Escaping the clutches of the law after the explosive events of the first film, the duo find themselves entangled in a new web of deceit and danger. Writer Kanika Dhillon weaves yet another tale of passion, betrayal and murder, this time under the direction of Jayprad Desai, but what Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba serves up doesn't feel fresh.

In Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, Vikrant Massey's Rishabh aka Rishu had faked his death to protect his unfaithful wife, Rani (Taapsee Pannu), from facing prison for the murder of her former lover. The sequel begins in Agra where Rani has reinvented herself as a makeup artist, while Rishabh, in disguise, works tirelessly to organise their escape abroad for a new beginning. With the Uttar Pradesh police still on the case, the couple is forced to stay apart.

New characters are introduced and among them is Sunny Kaushal's Abhimanyu, a dubious compounder with an obssessive infatuation with Rani. This subplot, while initially intriguing, falls flat as the tension between Rani and Abhimanyu lacks the edge of the first film's love triangle.

Taapsee Pannu's portrayal of Rani is both mesmerising and menacing, playing up the allure of the femme fatale. Vikrant Massey as Rishu is, once again, subdued but effective, struggling to maintain normalcy in his chaotic life with Rani. Both Taapsee and Vikrant bring a mix of vulnerability and villainy to their characters that off-set the feeling of sameness to some extent.

As the diligent DSP Mrityunjay Paswan, Jimmy Sheirgill adds gravitas to the investigation plotline but even that doesn't infuse the film with the necessary tension. The entry of a pulp fiction writer - Dinesh Pandit, whose novels influence almost every character in the film - as a tribute to the genre is enjoyable. The references to Pandit's novels serve to underscore the themes of deceit and betrayal. The symbols of dangerous reptiles - one named after crocodiles and the other after cobras - mirror the threat that Rani and Rishu face as they try to elude law-enforcement agencies.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba's climax, which unfolds along the crocodile-infested Yamuna river, aims for grandeur but falls short of the explosive finish one would have expected from such a build-up. The final moments of the film hint at characters assumed dead coming back to life (yawn!), setting the stage for a potential sequel. But do we really need more?