Darlings

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.

Good Flick, Credit has to go to the entire team and the director, Alia Bhatt is definitely some actor and can give many Holywood actors a run for their money but I think Shefali shah has nailed it. I enjoyed watching more of her than Alia, The movie is well executed dark comedy but boring at times when the two main protagonists come together but the presence of Shefali shah kept the movie go along nicely.

Just finished watching Darlings with my mom and we both loved the film.

Jasmeet K Reen is a marvelous director. She has the ability to make her movies in such a manner that it impacts the mind of the audience and makes them think. The humor was quite nicely added with the important issue of the movie. It's a very important movie for Indian society where domestic violence is still prevalent in many households. The dialogues and the screenplay in the movie are of top class.

The best thing in the film is undoubtedly the phenomenal acting from everyone, especially Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah. Alia keeps on getting better with each and every project of hers and Shefali Shah is a terrific actor.

This movie will make you laugh, cry and angry sometimes and overall it will keep you entertained throughout. Strongly recommended.

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.