Last evening saw a Hindi movie, “Haseen Dilruba” released on Netflix platform. The release on 2nd July was a big budget affair with big posters in major dailies.

Being a regular movie, fortunately it appears to be somewhat sober, compared to what we see on “web series”, which go overboard.  There are good actors like Tapsee Pannu, who has done meaningful roles in movies like Thappad and Pink. She plays Rani an urban girl from Delhi. She gets married to Rishu, a small city boy, played by Vikrant Massey, who played Bablu Bhaiyya in the messy series, Mirzapur (1&2). Rani moves to Rishu’s home in Jwalapur.

What is this Jwalapur? The movie is shot in Haridwar, one can recognise the stream of Ganga River/ Canal with houses on the bank. However, the name given used is Jwalapur, all through, no mention of Haridwar. There are some filmy signboards pronouncing it as Jwalapur city. (understand there is only a suburb by that name).

Why Jwalapur? The movie has a strange story which becomes bizarre. Rani is vegetarian and Rishu’s family also does not cook meat at home. The family gets a visitor and Rani falls for him. So much so, that she decides to cook meat for him. There are scenes of Rani going to meat market of the city, negotiating, and buying meat. Now those who are familiar with buying, will know that a meat vendor will chop to pieces and give you in that so obvious black plastic bag. Here Rani brings a big chunk at home. The smalltown family has a deep freezer at home, not so common in metros.  They have big knives at home to chop it.

Rani goes again to meat-market, the scene is repeated 2-3 times, the reason is some stretched context to the story. While the movie is shot in Haridwar, more than Ganga, you remember the meat market scenes.

The name Jwalapur is used to cover but there are enough hints such that audience has no doubt. When Rishu goes to Bus Stand for taking a bus, first you see a bus “Rishikesh-Delhi”, later in close-up the signboard is shown as “Jwalapur- Delhi”.

The usage of mutton chopping knife, that is shown later is repulsive and impossible to believe. Rani hits a person with a goat leg (raan in Hindi) and he collapses. They make a scheme and Rishu is shown chopping own hand with a mutton knife. Now, Haseen Dillruba is not “127 Hours” to depict such self-amputation.

The whole sequence of mutton looks concocted. Wonder what the intention of director Vinyl Mathew was in picking up Haridwar? Why the holy city should be picturised like this? Interestingly, T-Series ( “Jai Mata Di” fame) are among the producers of this movie.

The movie depicts leads Rani and Rishu getting this bizarre from a crime novel, “Kasauli Ka Kahar”, but what they have depicted and the way it is depicted, it looks “Jwalapur Ka Jahar”.

Rishikesh

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