Darlings

There are good movies and there are bad movies. I can't put this movie in to any of those categories. So my rating is also in the middle. Acting of everyone(mostly) is very good but the story is dragged for too long. It could have been a good movie if it was made within 100 minutes.

You can watch it but if you don't you are not missing out on anything.

Ever had a pudding that looked exquisite and smelled delicious but turned out to be a little undercooked as you took the first bite? Almost telling you that the cook had quality ingredients at their disposal but failed to fully satiate your senses. It is akin to how Darlings made me feel.

Looking at the cast and having heard a positive thing or two about the film, I went in to watch with considerable expectations but was rendered feeling underwhelmed at the end of it. While one can point out at the lack of remarkable dialogues and a fairly lackluster climax; at heart, it seems as if the makers weren't manifestly clear about what kind of emotions they wanted the audience to feel through the course of the movie.

The description on Netflix says that the film is a "dark comedy". In essence, it's a story about domestic violence loaded with slapstick elements. Just because the fulcrum of the plot is a sensitive issue, doesn't make it a dark comedy.

Ironically, there's a scene in the movie where Hamza (played by Vijay Varma) asks Zulfi (played by Roshan Mathew) about the film that he's writing. When Zulfi tells he's been working on a horror-comedy, Hamza replies with, "Agar faluda mein whiskey milayega, toh thodi jamega" (If you mix Faluda and Whiskey, it's likely to taste bad). It is funny that you could say something along similar lines about Darlings itself. While the comedy never quite sets you on a laughing spree, it does digress the makers from several opportunities where they could have made the audience feel visceral emotions.

The entire second half shows Badru (played by Alia Bhatt) turning the tables on her husband Hamza and avenging the constant abuse she had borne. It feels as if somebody penned down the intrusive thoughts of revenge that go through the mind of a victim of domestic violence and brought them to life. However, it seems to go a notch too far as she constantly drugs Hamza and thereby severely dilutes the impact of the climax. In fact, as we go through scenes of policemen not even considering the man being a victim of domestic abuse, it is very much possible to feel unempathetic towards Badru when she's eventually set free.

The cast has proven artists. With their high standards, it is hard to see this being Alia's or Vijay's best performance. Shefali Shah outshines everybody. Plotwise, the depth of Hamza's character, along with some obvious 'conflicts' that could be brought to forefront seem like unexplored territories. All in all, the film leaves a fair bit to desire.

It's almost funny how relatable Darlings feels to me because I have been witness to domestic abuse. It's so ordinary and routine everywhere that the quality makes it funny when you see the same proceeding unleash on the silver screen with high-profile actors looking ready to get behind the camera portraying such roles. As for the film as a product, I believe the whole cast and crew do a wonderful job at showing the extremes of what domestic abuse can do to people on both sides of the spectrum. The matured take on the morality? It's like the chef's kiss on this darling film. Watch it on a laid-back evening.

Darlings tackles the sadly ever relevant issue of domestic abuse, and it does so through the main character of a wonderful young lady who seems to have developed a battered wife's syndrome. She accepts her husband's pleas and constant promises to alter his behavior and quit his drinking problem, but he soon goes back to his old abusive ways. One would think this is going to be a particularly difficult watch considering the serious and dark subject matter, but Darlings is very much a light and enjoyable film which cares to incorporate elements of comedy, even of comedy of errors, and the seriousness of the proceedings is consistently infused with nicely etched out black humour.

The film falls into the category of many Indian films made today, which focus on simple middle-class and lower-middle-class families, the common people whose socio-economic status often affects their choices and circumstances. There is growing awareness in recent Hindi film of the importance to give voice to the voiceless and shed light on the lives of those less privileged. And it is always done with love and respect to the Indian culture, and like in many recent films, like Mimi, this film is beautifully shot, and the residence of the couple and the neighbourhood in general looks beautifully authentic, providing a nice cultural glimpse into communities which were often hidden from the screens.

This comes to show how the Indian masses have matured. If mainstream masala was what moviegoers were thought to love more than anything, today we see filmmakers who actually respect their audiences, do not insult their intelligence by spoon-feeding them, and Darlings is one such example. Is it a perfect film? Not really, and it's not a particularly great film either, but it's pure entertainment with educative value and appreciable efforts to ease the uneasy situations. The movie has a wonderful soundtrack too. In many ways, many of the characters in the film could gain some sympathy from the viewers, because everyone is a victim of their circumstances.

The film stars three actors in the lead parts, and all of them do exceedingly well. Alia Bhatt makes some smart choices, and she does a very good job here in this challenging and interesting role. In the role of the mother, you get the extraordinary Shefali Shah, whose recent popularity is another example of the growing maturity of Indian cinema and filmmakers' respect for audiences. Shah gets a role which could hardly be called supporting because she is very much a parallel lead here. This wouldn't have been possible a decade ago, but now that it happens, it's so great especially because she happens to be one of India's finest actresses. She is wonderful here as she is in almost everything she does.

The third angle of the cast is Vijay Varma, and this talented actor gives what I consider the finest performance in the film. His performance is subtle, realistic, professional and multi-dimensional. Sadly, the role itself is actually the film's weakest link because from being very much a real person he turns into this ultra-villainous, almost caricaturish character which takes away both from his impressive acting as well as the film's credibility. Darlings is a highly twisted tale but it ends on a rather predictable note at last since one would expect a more daring outcome which probably wouldn't be very well accepted in a mainstream film. Still, it answers some interesting questions and allows for a well-awaited catharsis.

Kudos to the makers for choosing a black comedy genre to deal with a serious topic of domestic violence and not making it over-dramatic or a hard-hitting film. Jasmeet K Reen in her directorial debut did an excellent job. The movie is well-written by Jasmeet & Parveez Sheikh and tightly edited by Nitin Baid, the film will keep you hooked till the climax. The background score and songs go well with the film.

Not only direction and writing, but the movie also excels in terms of performance. Alia Bhatt is undoubtedly one of the finest actresses of Indian cinema, she always gets into the skin of her character and plays it with complete conviction. The viewers will witness two very different personalities of her character in the first and the second half of the film.

Vijay Varma also delivered an impressive performance, switching from an abusive husband to a loving husband is exceptionally performed by him. Shefali Shah plays her part brilliantly. With limited dialogue and limited screen time, Rajesh Sharma managed to leave an impact. Roshan Mathew, Vijay Maurya, and other supporting actors were good in their parts.

Direction 3/5 Acting 3.5/5 Music 2.5/5 Story 3/5 Screenplay 3/5.