‘Phir Se’ on Netflix Succeeds By Pushing The Boundaries Of The Typical Bollywood Formula

By now, even the most casual viewer can name the elements of a typical Bollywood flick. There’s melodrama, a few song-and-dance numbers, an exaggerated conflict, and, ultimately, a happy ending. Bollywood thrives on drama. I’m not knocking the formula; as the resident Bollywood fan at Decider, I love these over-the-top aspects of the genre. But every so often, there’s an indie-esque entry that makes me reconsider the equation — in the best way.

Phir Se, aided into existence by streaming giant Netflix, is a welcome foray into the modern world of relationships. It’s rooted in reality instead of playing in Bollywood’s typical playground of heightened circumstances and expectations. The story follows two divorcees who meet at an art gallery in London, and are forced to consider whether they’re ready for love again. Phir Se literally means “once again” in Hindi, and the film intentionally utilizes the canvas of second chances to paint its love story.

One of the most refreshing aspects of Phir Se is that it doesn’t turn to stereotypical gender paths following the breakup. Jai (played by co-director Kunal Kohli) and Kaajal (Jennifer Winget in one of her first lead roles in a Bollywood film) recommit themselves to happiness after their divorces are finalized. For Jai, that means entering another relationship focusing on fun over commitment without leaning on alcohol. Kaajal decides to move halfway across the world to start over both personally and professionally instead of spending her days crying over her broken marriage, landing her in London to fatefully meet Jai. The chemistry between the two leads is apparent from the moment they meet, rooted in the initial days of friendly banter, and progressing all the way to the realization that their feelings aren’t quite as innocent as they believed. There are a few moments that feel so real, I wondered if they’ve somehow been pulled from my own life (who hasn’t felt extra-sensitive when they were drunk only to stumble home and throw up in front of your crush? *raises hand*).

There are elements of Phir Se that I wish mainstream Bollywood films would adopt. Maybe it’s that the stars are newcomers (though Kohli is an industry veteran behind the camera) or maybe it’s just that the film is willing to be honest about what it is. Kohli is pushing 50 and, refreshingly, he’s playing a character his age; Jai explicitly references the age difference between himself and Kaajal, citing their age difference as something to consider but not enough to derail their relationship. Comparatively, most Bollywood films brush this under the rug by routinely casting men old enough to be their costar’s father as their love interest — it’s cringeworthy.

Bollywood is an industry driven by love stories, but rarely ever shows the physical side of relationships — never mind sex, the Indian film industry hardly even shows two characters kissing on the lips. The first time I ever saw a simulated sex scene in Bollywood was in 2005’s Salaam Namaste, and I am forever scarred by the memory of having to watch the scene with my mom. But in 2018, I find myself itching for more realistic interpretations of love and lust in all of the things that I watch, and I’m thankful that Phir Se acknowledges that young single adults talk about and engage in sexual acts without it being considered inappropriate or explicit. Where Bollywood typically cuts away to a song-and-dance daydream to stand in for sex, Phir Se takes a leap and either directly shows or alludes to the physical aspects of Jai and Kaajal’s relationship, which only benefits the film.

The Indian film industry is also generally heteronormative, but Phir Se knocks down that barrier as well. In the first scene, we find out that Jai is adopted and that he grew up with gay parents. The relationship between his fathers has the most palpable real love of all relationships in the film, and is the one that we hope our main characters learn from and emulate. While their homosexuality plays into the conflict in the second act of the film, Phir Se is ultimately respectful of their relationship.

Above all, I loved that Phir Se follows the typical Bollywood recipe but enhances the ingredients with details pulled from reality. It has the melodrama (the two leads get together, get engaged, and split up so quickly, you’ll wonder if you missed something); it delivers on the songs, though generally leaving out the dance (which is for the best); it includes an exaggerated conflict (largely provided to great comedic effect by Sushmita Mukherjee as Kaajal’s mother); and it ultimately gives us a happy ending. But Phir Se pushes the boundaries simply by portraying realistic circumstances within the formula — something that I hope more Bollywood films adopt.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer living in New York City. Her work has appeared on The TV Addict, Brown Girl Magazine, Breadcrumbs Mag and Syndicated Magazine. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.

Watch Phir Se on Netflix