SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2017 (PAGE 4) BOLLYWOOD-BUZZ MOVIE-REVIEW " All achievements dimmed in comparison Phillauri fails to connect emotionally to what I felt when I gave birth to Adira" While Horror has been a popular genre fails to narrate either of the stories convincingly. While the parents working. They know that parents will come back in Bollywood, there have also been a film’s first half is funny (in parts) and bearable, the film sees and spend quality time with them. Because I have help. I a drastic downslide in its second half, which is mostly dedicat- can leave my child at home. It is easier because I have peo- few films made over the years that ed to Anushka Sharma character’s life in the past. The slow ple I can trust. In other cases, there are family members, have dealt with the concept of the and predictable second half does nothing more than testing the patience of the audience. Even the parallels between the but I live in a nuclear setup. And it’s taken me long to kind friendly ghost. Films like Chamatkar, of identify people and to be able to have that confidence of two eras seem extremely forced. One just cannot help but say leaving my baby for those many hours and leave the house. Bhoothnath and Hello Brother are that the film’s climax is bizarre and outrageous. Anshai Lal For the first six months, I was completely immersed. I some of the popular movies in the really needs to understand how to narrate stories if he is plan- would not move out for a minute. ning for a long innings in Bollywood. Had you planned to take such a long break? space of horror comedy. As for the performances, the film’s protagonist Anushka Sharma excels in the film. After having delivered a smash hit I’d decided to take a break for one year because I want- This week’s release PHILLAURI happens to be set on the performance in her last film AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL, she deliv- ed to give my child that much time. I wanted to be a part of same premise of a friendly ghost. Will this film spin magic at ers a decent performance in PHILLAURI. Even though her each milestone in my baby’s life — from the first word to the Box-Office or will it ‘vanish in thin air’, let’s analyze. character comes as half baked (because of the script), she man- the first step, etc. I would’ve hated it if she’d done some- Fox Star Studios’ PHILLAURI is about the unfulfilled love ages to pull it off with supremacy. After having done a decent thing for the first time and I missed it. of a ghost who has not attained peace after death. The film job in his last film (the drug drama UDTA PUNJAB), Diljit What has changed post motherhood? starts off with an array of dangerous (inflight) dreams of the Dosanjh shows his soft and vulnerable side in PHILLAURI. Carrying a child is such a great feeling. I have not expe- Canada based Kanan Rajinder rienced anything close to it in the 22 years of my work life. (Suraj Sharma), who is on his This feeling is way greater than any feeling I’ve ever had. way to India to get married to All my achievements dimmed in comparison to what I felt his childhood sweetheart Anu when I gave birth to Adira. You know, slowly, I am discov- (Mehreen Pirzada). After his ering so many fascinating things in Adira which makes me arrival, his parents tell a feel, ‘God! why didn’t I have children earlier? I would have ‘secret’ to Anu’s parents stat- had more.’ ing that Kanan is a ‘maanglik’. Most mothers returning to work feel guilty... Without any frets or tension, I have spent so much quality time with Adira that I am both the families act on the not going to feel that guilt. I have tried to make a shift in advice of an astrologer and get such a way that I am not with her when she is busy. Then Kanan married to an old tree, during her playtime, I will be back with her, so she does not which they chop off later. Lit- register my time away that much. Or that is what I am hop- tle does he know that, at the Rani Mukherji was immersed in mother- ing for... I don’t know how it’s going to be. I am dreading pretext of marrying the tree, hood, and movies were nowhere in the pic- it. I am mentally preparing myself for the eight or nine he actually got married to hours I have to give to my work every day. When they cast Shashi (Anushka Sharma), me, they were like, ‘Rani ko lekar kaam karenge’. I keep ture. whose soul has been within Now that the queen has committed to a film, she is com- praying to God everyday ki aisa nahi ho ki they say, ‘kyun le liya yaar, kisi aur ko le lete!’ the tree since the year 1919. ing out of her self-imposed exile. As she talks about her hus- Why did you choose Hichki? Even though Kanan gets band, I can’t help but marvel at her fairytale marriage. It’s When the script came to me, I wasn’t thinking about get- scared of Shashi and her a coming together of two very different people and they ting back to work. I really liked the script and said, ‘Okay, actions at first, gradually, he make it work, without making it seem like work. As she we can go ahead with it.’ It was a process that happened not only befriends her but also returns to the set to shoot her next film Hichki, she talks organically. Then it hit me, ‘I have to leave my daughter and gets her ‘introduced’ to Anu. about what drove her back to work (her hubby), what drives go to work.’ My husband feels if he hadn’t have pushed me, When asked about the reason her to act (the love of her fans) and what she dreads (not I wouldn’t have come back. I would be very happy being for Shashi’s ghostly existence, giving her best to her work). Read on for excerpts.... with Adira whole day long. And that’s true. I am most con- she recalls her love story with Let’s talk about your comeback. tent when I am with my daughter. Right now, she is taking Roop Lal Philauri (Diljit Again, that word! Comeback! It’s nothing. It’s just like her afternoon nap, so I am comfortable. The minute she Dosanjh), which, till date as any another professional taking a maternity leave/break remained an unfulfilled dream because of unforeseen situa- wakes up, I will be like, ‘Okay, time to go.’ Despite having limited scope, he puts on a decent perform- and then coming back to work. That’s exactly what I am tions and circumstances. What were the circumstances which How is pre-Adira Rani different from thepost- ance. The film’s scene stealer is however, the endearing Suraj doing. played the villain between Shashi and Roop Lal’s love, what Adira one? Sharma, who has, to his credit Hollywood films like LIFE OF Excited about being back on a film set? When I look back now at my career, I feel I was anoth- happens to Shashi’s soul ultimately and do Kanan and Anu get PI, MILLION DOLLAR ARM and others. He makes a decent I still don’t know if I am ready to get back to work. I have er person. They say a child gives birth to a mother. I relate married is what forms the rest of the story. Bollywood debut with PHILLAURI. He plays his part of a con- said yes to working again. But I don’t feel the the way about to that. This innings with Hichki is going to be a new phase Despite the film’s concept having immense potential, fused young boy extremely well. He also consistently main- work now, like I used to, before I had Adira. Right now, in my life as a woman and as an actress. I feel like now I am writer Anvita Dutt fails create magic with her writing. The tains the fun quotient in the film. On the other hand, Mehreen though work is something which gives me happiness, the starting all over again. I am feeling fresh and new. Even the film’s story and screenplay have no logic or direction. Besides Pirzada fails to impress with her Bollywood debut. The rest of joy that Adira gives me is just too special. I keep telling my script that I have chosen, I think, it’s going to give me a lot being confusing, the film’s screenplay also slows down the nar- the character actors (of both the eras) are extremely convinc- husband that’s because he actually forced me to get back to of growth as an actor. rative. PHILLAURI, which begins on a positive and funny ing and play their parts well. work. He was after me for about three months from the time Are you doing any prep for Hichki? note, starts getting endlessly dragged and predictable. Thanks The film’s music (Jasleen Royal) is average and fails to Adira was born, because he saw me getting obsessed with Yes, from last month I have started to prep for the film.