There have been quite a few movies on domestic violence against women. Most of them are revenge sagas but I do not recall any that went the dark comedy route. And Darlings does exactly that. I wouldn't call it an out-and-out dark comedy, but the makers of the film have got their intentions right.
So what is Darlings all about? It is exactly as seen in the trailer. A young girl Badru is married to the man she loves, Hamza. The couple lives in the same chawl as Badru's mother Shamsu who wants her daughter to get out of this abusive relationship. But Badru believes that she can change Hamza, after all, they are in love with each other. This feeling does not last long and an incident changes Badru for good. She realises that some people do not change and it is time for her to fight back. Her methods are unconventional but she is finally able to rid herself of a toxic marriage.
Coming to the performances, the film belongs to the women, Shefali Shah and Alia Bhatt. The ease with which Alia captures the naivety and the pain of Badru is amazing. Shefali as Shamsu is top-notch. She gives a standout performance. As the mother-daughter duo, the actresses sizzle in every frame. Their chemistry makes Darlings enticing and interesting.
And then there is Vijay Varma. As Hamza, he plays his part to perfection. He captures the character with all its flaws. I am so happy to see Roshan Mathew in this movie (You can see more of this acting talent in the Malayalam movies Moothon and C U Soon). As Zulfi he is endearing. His character represents the ethical dilemma of the narrative. Darlings also boasts of an able supporting cast in Rajesh Sharma as Kasim, Kiran Karmarkar as Hamza's superior, and Vijay Maurya and Santosh Juvekar as the cops who are caught in the middle of this crazy and dark plot.
Making her directorial debut with Darlings is Jasmeet K Reen and she weaves a wonderful tale with her co-writer Parveez Sheikh. The duo has also penned the dialogues along with Vijay Maurya. There are some interesting twists in the movie and of course a message as well. Anil Mehta's impeccable camera work captures the essence of the characters and story. The background score by Prashant Pillai and Vishal Bhardwaj and Mellow Dj's music create the perfect mood.
The movie also marks the debut of Alia Bhatt as a producer. Her banner Eternal Sunshine Productions joins hands with Red Chillies Entertainment for Darlings. And she hits a home run with this movie.
Watch the movie streaming now on Netflix.