Phir Se...
- Director
- Kunal KohliAjay Bhuyan
- Studio
- Bombay Film Company Ltd.
- Release Date
- 14 January 2018
- Language
- Hindi
- Country
- India
Review
Deepti Naval and Rajat Kapoor anchor this melancholic dissection of post-breakup limbo with restrained performances that mirror the film's understated approach. Director Jai Mehta doesn't go for melodrama—instead, he lets silences and stolen glances do the heavy lifting. The London setting feels less like exotic backdrop and more like a metaphor for emotional distance, which works in the film's favour. What doesn't work is the glacial pacing; there are stretches where nothing happens, and I don't mean in that contemplative, meaningful way. The script meanders when it should cut deep.
The central conceit—two people orbiting each other's lives after a relationship implodes—has genuine potential, but Mehta doesn't fully excavate it. We get surface-level melancholy instead of the raw, messy complexity that could elevate this beyond arthouse wallowing. There are moments of real tenderness, particularly in a late-film conversation that finally lets both characters breathe, but these feel too infrequent. The film is technically competent, beautifully shot even, but it plays it far too safe with material that demands vulnerability and risk.
Rating: 5/10
Storyline
So this movie follows this couple who used to be together but things didn't work out, and now they're both living in London dealing with all the messy stuff that comes after a breakup. They're trying to figure out how to move forward with their lives while still having to cross paths with each other, which makes everything way more complicated and emotional than it needs to be.
The whole story really digs into how their separation affects them personally and how they're struggling to cope with the reality of their relationship ending. You get to see both sides of the coin – how each person is handling the loneliness, the regrets, and all those feelings that stick around even after you've decided to part ways.
It's basically about two people who are stuck in this awkward space between their past and their future, trying to figure out who they are without each other while still being haunted by memories of what they had together. The film explores all the complicated emotions and internal battles that come with trying to rebuild your life after love falls apart.