Plot: Badru hopes her volatile husband will reform if he stops drinking. However, when his rage goes too far, she and her mum boldly, albeit clumsily, seek revenge.
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, Roshan Matthew
Director: Jasmeet K. Reen
Platform: Netflix
Verdict: 4/5 stars
The film starts with a young Badru in love who gets married to her boyfriend, who has recently landed a government job. It would be ‘acceptable’ for Badru’s mother. You can probably guess where this is heading if you’ve watched the trailer. While the plot might be predictable, the story is brought to life by the stellar cast.
I cannot think of a single weak link.
Everyone shined in their roles. Alia Bhatt is extremely believable as the in-love wife Badru, who dreams of becoming a mother, and Vijay Varma is a terrifying Hamza, the husband who loves her and beats her up. Yep, in the same line.
Shefali Shah shines as the strong single mother and Roshan Matthew as the naive yet loveable young man trying to make ends meet and do right by those he loves. The one thing about Darling is the realistic portrayal of domestic violence and abusive relationships. People often have trouble leaving behind those who claim to “love” them.
When Badru refused to file an FIR against her abusive husband, I could guess where the story was heading. But that is the beauty of the movie, it hooks you in. You want to know how this trusting Badru will finally snap and take revenge. You cry with Badru and laugh when she laughs, but more importantly, you can feel her pain and sympathise with her situation.
Why won’t Badru just leave? Because that’s the thing about an abusive relationship, it’s hard to take the exit and Darlings drills this point in you. She ends up completely alone at one point in the movie, save for her husband, something pretty common in abusive relationships.
But when Badru turns from being a trusting, naive girl in love to a vengeful woman, you understand why; it’s not abrupt. Where it leaves wanting is the ‘dark comedy’ bit. It has its funny moments, but it is mostly a revenge drama.
Give it a watch, and it can even be watched with family.