Darlings reviews - Page 12

Its just a one time watch, Nothing special. I don't like the forced mumbai style dialect these actors try to enact. It looks fake, forced and doesn't suit them. I mean who in the world talks like that? Even people living in chawls doesn't have that dialect or accent. It puts me off. The plot seemed very unrealistic and the actors pulling it off didn't convice me. 

I cannot counter the criticism about language but I really would like to know what kind of movies certain members like while finding (almost) no praise for Darlings.

I don't think that this movie will incite married women to go against abusing husbands. However, I think that this movie shows that if one has a support system one should not hesitate to rely on it.

I liked that the police wasn't depicted in an unsupporting way, I liked that Shefali also was shown to have had someone male to help her, I liked that it was made clear that it wasn't the alcohol drinking that was the source of the husband's violence but his wish of showing that he has power (at least over his wife).

This movie is absolutely in the vain of what SRK tries to stand for and Dear Zindagi already showed that Alia is very well able to assume portraying a character like Badru's.

I had seen (and appreciated) Roshan Mathew already in two of his Malayalam movies (Koode & Vathanaman), so I had no doubt to get a fine performance from him.

I think that it would be appropriate to praise the ensemble play as an outstanding asset of Darlings.

Lovely film, thoroughly enjoyed it! One of a kind and pretty engaging. Vijay Verma was brilliant and so was Shefali, they shine and how! Alia and Roshan were superb as well, but both Vijay and Shefali really elevate the movie to a different level. I'd definitely recommend watching it, crisp and different. Enjoyed the few comic scenes involving Hamza's boss. Truly an ensemble film where everybody gets their space to shine and primarily that is what works for the film. 

Originally posted by: Briaahna

undoubtedly  the best movie so far.... and can we please give the performance of the year to Vijay Verma already. what a performance...the show stealer!!!!! this guy gave me chills! holy crap.....so much talent. 👏no need to change his looks, work on his looks to scare you....damn...10 mins in movie and he just scares the shit out of you....what performance!!!!

What a powerhouse performer, he manages to seem menacing even when he is droopy in a scene, such a star! 

I dunno why but this didn't work for me. 

I liked the theme of how a violent partner can trap the other into a vicious cycle of domestic abuse by spinning a tale of how they "love" them and blame it on other reasons like alcohol, substance abuse, etc,. But underneath that façade of love is the same person who doesn't hesitate to inflict violence on their partner. Badru going back to her husband again and again despite her mother's warnings also made sense. I also liked the two twists reg the mother's character. The performances, esp Shefali's and Vijay's were top notch.

But I guess I went in with too many expectations because I found the first half to be quite draggy and the second half was more engaging, contrary to what some posters have said in this thread.

Edited by Amri_IF - 1 years ago

I watched it last night. Me and wifey decided around midnight that we will have check out the first 15 mins and then hit the sack. But little did we know that this will hook us and we will end up completing it in one sitting. Such a well made movie with tight story telling. Excellent performance once again by Alia. And despite this top performance, she was overshadowed by Vijay Varma and Shefali Shah in this one, so just solid performances through out.

Mild Spoilers Ahead

They captured the nuances of an abusive relationship so well in the first half. The abuser wasn't sure to be some sort of out and out devil where we get frustrated with the victim and start questioning why does she keep going back to him. Instead, depicting him as a manipulative person who sweet talks the victim into forgiving him was a lot more hard hitting. The movie should have come with a trigger warning because of how well they depicted an abusive relationship. 

You empathise with the victim a lot more as she keeps getting manipulated over and over again, whether it is with the promise of gifts or promise of a child. The turning point was also very convincing and made the revenge aspect of it a lot more satisfying as a viewer. 

A definite one-time watch, if not more, and a good movie from Bollywood in what has been a mostly crappy year or two. 

A genuine question... would domestic abuse victims from rural areas have access to Netflix to watch this film? 

Originally posted by: UmeraTariq

A genuine question... would domestic abuse victims from rural areas have access to Netflix to watch this film? 

Doubt it 

Netflix is notoriously expensive 

Originally posted by: CrimeMasterToto

Doubt it 

Netflix is notoriously expensive 

I think its rs199 in India? I saw some promotion with this price. In my country it is even more expensive

When TV started in India, in rural regions people gathered at someone's house or a place where there was a receiver.

Maybe now they could gather at someone's place who has the means to get Netflix...

Still, the movie's topic will keep being an issue for a long time - not only in India. And abusive/toxic relationships aren't only something, women are subjected to...

Edited by Clochette - 1 years ago