Taapsee Pannu's 'Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba' Takes Twisted Love to New Heights!

"Anything odd, weird and twisted comes to me, while anything honest and earnest goes to Vikrant," says Taapsee Pannu. The actor returns to the screen once again to reprise her role as the scheming seductress Rani Kashyap in the sequel to the romantic thriller "Haseen Dilruba.".

"Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba" sees Rani living the life of a widow and running a beauty parlor in Agra. Her husband Rishu (Vikrant Massey), who is on the run from the police, is planning their escape. But things get complicated when a medical compounder Abhimanyu (Sunny Kaushal) takes a liking to Rani, but the arrival of cop Mritunanjay (Jimmy Shergill) may just put a spanner in their well-laid plans.

Written by Kanika Dhillon, the hyper-obsessive and dysfunctional relationship between the two leads in the first part has drawn its share of criticism for endorsing misogyny and domestic violence. Though the sequel tries to bring in some empathy and gives an insight into the psyche of the characters, who are passionately driven in their pursuit of being together.

Taapsee Pannu, who had taken a strong stand and stood by the film, as a few called out its narrative, says that as creators they are often caught in a precarious position. "We are treading a fine line between reflecting and affecting society as people in this industry. If we don't show a reflection of what society is, we are called out for being part of nonsensical and unrelatable narratives. When we mirror real life, then we are called out for promoting all sorts of things. I feel the world and characters are pretty much real; they are echoing the world we live in. You need to open the newspaper every day to see the bizarre stuff people end up doing-that we look fake in comparison. Regarding glorifying toxic relationships and misogyny, you need to see the film from the perspective of the characters; it is not like their actions are making their lives better. It is not a happy ending between any of them. A relationship between a husband and wife cannot be happy if he has severed his arm for her and they are absconding, the wife is struggling, etc.; it is far from a happy situation. So we are not endorsing anything and have stuck a balance."

"It is important to watch any work before forming opinions. If you are even seeking a message, you should have that much awareness on what to do and not to do," says Jimmy Shergill.

Vikrant Massey gives a nuanced performance as Rishu, a man who determinedly stays the course of his love for Rani, even harming himself in the bargain. The actor confesses that a complicated character like Rishu was fun for him to delve into. The actor, who is currently enjoying his purple patch in his career after the astounding success of 12th Fail, says after a decade in cinema he finally feels validated as an actor. "I am finally getting to do the work I want to do, and even getting acknowledged for the same; that is something every artist dreams of. To get to experience it is overwhelming. Revisiting Rishu was enjoyable; he is a major suspension from what he was in Part 1, and it just felt like I was playing an entirely different character, and that was the fun of it. As this franchise gets crazier, one has the liberty to push the envelope, and that space as actors you don't get often. I am also working with actors who are as hungry for performance-driven roles as I am."

Jimmy Shergill and Sunny Kaushal, who debut in the convoluted world of Rani and Rishu, say they were both drawn to writing and the world that had been created. Jimmy plays the police officer committed to investigating the two and their crimes of passion, and one as it says, though the first one was a typical whodunnit, he was intrigued with the premise of "Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba."

"I had watched the first one, and the second half of the film had stayed in my mind, as from the typical one story it went into his crazy one. Once they approached me for my character, I rewatched the film once again to understand the world. I was impressed with the script, and I liked the arc of my character, who understands their intentions, but the two manage to get the better of him."

Sunny Kaushal, who is winning accolades for his performance as the psychotic Abhimanyu, says the film was his way of testing his own waters as a performer. "I was not sure if I could play a character who suspends morality as per his own convenience. He has a victim mentality and justifies all his actions. It was enriching to bring him to life."

As the obsessed fan of pulp fiction writer Dinesh Pandit, Taapsee's Rani's own life starts mirroring the harebrained narrative of the book. The actor says the character helped her overcome her own challenges as a performer. "With Rani, I explored a part of me that I didn't know existed. Playing the seductress, someone using her sexuality, which I haven't done on and off camera. So I discovered that as well, that I could be this person, so I guess there is a sort of an affection for this character."

As 'Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba' ends on a cliffhanger, one cannot wait to see how the third edition in the franchise will unfold.