studios) have stayed away from high decibel tacky overdoing’s.

What I was left with when the movie ended was the dialogues in the film and lyrics and music of the audio tracks, which after so long have been a treat to the mind and soul. Sahiba and What’s up and the evergreen ‘Din Shagana Da’ are what are going to be playing on loop in my car for a while now.  It’s the marriage of these two that bring out the rustic feel to the story which is an absolute delight! So all credits to the fabulous Anvita Dutt Guptan who has penned the story and dialogues along with the songs with Neeraj Rawat and Aditya Sharma giving words to the beautiful music by Jasleen Royal and Shaswat Sachdev.

The part where Shashi speaks her mind and manages to cut through Roop lal’s heart is bang on. Or when Kanan and Anu are trying to figure out what the problem is like a normal young couple, afraid of the ‘forever’ tag they are going to be labelled with. The performances are honest from the heart which are rightly sprinkled with simple but memorable lines which is exactly what separates this feature film from the usual crass.

Go for the film if you can handle subtle yet powerful performances and if you have somehow managed to save the sensitive side of yourself that does emerge when you read, see or hear real stories with genuine emotions. Also go for it if you watched the last couple of films knowing and believing that they are crappy and went for them anyway. In that case, let Anushka Sharma’s Phillauri (that’s how I like to call it ^_^) attempt to narrate a normal story with a nice fantasy twist giving it a shot at transporting you in a world which makes you believe that true love exists in all forms.