Darlings Movie Review; a perfect dark comedy with a revenge plot

Plot:
Set in the chawls of Byculla, Badrunissa and her mom Shamshunissa start cooking up a revenge plan against the daughter’s abusive-drunkard husband to teach him a lesson.

Review:
Finally some good stuff from Bollywood! Alia Bhatt’s debut production Darlings is a morally and emotionally powered, attempted black comedy that manages to balance the mixing genres. It builds on an emotional momentum through characterizations of the primary protagonists.

We are introduced to Badru and her husband, Hamza, surviving their life in the slums of Byculla. Her love story has turned upside down as Hamza is a domestic abuser at his core. Her dreams of having kids and living a happy life start to dissolve and fade away. Then with the help of her mother, Shamshunissa, they start cooking a revenge plan to teach him a lesson. The crazy dilemma of right and wrong starts popping up and the drama unfolds.

Alia Bhatt, the performer that you are just exceeding expectations time and again. Roshan Mathew is great in his role too but Vijay Varma is a standout, genuinely so scary in his role. Everyone keeps forgetting how tremendously powerful Shefali Shah is, and that hurts. The ensemble cast works wonders. One hell of a directorial debut Jasmeet K Reen, will be seated for whatever she makes next.

In particular, I felt that the film excellently shows why Badru, like many other women in abusive relationships, choose to stay in such a toxic relationship for so long. A glimmer of hope for change and reminders of the love that started the relationship in the first place. That said, a hint of monotony starts to seep in by the end, and the ending is slightly convenient for my taste but maybe slightly disappointing for some of you.

Vishal Bharadwaj’s soundtrack and music also takes the film to another level. The background music perfectly seeps in through some important scenes.

One of the better dark comedies to have come out of Bollywood in a while. It’s a necessary watch and I still can’t understand why such gems miss a theatrical release?

Rating: