Phillauri

Anushka Sharma carries this film on her capable shoulders, delivering a nuanced performance that oscillates between playful ghost and woman with genuine conviction—the latter being far more interesting. Her chemistry with Diljit Dosanjh crackles when the film allows it, but that's precisely the problem: director Anurag Kashyap seems afraid to commit to either the romantic comedy or the historical drama lurking beneath. The Manglик curse setup is disposable nonsense, a plot device so flimsy it insults the intelligence of anyone over twelve, yet the film wastes precious time on it when it could be exploring the genuinely compelling Phillauri storyline that emerges in the second half.

The real film—Shashi's journey, her intellect, her defiance of village mediocrity, her influence on Roop Lal's conscience—arrives far too late and leaves far too quickly. Kashyap fumbles what could have been a sharp critique of how women's contributions are erased from history, how credit is stolen, how conformity is rewarded. Instead, we get a muddled romance that doesn't know if it wants to be witty banter or meaningful connection. The period portions have visual charm, but they feel tacked-on, like Kashyap shot two different films and couldn't decide which one to make.

What saves this from complete mediocrity is the second-half pivot and Sharma's earnestness in playing a woman who actually mattered, who challenged men and systems. But salvation arriving in the final act doesn't redeem a film t