Sahiba: Romantic number from Phillauri rekindles Mirza-Sahiba's tragic yet soulful romance

Ever since the trailer of Anshai Lal’s directorial debut Phillauri was launched, the couple of lines from the song ‘Sahiba’ have left the viewers asking for more. Though the makers released two songs, ‘Dum Dum’ and ‘What’s Up’, neither of them matches the sheer recall value of those two lines from ‘Sahiba’. [caption id=“attachment_3305278” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Anushka Sharma and Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Sahiba. YouTube[/caption] The song, right from its visuals to its soulful rendition by Romy, leaves you enchanted. We have seen glimpses of the supernatural in the trailer of Phillauri (read: Anushka Sharma playing a ghost) but nothing rekindles the magic as well as ‘Sahiba’ does. The composition uses folk instruments like a Punjabi string instrument and the tabla quite liberally which complements the landscape of rural Punjab and the screen presence of Diljit Dosanjh. Lyrically, it is the best song of the film yet. The words of the song juxtapose the unspoken romance between Anushka and Dosanjh’s characters to that of Mirza-Sahiba. The song is redolent of the tragedy of the folk tale but it does not claim the greatness of the celebrated couple. Instead, it is just sung as a folk number by Dosanjh who plays a singer in the film. But the ease that Anushka and Dosanjh’s characters share on the screen speaks volumes of why their comparison with Mirza-Sahiba is not in vain. Anushka is a charmer in this song. She slips into the shoes of a forlorn Punjabi lover with aplomb. When she cries her eyes out, she detaches herself completely from her starry persona and delivers an unhinged portrayal of her character. It looks like this film will provide her a chance to display her range - comic skills as a ghost and a nuanced pained portrayal as the unfulfilled lover. Phillauri also stars Suraj Sharma and is produced by Anushka and her brother Karnesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Films. It is slated to release on 24 March.