When I watched Darling (2010), I could see why it struck a chord with some audiences. It has moments of genuine emotional resonance, and the sentimental beats - particularly between Prabhas and the father figure - managed to tug at my heartstrings. There's also a certain entertainment value in the overall package, with its vibrant songs and Prabhas' charismatic screen presence. The background score deserves a mention too; it complemented the emotional scenes well and added a certain charm to the film's lighter moments.
However, for all its positives, Darling is far from a flawless experience. The first half, for instance, felt unnecessarily stretched and frustratingly pointless at times. It spends too much time on juvenile antics that don't add much to the story or character development. The humor didn't always land for me either, leaving a significant portion of the movie feeling aimless and even annoying.
When the second half arrived, I expected things to pick up, and while it did bring more substance, it also tipped into being overly dramatic. Some scenes were so exaggerated that they lost their intended emotional impact. It felt as though the film was trying too hard to evoke tears, and instead, it made me roll my eyes more often than I'd like to admit.
The length is another issue. At nearly three hours, the movie tests your patience, especially when so much of the runtime is spent on repetitive sequences that could have been trimmed. The core story is decent, but it gets buried under unnecessary fluff, making the journey to the climax feel more exhausting than rewarding.
Overall, Darling has its moments, and I can't deny that some of the emotional beats and the sentimental value worked for me. But as a whole, the film's bloated narrative, uneven tone, and over-the-top dramatics left me underwhelmed. It's not a bad watch if you're a fan of Prabhas, but for me, it didn't live up to its potential.
