Phhir (2011)

Director: Girish Dhamija
Producer: Vikram Bhatt
Starring: Rajneesh Duggal, Adah Sharma, Roshni Chopra,
Release Date: 12-08-2011
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Girish Dhamija's Phhir which stars Rajneesh Duggal, Adah Sharma, and Roshni Chopra -- always seems to keep you curious about what is happening, so much so that it virtually makes up for everything that falls short.

The irony is, despite a marginal plot, simplified dialogue, and not-so-spectacular acting; Phhir will suck you in and make you watch the film until the very end just to find out what happened.
Set in a variety of locations across England, Phhir starts off vaguely following a man whose face is never revealed (until much later in the film, that is). Moments after he is introduced, the mystery man kills himself. The film’s central characters enter right after, with Kabir (Duggal) and his bride-to-be Sia (Chopra) dancing to an item number. After the loving couple parts ways for work, Kabir soon becomes worrisome when Sia is suddenly nowhere to be found.
Disha (Adah Sharma) comes into the picture to help Kabir to solve the mystery of what happened to Sia.

In many ways, Phhir seems like a shot straight out of 1980s Bollywood, and to make the film more relevant to today's audience the director has

incorporated the principles of Karma and the Bhagvad Gita.

Oddly enough, there is some entertainment value in sitting through 95 minutes of a convoluted story with questionable acting and overly simplified dialogue just to discover the truth behind Sia’s fate. For some, the story’s mystery is so compelling and the climactic moments in the film are so well-timed, there is enough enjoyment to take out of Phhir to justify its viewing. The power of curiosity is not to be underestimated, as Phhir is living proof.

Enhancing the mystery is, indeed, the aforementioned climaxes. Dhamija does a pretty decent job of pacing the film. Just when the movie appears as if it's about to drag, or you think you've had it with Disha’s questionable visions, a new reveal presents itself, ergo bringing you right back to asking that question: “what the heck happened to Sia?!”

Of course, the reveals take on a very different nature after intermission, as a major clue drops into the audience’s lap right before the break.

After all, that old idiom about curiosity killing the cat is completed by its rejoinder that “satisfaction brought it back.”