Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey are back to play a nail-biting cat-and-mouse game with the cops in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, the sequel to the 2021 romantic thriller. For those with short-term memory, here’s a quick recap. Hasseen Dilruba spotlighted Rani (Pannu) being accused of two crimes — the murder of her husband Rishu (Massey) and adultery — not necessarily in that order, and her captivating tale of innocence, which infuriated the authorities. The movie ends on a cliffhanger, and Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba picks up from there, with Rani and Rishu scheming to evade the police once and for all and run away to start a new (guilt-free) life. However, technical problems and a fair bit of lust and jealousy come in the way of their grand plan. If you’re looking for an exciting list of titles that, like Haseen Dillruba and Phir Aayi Haseen Dillruba, have suspense and steam in spades, we’ve got you covered.
7 Bollywood movies like Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba that have similar themes of suspense, steamy sequences and lust-driven storylines; Watch on Netflix, Disney + Hotstar & more
1. Monica O My Darling — Netflix
When Johnny (Rajkummar Rao), his to-be brother-in-law Nishikant (Sikander Kher) and colleague Arvind all get blackmailed by the same woman, who told each man that she’s pregnant with his child, they come together to find a permanent solution to their problem, aka plot murder. Everything seems to be going according to schedule — until the next day, Monica (Huma Qureshi) is still alive, and Nishikant dies. Is Monica the murderer? Or is there another killer on the loose?
2. Murder — Amazon Prime Video
Simran (Mallika Sherawat) is resigned to a boring, constricting life with her workaholic husband, who she can’t leave for several reasons. However, things take a turn when she bumps into her ex-boyfriend Sudhir (Emraan Hashmi), with whom she begins a torrid affair. However, when her husband catches wind of her infidelity, things take a deadly turn.
3. Lust Stories — Netflix
Both Lust Stories and Lust Stories 2 have segments which, like Phir Aayi Haseen Dilrubba, are packed heavily with steam and plenty of drama. From short stories featuring a philandering husband who places the hit on his wife and is then haunted by her to a woman fulfilling her sexual needs through a sex toy — the two instalments are worth a binge-watch.
4. Ek Hasina Thi — Disney + Hotstar
When Sarika (Urmila Matonkar) meets Karan (Saif Ali Khan), a handsome, charming and mysterious man who makes her feel like she’s the most important person in his life, she can’t help but fall in love with him. However, when he frames her for carrying illegal firearms and has her incarcerated, she realises how badly she’s been played. In jail, she transforms into a vindictive woman who sets on a quest to avenge herself.
5. The Girl on the Train — Netflix
While this Hindi remake starring Parineeti Chopra isn’t as loaded with steam as the 2016 original, it certainly delivers on the latter’s nail-biting quotient. Mira (Parineeti) is a lawyer who, after a horrific accident which led her to lose her baby, goes on a downward spiral of binge drinking and has her husband divorce her for being unstable. Things get much, much worse when she finds herself being framed for the murder of a young woman who, unknown to her, has a connection with her estranged ex-husband.
6. Jism — Zee5
One of the steamiest Hindi movies of the early 2000s, Jism starring Bipasha Basu and John Abraham, is a romantic-thriller, like Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba. Abraham plays Kabir, an alcoholic lawyer who falls in love with Sonia (Basu), the wife of an absentee millionaire. A series of events leads Sonia to convince Kabir, her now lover, to murder her husband. However, her reason has nothing to do with her feelings and everything to do with… you’ll just have to watch the movie and see.
7. Freddy — Disney + Hotstar
Kartik Aaryan morphs into a completely new avatar in Freddy, a thrilling film about an antisocial dentist who falls in love with Kainaaz (Alaya F), a woman in an abusive marriage. To free her from this injustice, he crosses the lines of morality and shows up at her door the next morning, ready to start their new life together. However, the Kainaaz he finds inside is nothing like the woman he pledged his heart and soul to.