Vinil's Haseen Dilruba starts with a backdrop of Jwalapur , city with water overflowing everywhere and small but lonely streets. This is very much like the city about which Rani reads in Pandit ji's books. Taapsee plays the role of Dilruba aka Rani Kashyap, who is raised in Delhi and is married to a seedha-sadha ladka Rishu, played by Vikrant Massey. He is definitely not what had she hoped for and feels stuck in a marriage with no communication or intimacy. Then enters Rishu's cousin -Neel who flirts with her and she instantly falls for him. The story feels very predictable till here but changes in the second half.
Taapsee is a strong actor and has done justice to her role, though I felt the character lacked depth. Harshvardhan Rane does not add any value to the film with his acting. I really enjoyed watching the banter between Rishu's mom and Rani. Rishu's Mom is a stout short lady and adds an element of fun in the otherwise grim movie. But the star of the show is Vikrant Massey, who beholds the entire film with his flawless acting. His character has layers and Vikrant puts them in front of the audience so beautifully that despite Taapsee being the protagonist, Vikrant becomes the real hero. Rishu is a simple engineer , who hesitates to talk to girls. He is hopelessly in love with Rani and despite his efforts he is not able to become what his wife would want him to be. But as the movie progresses, we see the uncanny side of Rishu which makes you feel he is a total psycho who wants to murder his wife to revenge the deceit. From an ordinary guy, to a revengeful husband to a passionate lover, Vikrant delivers a power-packed performance and leaves you wanting for more. Right from the dialogues to the body language he has adapted the character so well that you actually think there is a Rishu in some tier three city in India, who is madly in love with his wife , who can die and kill for her.
There are some really well written dialogues in the film and the soundtrack is decent.
If you haven't watched Haseen Dilruba yet, please watch it on Netflix and let me know if you find this helpful. I will end the review with Pandit ji's quote from the film :
Amar prem vahi hai jisme khoon ke halke halke cheete ho, taake use buri nazar na lagey!
