Had Hasseen Dilruba been a one-and-done affair, perhaps the audience would have been spared a cinematic ordeal. Jayprad Desai’s green light for Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba is a perplexing decision that begs explanation. A director’s acumen is paramount in dissecting a suspenseful narrative, especially one replete with twists and turns. The screenwriter has rendered the police useless in the narrative. Crafting a compelling mystery is no child’s play, and it’s evident that Kanika Dhilon’s skills fall short of the mark when compared to even the fictional Dinesh Pandit.
A glimmer of hope emerges with the revelation of Dinesh Pandit’s identity, linking him to the infamous lovebirds in Hasseen Dilruba. However, this revelation is a far cry from the anticipated game-changer. To avoid spoiling the narrative, I’ll refrain from a full-fledged critique and instead focus on the plot’s trajectory and its potential for a third installment.
Spoilers Ahead
Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba kicks off with a breathless Rani storming into the police station, her terror palpable as she seeks protection and accuses her husband of trying to kill her. The narrative moves back to two months when the Hathnikund Barrage on the Yamuna River collapsed because of the heavy rain. The inundation of Agra’s lower regions has brought with it many crocodiles. Amidst this gruesome situation, a love story builds up between Abhimanyu, a compounder, and Rani, a beautician. We have already met Rani, and she is hiding here in Agra.
Rani lives in a house Abhimanyu often visits. She knows that he is madly in love with her. Unfortunately, Rani’s hands are tied. Her husband, Rishabh, is already in Agra, and their frequent rendezvous limits her options. Rishabh and Rani are working hard to fund their escape to another country. They had already made a lot of progress with their plans when Rani was suddenly called for interrogation by Inspector Kishore again. Rani also learns that Kishore has read Dinesh Pandit and learned about how they have murdered Neel.
Why does Abhimanyu Want to Help Rani and Rishabh?
In the police station, Rani sees that Kishore is not heading the investigation, but it is Mrityunjay Paswan. He claims to be a cousin to both Neel and Rishabh, affectionately known as Montu uncle by the boys. Now, he is tasked with solving the crime. Montu uncle has the preconceived notion that Rishabh is alive, or else Rani wouldn’t have survived alone in this new city. The police take swift action, currently scrutinizing call records to pinpoint Rishabh’s location. The owner of the house, Poonam, has a crush on Rishabh. Therefore, she denies knowing him in front of the police, simultaneously alerting Rishabh that the police are looking for him.
Later, Rishabh sneaks into Rani’s house. There, seeing Abhimanyu waiting downstairs for her, Rani comes up with an idea. Abhimanyu’s infatuation with Rani is evident in his prolonged wait to simply watch a movie with her. Capitalizing on this, Rani strategizes that a public outing with Abhimanyu might mislead the police into believing she’s severed ties with Rishabh. So, regardless of Rishabh’s unwillingness, Rani marries Abhimanyu under the guise of a hasty escape from the city. However, one day, Rani sees Rishabh kissing Poonam from afar, and they have a spat. Later that night, Rani gets drunk and indirectly discloses to Abhimanyu that Rishabh is alive.
The following day, Abhimanyu urges Rani to let him meet with Rishabh. He believes that he can get them out of the city. When the three meet, Rishabh asks Abhimanyu why he is trying to help them. Abhimanyu declares his selfless love for Rani, insisting on her happiness above all else. He expresses his hope that Rani might eventually reciprocate his feelings, creating a momentarily warm situation between Rani’s two husbands. Abhimanyu offers Rishabh a room in his clinic, where he can stay for a couple of days. Then, he will help them escape the city.
Why Does Police Capture Rani?
Meanwhile, Poonam follows Rishabh to Abhimanyu’s clinic, and Rishabh somehow manages to send her away. A young boy named Lallan arrives at the clinic, expecting to find Abhimanyu. His confusion is evident when he instead encounters Rishabh. Rani apologizes to Abhimanyu for betraying his love and using him as a tool of escape. He forgives her and wishes to spend one last moment together with Rani. Rani agrees as Abhimanyu leaves for the clinic to give food to Rishabh. Upon his arrival, he discovers Lallan in the company of Poonam, a situation that could potentially escalate into a problem, given that they’ve now seen Rishabh at the clinic.
Soon after, Rishabh learns Abhimanyu’s intentions. He confesses that since his uncle betrayed his father, he killed his whole family by using a snake. He has asked Lallan to bring the snake, and from that time onward, he has been blackmailing him constantly. Later, Abhimanyu attacks Rishabh and locks him inside the clinic. Abhimanyu takes Rani on a romantic boat excursion near the Taj Mahal, a serene setting belied by the lurking danger of crocodiles beneath the water’s surface. Rani’s fear intensifies as Abhimanyu divulges his chilling history of murderous impulses from a young age. But he comes back home with her.
Later that night, Rani runs to the police station. The exact scene we have seen at the film’s beginning plays out. At the station, she meets Inspector Paswan, aka Montu’s uncle. Rani asks him to arrest Abhimanyu, or else he will kill Rishabh. Montu, now certain of Rishabh’s presence in Agra, contacts his elder brother with the news that he’s on the brink of fulfilling his vow to bring Neel’s murderer to justice. Later, the police search all the areas, including the clinic, but don’t find anyone. Two bodies are found near the river in a burnt vehicle. It is assumed that Rani has killed both Abhimanyu and Poonam. With faces completely destroyed by the fire, positive identification hinges solely on the results of a DNA analysis.
How do Rani, Rishabh, and Abhimanyu Escape from the Police?
Paswan plays a brilliant trick by torturing Rani inside the jail. He then leaks news of her torment to Rishabh, making him furious. Rishabh agrees to surrender and gives an exact time and location. Amidst the throng of police officers, a single constable unexpectedly approaches Rani and Rishabh, leaving Paswan momentarily perplexed. The realization soon dawns on him that Abhimanyu is, in fact, alive. The DNA report has arrived. The burnt bodies were of Lallan and Poonam. A confrontation takes place before Paswan can reach the scene and stop them. The three of them jump into the crocodile-infested river.
A couple of days later, Paswan finally understood the whole plan behind the escape. He has now gathered CCTV footage from outside Abhimanyu’s house. Paswan finds that Rishabh was also there the night Rani came to lodge a complaint against Abhimanyu. Faced with mounting pressure from the police, the trio hatches an escape plan, each driven by their own compelling reasons to evade capture. In a desperate gamble, the trio leaps from the bridge. The police assume the worst since there are crocodiles in the river.
Unbeknownst to them, the crocodiles are not within a couple of kilometers, but they have successfully made their escape. We will come to the ‘how’ later. Paswan’s superior, after learning the whole theory, asks him why they would take such a risk. But he has no answer to that. He is then told to drop the case regardless of how personal it is, as the department is facing a lot of trouble. Just like Kishore, Paswan also fails to bring the lovers into custody. Kishore suggests he continue his investigation unofficially, just like he did.
Phir Aayi Hasseen Dilruba (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Abhimanyu try to kill Rishabh?
Six months pass and Paswan receives a package with a Dinesh Pandit book. This book contains the story that the trio followed to escape from the police. Paswan starts reading the book and realizes how Rishabh and Abhimanyu lured the crocodiles away from the rail bridge, the place where Rishabh said he would surrender. To lure the crocodiles away from the rail bridge, they strategically place meat at various points downstream, creating the illusion of a more abundant food source. At the end of the book, there is a note with an address and time, asking him to come for the climax.
Back in Deosar, we see Rani working in a school. Abhimanyu has opened his own clinic. In a flashback, we see that only Rani and Abhimanyu made it to the shore that night. Rishabh was unable to swim past the crocodiles. Rani still feels the pain of losing Rishabh, but she continues living her life. One day, while checking the homework, Rani is amazed to see something written inside one of the notebooks. Later, Abhimanyu receives the same copy as Paswan and goes to the place where he is asked to.
Rani delivers a shocking revelation to Paswan, accusing Abhimanyu of orchestrating Rishabh’s demise to secure his relationship with her. Abhimanyu had planned it all along because he was obsessed with Rani and wanted to spend time with her. To eliminate Rishabh, Abhimanyu had to create the perfect opportunity. As Rishabh struggled to stay afloat with only one arm, Abhimanyu feigned assistance. With calculated cruelty, he seized the moment when a crocodile approached, dislodging Rishabh’s prosthetic arm and casting him into the reptile’s jaws.
Are Rani and Rishabh Dead?
In a final act of defiance, Rani leaps from the cliff into the raging waterfall, ensuring Abhimanyu’s inability to ‘claim’ her. Paswan organizes a search party for Rani’s body, knowing that there is little hope. The police arrest Abhimanyu. Soon after, Paswan receives a call saying that Rani’s body isn’t found. This makes Abhimanyu laugh out loud as he gathers that it has always been their plan for the police not to get to them. At the end of the film, we see how Rishabh escapes by putting his fake arm right in between the crocodile’s jaws.
Later, he finds Rani and writes a note, which she sees inside the notebook. They meet and plan to put Abhimanyu behind bars. Rani needs to jump into the waterfall and then swim across the river to find Rishabh waiting for her. Since Rani has already forced the confession out of Abhimanyu about forcing Rishabh to his death, the police believe that Rishabh is dead. The sheer height of Rani’s fall leaves little doubt about her survival. In the end, Paswan knows that they are both alive. However, there is no way for him to prove it.
Will there be a Part 3?
There should be because there is still so much to be discovered by Paswan, as he has taken the case very personally to avenge Neel’s death. We do not know much about the Big Brother whom Paswan had called from the police station. He already seems like an interesting character. On the other hand, Abhimanyu will also want to take revenge on the lover. So, there are good chances for a part 3. It will be interesting to see whether Rani and Rishabh can outrun the law once again.
So, how is Dinesh Pandit related to Rani? Well, he is Abhimanyu’s father. Since Rani is married to him, Dinesh Pandit is kind of her father-in-law.
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