Spoilers ahead…
The film is a domestic noir-cum-black comedy, and if the Alia Bhatt-Vijay Varma couple takes care of the domestic noir, Shefali Shah’s character keeps you in splits with her deadpan expressions.
The plural title of Darlings is no accident. The protagonist Badru (played by Alia Bhatt) is from a lower-middle-class Muslim family, and her English consists of odd plural phrases like “I loves you” and “bad lucks”. I felt she sounded like the Rani Mukerji character in Saawariya. (Later, I discovered that director Jasmeet K Reen’s first film was to have been produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.) But apart from this aspect of speech, there isn’t much that is singular about Badru – at least at first. She is a victim of domestic abuse. As her mother (Shefali Shah) says, the world may have changed for “Twitter people” but not for them. Badru listens to a line like this from her husband and melts: “If I don’t love you why would I hit you? And why would you bear it if you did not love me?” Someones should bring her to her senses. And that someones is…
You can read the rest of the review here:
https://www.galatta.com/hindi/movie/review/darlings/
And you can watch the video review here:
Copyright ©2022 GALATTA.
Baradwaj Rangan 
vishal yogin
August 5, 2022
I guess it’s a sign of the times that this won’t make it to the big screen ?
So I will never get to watch it 😦
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Macaulay Perapulla
August 5, 2022
I am yet to watch this movie. However, couldn’t resist reading this. This is such a fascinating aesthetic choice. It’s more BR USP I guess. By showing how your writing is influenced by a certain aesthetic choice made in the movie, you show how film criticism could be “possessed” by an ineffable spirit of the movie. What an elegant way to approach film criticism this way!
Of course, I see you doing this not just in the movies you love, but also in movies you detest in a fun way. When future generations do PhD thesis on your reviews, I hope somebody talks about this delectable aspect that has permeated through your body of work.
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ravenus1
August 5, 2022
Looks like Alia has something this year to counter the absolute nothing her part counts for in RRR.
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sanjana
August 5, 2022
A tragedy disguised as comedy. Goofy and highly entertaining.
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Spandana Vaidyula
August 6, 2022
@ravenus1 Alia already scored a solo hit with Gangubai Kathiawadi this year, prior to being wasted in RRR. It wouldn’t hurt her in the slightest if Brahmastra doesn’t work.
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sanjana
August 6, 2022
Alia’s character was doormat first and was highly irritating. She would have continued if it was not for that loss. Her mother was more forthcoming and more adventurous. Both the ladies fall for love and flattery. I would have liked to see the abuser in a mental asylum so that we would have sequel.The inspector played by Vijay maurya with his interactions with the ladies stood out. Do ticket collectors really get treated like that by their superiors? Dont they have unions to go to?
A quirky attempt worth a watch.
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karzzexped
August 7, 2022
I’m afraid this worked for me only in bits and pieces.
The humour largely worked for me, but the drama and emotional beats waned off as the movie came to an end. This, in my opinion, was chiefly due to the resurgence of the lead character arriving a bit too late – almost at the midpoint. I mean, the ‘moment’ was perfect, but the ‘timing’ was delayed. It created two issues for me.
(SPOILERS)
1. Since the premise took no time to get established, the torment she faces from her husband became a bit too repetitive after a while. Writing wise, it makes sense to progressively show how violent the abuse turned, but this created a lack of depth and development for Badru’s character, which I thought was largely one-note until the switch was turned on.
2. Assuming that the walk from the hospital was the ‘Intermission’, the comedy-of-errors and the final stretch of drama felt very rushed. It was a bunch of set pieces mashed together instead of any organic movement of the story.
I particularly disliked how the ‘big reveal’ of Shefali’s character was done in a haphazard way. It looked contradictory to me since not so long ago she was egging Badru to finish Hamza off.
Not that it was a bad movie, but it definitely was marred by some very cliched writing and staging post the second act.
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shaviswa
August 8, 2022
oh this one is on Netflix? I will miss this one then 😦
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krishikari
August 8, 2022
SPOILERS!
I thought there was a very precarious balance between the abuse situation and the comedic moments which almost came off as a tonal awkwardness, almost because for me it all worked out when the situation hits rock bottom and then instead of continuing down the tragic and depressing path it turns into an out and out farce and you are so relieved you just laugh from then on. After this point you can just enjoy the mother daughter relationship getting into synch and poor Roshan Matthew also getting caught in the mix (or mixie? the gadgets he brings are hilarious) All the actors are brilliantly entertaining; Shefali Shah as always with her eyes and Vijay Varma being such a dick stand out. And the silent butcher….
This totally worked for me because I like to surrender to the world we are offered in films and just live in it. These character have these lives and we are just watching them live. Also I feel very nostalgic for this kind of cute Mumbai neighbourhood with everyone aware of each others business, it’s all very cosy despite the ugliness of the relationship. Also worked because it offered something different from the Thappads and Pinks. In a way this was more like Kumbalangi Nights with the ending.
@sanjana I liked the inspector too. Was his encouragement of them filing an FIR realistic?maybe not but he says “women let men abuse them” and that line coming from him is very real.
@karzzexped Not seeing how Alia being one note is a problem… she is slowly being pushed from being in love to really seeing who this man is and I think we are meant to be impatient with her being so slow to change.
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krishikari
August 8, 2022
Are people boycotting Netfix???
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Madan
August 8, 2022
krishikari : Speaking for myself, Netflix just couldn’t provide a card payment system which would pass the RBI regulations so I got tired and gave up. And I don’t want the mobile only 200 rupee pack. Either give me the versatility of other providers at a lower price point or I unsub. And so I did. Its usecase is limited too compared to the others. You get sports with Hotstar and Sony and free delivery on Amazon Prime. Netflix has the highest fee and offers only movies and series. And not even the best ones at that anymore.
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karzzexped
August 8, 2022
@krishikari: Not seeing how Alia being one note is a problem… she is slowly being pushed from being in love to really seeing who this man is and I think we are meant to be impatient with her being so slow to change.
On paper it is what the movie aimed for I guess, but on screen, I didn’t really see any dimensional developments for Badru pre-interval. It may just be me, or I may not have picked on any nuances, but I was able to see so many shades of her AFTER she transforms – none BEFORE.
I get it that she was MEANT to be this innocent, trapped and confused woman in this marriage. She does go ahead with the complaint at the station but the justification she offers outside the station when Hamza is released or her lack of decisiveness when her mother gets slapped in front of her was what I meant by one-note.
Surely her mother getting sucker punched right in front of her should’ve been it for Badru, don’t you think? Since she had just hours ago vehemently defended Hamza.
I would take Thappad any day but this falls more into the black/absurdist comedy realm so I guess the dramatic portions are always treated as undercurrents rather than being denser.
And I am as flabbergasted as you are when it comes to Netflix. Is there really a boycott? If so I wonder why.
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Anu Warrier
August 9, 2022
Surely her mother getting sucker punched right in front of her should’ve been it for Badru, don’t you think?
Not if you know how domestic abuse works. Or how or why women continue to stay in such situations. Even if like Badru, they have familial support who encourage them to quit the relationship.
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karzzexped
August 9, 2022
@Anu Warrier: Not if you know how domestic abuse works. Or how or why women continue to stay in such situations –
My statement is in relation to what I perceive to be Badru’s character getting abused in the name of love and why she chose to continue to stay in that particular situation- That a child will change everything and that she can mend things because she genuinely believes that Hamza isn’t her Dad or she isn’t her Mother. And THIS justification wasn’t satisfying to me as a viewer. I am merely making an observation about the writer/director’s choice of characterization and story progression.
Now moving away from the movie realm, I do know a person who endured horrors in the name of love. And at that time, and even till date I haven’t really understood why they chose to stay and I haven’t really asked because I didn’t want the person to think that I am being judgmental and it was explicitly stated that they only needed a shoulder and an ear to listen to them.
And it would be interesting to hear from you as to why do you think they stay? If you want to!
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brangan
August 10, 2022
karzzexped: Many people asked the same question of KAATRU VELIYIDAI: the answer is similar, whether it is Alia or Aditi.
They love the man to bits. They have low self-esteem, which makes them say “Will I find someone else?” They are easily manipulated by charm. See the line at jail when he says, “If I did not love you, would I hit you?” There could be many other reasons.
The point is this is so common a phenomenon that the writers may not have thought of putting the above para into dialogues to “convince” the audience. And I thnk this is a mistake both films did. Because people who do not know about abuse are going to say “But why does she stay?”
But they stay until a breaking point happens. In KV, it is when Karthi bullies her parents. Here, it is when her much-awaited baby goes. Then, some kind of realisation hits.
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Anu Warrier
August 10, 2022
@karzzexped – As BR said.
I used to volunteer at an NGO which worked with abused women and children (until Covid hit). The horrors they endured used to make me angry – on their behalf. We never asked why they stayed because this was their safe space; like you, it was important we didn’t seem judgemental (though it was hard not to be when there were babies and toddlers who also underwent abuse). But again and again and again, we heard, “I stayed because he really loves me.” “I thought the baby would change things.” “He promised he would change.” “It is only when he drinks – it’s all his friends’ fault.” “Perhaps I wasn’t good enough.”
And mind you, these were not only women from a lower economic strata who didn’t have the wherewithal to support themselves and their children. We came across women who were financially well-off, supposedly independent, women who were professionally secure who stayed in abusive marriages because… who knows? One thing is common – they are all continually making excuses for the abusive men in their lives.
And so, to women who have suffered abuse or who know of women who have suffered abuse, Badru is so, so relatable.
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karzzexped
August 10, 2022
BR & Anu: Thank you both for this 🙏
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Anuja Chandramouli
August 10, 2022
Why do Women Stay?
Have not watched the film but this is a subject very close to my heart. Have a friend who was a victim of domestic abuse but she refused to leave her husband and I could do nothing other than offer a shoulder and keep my thoughts about her husband to myself (she is very protective of him). She is not a doormat and she is wicked smart with an old – fashioned but supportive family who don’t lack financial resources but she didn’t want to break up the family (they have two kids) and claims that despite his anger issues her husband is a good man and a decent father whom the kids adore. Plus she doesn’t exactly take his crap lying down. She did threaten to leave him and made it clear that she won’t put up with his behaviour forever. According to her, things are better now and he loses it only rarely but I do worry because it seems to me that she lives her life wary about the violence that may or may not be just around the corner. For me the worst thing is there is so little you can do to right a wrong and I can’t stand being unable to help more. Wrote about this for TNIE and am sharing it here.
Even as the global pandemic continues to leave a trail of destruction, reports reveal an increase in cases of domestic violence across the world, most likely brought on by the emotional toll and isolation of successive lockdowns. Every time we hear about someone who is in a poisonous relationship, the most frequently asked question is, ‘Why didn’t she leave, especially since she risks getting killed if she stays?’ It all seems so simple to those who don’t have to deal with violence. But then again, if a woman were to walk out of her marriage or a messed-up relationship, she is damned for being inconstant and incapable of sticking it out for the long haul when it comes to matters of the heart.
There is always someone who will then launch into a diatribe on ‘modern’ women who have nothing on the model wives of yore who drank nothing but water sanctified by their husband’s feet, dirt-encrusted and desperately in need of a pedicure though it may be. Then they will compose lengthy WhatsApp forwards to be widely disseminated about how the ravages of Covid may be traced directly to feminists synonymous with wanton women who are responsible for the deterioration of our revered customs which had shielded us thus far from mutating viruses, demons armed with nuclear weapons and assorted apocalyptic scenarios. And all because ‘feminazi’ types refuse to accept that it is a husband’s prerogative to slap his wife around. After all, it is well known that to spare the rod is to spoil the wife. While this kind of reasoning prevails, is it reasonable to expect a woman to save herself and ignore age-old precepts binding her to the ironclad dictates of tradition?
Experts agree that it is surprisingly difficult to bail out of an abusive relationship. The reasons are manifold. Often, it is the mere suggestion of leaving that causes the violence to escalate making it a dangerous choice. Victims who have taken a battering emotionally or physically are left feeling that they have no control over their lives. It is common for those who have been brutalised to feel as though they have been reduced to something less than human and suffer from a diminished sense of self-worth. We underestimate the capacity of emotional abuse such as gaslighting, to undermine an individual, leaving victims convinced that they are somehow to blame for what happened to them. That it was some error on their part that resulted in a beating or a barrage of verbal abuse.
Money is always a factor. Many victims are financially dependent on abusers and are reluctant to break free with no resources to fall back on. Most are simply afraid, cowed by sustained physical assault. Others seem to believe that selfless love is enough to counteract toxic masculinity. Some feel compelled to defend their aggressors because they can be charming and sweet when not inclined to put their woman’s head through a wall. It may even be construed as an act of kindness, if an ice pack is tossed over to ease the throbbing of a wicked bruise.
These don’t begin to cover what all the victims are undergoing or the myriad reasons they opt to stay. Only one thing is certain. It will take compassion, concern and all the support in the world to help victims of abuse make it to safety. Not criticism or censure in the name of culture.
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sanjana
August 10, 2022
DV is not as simple as anuja points out. There are deliciously wicked wives who take revenge when the abuser becomes old or incapacitated.
There was this film Dhund by B R Chopra film. Great songs.
Recently there was Secret Superstar.
Abuser can be man or woman. What about mother in law, sister in law who provoke and instigate?
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sanjana
August 10, 2022
Why did they show the husband being abused by his boss? Is it to show that he was showing his anger due to this? And they showed the husband opting for a girl and the wife opting for a boy. Is it progressive thinking on husband’s part and regressive thinking on wife’s part? Opting for a boy has become regressive due to girl child getting killed. A normal wish becomes regressive thinking due to these happenings reported and unreported every second day
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krishikari
August 10, 2022
@Anuja please watch the film. It would be interesting to read your take.
I don’t think there is anyone here who does not know a women who have been abused in a marriage. One reason women stay, not mentioned in the comments above but which I think is a factor, also in this film, is pride. Badru cannot admit especially to her mother, that she made a wrong choice, she doesn’t want to see herself as a victim. She is basically a happy, self-confident person actually. I think many women have this self image of strength and cannot admit even to themselves that they need help.
@Sanjana regarding the boy girl question, they leave it to the viewer to answer – here is what I imagine, leaving aside progressive regressive… he wants a girl because he knows how to dominate “the weaker sex”. He wants, perhaps subconsciously, a houseful of devoted and subservient females to make him feel powerful. She wants a boy because maybe she can live vicariously through him… free and privileged. None of this is stated in the film but you can imagine their feelings due to the characterizations we do see.
Why did they show the husband being abused by his boss? Is it to show that he was showing his anger due to this?
Do they have to spell it out? There are so many excuses men can use to lash out at someone under their control. I think the film maker is giving a few of them – not to justify his behaviour but actually the opposite. To say that none of these pressures justify violence. Also they are not just showing a single issue, they are showing a whole community’s interwoven lives.
The stance of the film maker is quite clear. They give us the ending we want, he gets what he deserves finally not because of her revenge fantasy but because he is an asshole who is too stupid to live. I liked what they did.
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sanjana
August 10, 2022
If a man like Humza says he wants a female child, it looks odd. Generally, men like Hamza have this feeling that having a baby boy proves that they are mard. Even if Hamza wants a daughter to dominate and abuse her, he must be knowing that she will go away after marriage while a son and his wife will take care of him. A cunning man will think of long term benefits. Why Badru wants a son? Maybe she loves Humza so much that she wants a replica of him without the negatives.
Thus I feel Humza’s preference is at odds with his character while Badru’s preference is more in tune with her innocent nature.
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Enna koduka sir pera
August 10, 2022
I sort of liked the movie, but as being discussed above, the emotional angle of why she is choosing to stay in the abusive relationship could have been explained more to the audience. And, how Hamza emotionally manipulates her was also not fully convincing for me. I know this is a black comedy, but somewhere, I yearned for this to be a deep, emotional drama.
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Anu Warrier
August 11, 2022
Hamza’s preference for a girl is not at odds with the man he is – he’s a manipulator, who knows what to say and do to keep Badru hooked to him. So, he pretends to have a softer side, one that wants a daughter who looks like his wife. In much the same manner in which he professes he will give up alcohol when she gets pregnant or says, “Anythings for you” at odd intervals.
It’s one of the most well known tactics in abusive relationships – the blow hot blow cold behaviour keeps the women in such relationships guessing and ensures they will continue to stay.
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krishikari
August 11, 2022
True @Anu, yes it could well be part of his “charm”. I think men like this deceive themselves too. They see themselves as the well meaning, soft at heart victim who has a few flaws, he is blind to his own bullying. My friend’s abuser always got her gifts right after the abuse, as the abuse escalated, the gifts got more fancy. In his mind this must have made him seem like a remorseful good guy.
@sanjana Hamza is also just a normal guy not a criminal mastermind! The scary part is that he is just ordinary and this is so common. Also, I don’t think he thinks deeply through anything he does and says. Look at how he just takes the phone off the dead guy, is that someone who has thought things through?
@Enna koduka sir pera – Why more deep emotional drama? Women can leave a guy after loving him, every love doesn’t have to be the love of your life. In her heart she knows he is a brittle, mean person, it just takes her time to do something about it. I think this film is about her getting to that point. Keeping it lighter and something you can move on from is a great way to deal with it IMO. The deep emotional abuse dramas we have plenty. KV and AR sound like they would fit the bill.
Incidentally, in the FC interview Vijay Varma says he was scared of playing this role because he has to absorb this evil manipulative character into himself and become this guy.
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Anon
August 15, 2022
I watched this movie and really liked it. My dad was an abuser and in today’s day and age, he would have definitely been arrested for the stuff that my mom had to go through at his hands. My mom stayed and stayed, for kids, financial security, societal pressures. She did try to leave a couple of times and then ended up returning back due to the above mentioned factors. This was in the 80s/ 90s and at that time, if a man was not an alcoholic or womanizer then there was no reason for a woman to leave. Anyways, I get it, why for some, it is difficult to get, why Alia stayed. To me it felt like, Vinnaithandi Varuvaya where the leads break up and patch up so many times and I thought the movie was boring and dragging. I think for a lot of the viewers it hit home, because they had experienced it in their real lives. Similarly, Darlings probably comes across as drawn out as people want a condensed version but in real life these abuses happen constantly and escalate over a period of time and for people from the outside, they are unable to understand why the woman chooses to stay
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Srinivas R
September 1, 2022
Wathched this yesterday and enjoyed it. Shefali Shah hits it out of the park. Roshan Mathews as Zulfi was delightful. A very rare Hindi movie that is rooted in it’s milieu. You see this in Malayalam cinema all the time. All the characters belong to that particular world the movie is set in and acting feels so lived in. Everyone from small side characters like Hama’s boss, Raman kaka, the police inspector etc. They feel so real. Would have been a decent hit if released in cinemas imo.
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Madan
October 8, 2022
Finally caught this and was a brilliant watch, needless to say. A sort of brutal, Muslim lower middle class, black comedy version of Arth? Of course Arth is more about the husband being unfaithful while this is about domestic violence but the liberation arc hits similar beats. I am sure deep down other nepo kids especially of the Arjun Kapoor variety envy Alia Bhatt. She is super privileged and as much a SoBo/Juhuite as them but you wouldn’t know it going by how easily she slips into this role. Not that Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma aren’t brilliant. Together they hit it out of the park.
I wish this had got a theatrical release or at least got a Hotstar /Sony release with a premiere on TV. This is the kind of movie that deserves more reach because it is, as Srinivas R said and as Kashyap had prescribed, so rooted in its mileu. I wish it had been a happier Bombay they showed but still, how I have longed to hear that flat and harsh Bombay lingo in a movie! It’s been ages (or at least feels like it) since I met the likes of Inspector Jadhav in a film.
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Aman Basha
October 8, 2022
@Madan: I know you hate Arjun Kapoor as I do his acting ability and that he gets chances, but he never had it easy actually and probably had the worst fate of all the SoBo-ites. His mother got an incredibly dirty deal and his entire family went through quite some horrible stuff. In fact, it’s because of how sad his childhood had been, that people like Salman or KJo actively helped him in this career.
Arjun Kapoor is proof that having gone through tragedy in life doesn’t make you a good actor.
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Madan
October 8, 2022
Aman Basha: Well, on the one hand, he hasn’t struggled as much as Pankaj Tripathi or Manoj Bajpai so he’s still privileged. On the other, whatever his struggles were, he hasn’t been able to internalize them into his acting. But really, more than his acting, I hate that he keeps getting chances in spite of flopping. Not unlike Ananya Pandey who too claimed she has struggled more than other nepo kids. Haan, toh phir zara aapka dard ko apni acting mein bhi toh daal do na? The fact that they get endless ‘second chances’ to fail is what establishes their privilege beyond doubt to me. The day Arjun redeems himself not by fluke but on a permanent basis is the day I won’t have to hold him up anymore as an example of what’s wrong with Bollywood. Or the day they stop casting him, which seems to me to be the more viable option.
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