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Darling Review : A Misfire of Mismatched Genres, Uninspired Humour, and Under-Explored Concepts
Darling aspires to be a romantic comedy with some social commentary, trying to visualise a few social issues. However, the result fails to deliver any genre successfully. The film struggles with an uneven script and an unnecessary, fast narrative that misses the point that the director wants to convey. It has underwhelming humour and a central concept that’s underdeveloped.
A Premise with Potential, Fumbled Execution
The movie revolves around Raghav (Priyadarshi), a mild-mannered government employee whose main aim in life is to marry and go to Paris for a honeymoon. He struggles to land a wife, and when he tries to end his life, he meets Anandi (Nabha Natesh). In a spur of the moment, they get married. When all seemed fun and joyous, Anandi suffered from a mental disorder that disturbed their lives inside and out. What’s the reason for her health problems? What will Raghav do about his Paris plan?
Although the premise is unusual, it has the potential for dark humour and a deeper exploration of the psychological complexities of such a mental disorder. But the film squanders this potential by relying on slapstick humour and exaggerated gags that fall flat more often than they land. Raghav’s attempts to deal with Anandi’s ailments become repetitive and tiresome, lacking the cleverness or wit that’s needed to elevate the comedy above juvenile antics.
Uneven Performances and Underdeveloped Characters
While Priyadarshi delivered a solemn and matured performance, both Darshi and Nabha they are hampered by the uninspired script they’re given. Priyadarshi became a gentleman, a “nice man” with Darling. He is known for his comedic timing, but is downgraded to reacting to Anandi’s outlandish behaviour rather than being allowed to showcase his full comedic range. Nabha Natesh portrays Anandi’s dramatic swings with a broadness that borders on caricature. The film fails to delve into the possible motivations behind her behaviour, leaving the audience with a one-dimensional character rather than a complex individual dealing with a mental illness.
Supporting Cast Lost in the Muddle
The roles of the supporting cast, including Brahmanandam, Moin, and Sunitha Manohar, are fine, but they don’t leave a lasting impression. They don’t add to comedic development. Their presence feels like an afterthought, adding to the cluttered and unfocused feel of the narrative.
Social Commentary Fades into Background Noise
Darling attempts to touch upon the societal pressure Indian women face and the marriage pressure that men face. A woman should be a certain way, and marriage is some kind of achievement. However, these are not conveyed in a way that the scenes could be appreciated. It feels like the narrative is running without destination. These social points they’ve brought into the story could have been explored more. They could have written the screenplay, bringing those points to life, rather than just saying them out loud in a scene. Although these scenes are the high points in the movie, it feels like something’s missing throughout the movie.
The scenes are clumsy at times and are abandoned without any meaningful exploration. The points that the movie wants to convey are serious, one of the burning issues in the present society, so just mentioning them for the sake of it instead of in-depth exploring leaves the audience dissatisfied. Either go into a complete rom-com or a serious genre, this incomplete mix of genres didn’t fare well on any path that the movie wants to talk about. This superficial treatment of a serious issue feels like the movie merely used it as a plot device rather than a genuine conversation starter.
Technical Aspects are the Saving Grace
The film’s technical aspects are remarkable. The cinematography by Naresh Ramadurai is functional and inspiring, creating a visually captivating world for the story to unfold in. The music by Vivek Sagar is good and memorable, blending in and adding emotional weight to the narrative.
A Missed Opportunity for Originality
Darling had the potential to be an unconventional romantic comedy with a unique central conflict. The film fails to show the promise that it’s expected to make. Nabha Natesh’s acting is simply fake at times. It feels like a genuine actress who doesn’t go for glamour over acting might have done a great job bringing weight and depth to the character she played.
In fact, throughout the entire movie, her character could have impressed audiences like Sridevi from Vasantha Kokila or like Jyothika from ChandraMukhi, but her inability to show any real expressions failed to reach any audience. Lacklustre humour, underdeveloped characters, and superficial social commentary fail to impress. Darling could’ve been a genuine, original, thought-provoking film, but it falls short on all accounts and is a missed opportunity.
Verdict: If you are ok with lacklustre humour, want to see Priyadarshi shine at a few moments, tolerate repetitive gags, and have underdeveloped characters, go ahead and watch it. The main issues, which they haven’t explored well enough, might be the only value of the movie. For that, it’s a one time-tolerable watch.
Cast:
Priyadarshi, Nabha Natesh, Ananya Nagalla, Brahmanandham, Moin, Shiva Reddy, Muralidhar Goud and others
Crew:
Written and Directed by Aswin Raam
Produced by K Niranjan Reddy Smt & Chaitanya
Music : Vivek Sagar
Cinematographer: Naresh Ramadurai
Editor: Pradeep E Raghav
Sarkar Rating: 1.5/5
Read Also: Nabha Natesh Makes Daring Comeback in Darling After Accident