'Darlings' Review: Alia Bhatt And Shefali Shah Send Home A Strong Message

'Darlings' has exemplary performances from its star cast that includes Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew. The film had a direct-to-ott release on Netflix.

New Delhi: What should a woman do when she is beaten and abused by her husband? Let go of him or teach him a lesson to gain the respect she deserves? Should she continue being the ever-loving and ever-forgiving woman or take the reins in her hands? Alia Bhatt's maiden production 'Darlings' answers all these questions and many more.

'Darlings' has exemplary performances from its star cast that includes Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew. The film had a direct-to-ott release on the streaming platform Netflix. It is directed by debutante Jasmeet Reen and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and Alia's production house Eternal Sunshine Productions.

'Darlings' Review'

The film opens to Alia Bhatt (Badrunnisa fondly called Badru) waiting outside a movie theatre for Vijay Varma (Hamza Sheikh). With the lovebirds planning to get married, the storyline jumps to three years after their marriage where Alia is seen getting beaten by Hamza at night, but being showered with all his love in the morning, as she prepares breakfast for him.

The exploitation on Hamza's part continues while Badru continues to forgive and live her life on false hopes and the belief that one day, Hamza will quit drinking and he will change. Things take a turn when Badru goes through an irreversible damage, courtesy Hamza's incorrigible nature that changes her heart and toughens it to the core. A renewed Badru comes up with a plan and takes Hamza's reins in her hands, letting him live at her mercy and making him realise his mistakes.

Despite being a victim of domestic abuse, Badru only intends to make Hamza pay for the damage done to her and does not plan to kill him. She lets his fate be decided by destiny and this is what makes the climax of the film remarkable and open to interpretation.

The film has a good plot and strong performances but there are moments when the storyline feels a little too stretched and monotonous. The use of 's' after every english word spoken fails to evoke humour everytime and gets a little irritating after sometime.

Director Jasmeet Reen has done a remarkable job by skillfully weaving the story of 'Mendhak and Bichchu' (frog and scorpion), narrated by Shefali and later by Alia, into the storyline to make the audience understand the nature of an abuser. The issue of domestic violence is dealt with utmost sincerity and realism.

Shefali Shah as Shamshunnisa (Badru's mother) plays a pivotal role in the film and gives an impeccable performance as a strong-headed woman who takes the centre stage with her nonchalant attitude in some of the most serious situations. Roshan Mathew is earnest and convincing in his role as Zulfi.

Alia Bhatt, once again, brings home a strong message with 'Darlings'. The mother-daughter duo of Badru and Shamshu evoke life into the film. From their dressing to their demeanor, everything about their characters is realistic and believable. 

'Darlings' manages to send across the message it intends to in a very clear manner. Among several reasons to watch the film, the performance by its star cast exceptionally Alia and Shefali Shah, make it a must-watch.