'Darlings' movie review: Darr ke aage Darlings!

DarlingsOn NetflixDir Jasmeet K ReenCast Alia Bhatt Vijay Varma Shefali ShahRating 12In a brave casting choice the Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew Choked plays a man from one Barha Chawl in South Bombay in this movie Hersquos supposedly a screenwriter without much of a job really In seven years he has written only one complete script Whatrsquos it though ldquoA horror comedyrdquo To which the lead actor Vijay Varma instantly responds ldquoWonrsquot work Canrsquot mix falooda with whiskeyrdquoI love selfreferential moments in movies unless done so cleverly that no onersquos gonna get it The moment above though could well be this filmrsquos writerdirector Jasmeet K Reenrsquos take on her own scriptDarlings is a film about physical abuse indeed male violence against women in general but more importantly gaslighting that probably defines most toxic relationships between married couples behind closed doorsBut this is not so much an obviously dark issuebased advocacy picture so to say In the sense that the Deepika Padukone starrer Chhapaak 2020 was or the Aishwarya Rai movie Provoked 2006 was as wellInstead of relying on crutches of good intentions alone Darlings pretty much plays out like an altogether funny caper gripping audiences with enough excitement over whatrsquoll happen next As is the case with thrillers in general This could even be a horror comedy if you like So what happens firstThat therersquos a total kameena sordid bewda drunkard fellowmdasha psycho sorta guy brought to believable life and turned so human still in a way that few actors can like Vijay Varmamdashwho physically and emotionally abuses his young wife who has nothing but love to offer him still What kinda man beats up his wife A ldquonamardrdquo coward as the line in this movie goes But more so someone I guess who feels so inadequate within that the mental dissatisfactioninsecurities get projected in violent ways towards those who canrsquot retaliate in equal measureAlso Read Vijay Varma hosts special screening for friendsfamily ahead of Darlings releaseThis might well be true for powerdrunk oppressorsbullies in general Or maybe it is just the ldquofitratrdquo of some people to be a certain waymdashthatrsquos just who they aremdashas this movie implies as wellVarma plays a railway ticket collector TC by profession but the actual work involves a lot of humiliation such as being a defacto toilet cleaner TC for his boss The frustration he lets out on his wife can be heard in the neighbourhood The one who can sensesee it best is the wifersquos mother living right across that closed door What does the mother make of itUnlike some mothers that one hears of who normalise violence against their own daughters who in turn accept the same worldview deeming it okay for her man to hit a few this mom would rather have her daughter out of this mess ASAPShefali Shah plays this mothermdashan actor blessed with some of the most expressive eyes that they deserve separate award nominations of their ownConsider a particular scene where the husband has gone missing and Shahrsquos character doesnrsquot know why All the dialogues decently long passage get spoken through the movement of her eyes aloneOkay must say no further so far as the plot is concerned beyond that cursory scene where the husband has briefly disappeared and which isnrsquot a spoiler by any meansWhat precedesfollows that scene is of course a film simply coming together so wellmdashon paper therefore in the picturemdashthat it will be considered firsttimer Reenrsquos dream directorial debut of sorts with actors in top form dialogues and repartees in place the story always in motion each character serving a purpose and a popular platform Netlfix to showcase all of it for an instantly wide global reachOnly that Darlings wouldrsquove been just effective over a theatrical premiegravere Especially when you absorb the music by Vishal BhardwajAlso Read Alia Bhatt on Roshan Mathews casting in DarlingsAlready this filmrsquos title hearkens back to Bhardwajrsquos fab track lsquoDarlingrsquo from the twisted Priyanka Chopra led drama 7 Khoon Maaf 2011 The number lsquoLa ilaajrsquo penned by Gulzar here stands out right away Think I loved lsquoBhassadrsquo more for what it means for this movie and that gem of a word itself At the centre of this quietish mayhembhassad is the lead actor Alia Bhatt as young lower middleclass Badru at the current times in Bombay when chawls are receding and builders fully taking over a cityThis is Bhattmdashsuch an indecipherably instinctive performer with hardly a social access to parts she pulls offmdashhot on the high heels of Gangubai Kathiawadi 2022 from Kamathipura that wasnrsquot too long after Gully Boy 2019Making Darlings in effect a trilogy of sorts set in lowerdeck Bombay in Bhattrsquos solid eclectic filmography If you took out the rappers and their face off from Gully Boy what would be it if not the story of Murad and Bhattrsquos Saifeena from KurlaWhich is totally the case with Bhattrsquos Badru from Byculla The two female leads from a similar communityeconomic milieu have only one thing in common though Theyrsquore both fools in love Something that can go either way Loved the way Darlings goesmdashso catharticYUCK WHATEVER GOOD SUPER AWESOME

'Darlings' movie review: Darr ke aage Darlings!

Darlings
On: Netflix
Dir: Jasmeet K Reen
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vijay Varma, Shefali Shah
Rating: ***1/2

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Home / Entertainment / Bollywood News / Article / 'Darlings' movie review: Darr ke aage Darlings!

'Darlings' movie review: Darr ke aage Darlings!

DarlingsOn: NetflixDir: Jasmeet K ReenCast: Alia Bhatt, Vijay Varma, Shefali ShahRating: ***1/2

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Darlings
On: Netflix
Dir: Jasmeet K Reen
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Vijay Varma, Shefali Shah
Rating: ***1/2