Thiruvananthapuram, First Published Aug 7, 2022, 9:40 PM IST
POnce there was a flood in the forest. “Can you take me to the other side?” asked a scorpion frog by the river.
“How can I trust you if you screw me?” The frog is suspicious
“If I do so, will I not sink with you if I pull,” answered the scorpion.
“That’s right!” thought the frog.
So believing that word, the frog released the scorpion and went into the river. But when he reached half way, the scorpion pinched the frog.
The frog writhed in pain and asked, “Why did you pinch me even though you said you wouldn’t?”
The Scorpion said “Can I not be tight, that’s not my nature!!!”
Are each of us the scorpion or the frog in this story? That’s what Alia Bhatt’s new film Darlings is asking for. Badrunnisa (Alia Bhatt) is the heroine in the film which tells the story of domestic violence. Badrunnisa’s husband Hamza (Vijay Verma) is a ticket collector in the railways. They are married in love. The film moves forward through the stories of both of their lives. Badru is the one who hopes that her husband will get better and have a good life even as she endures the abuses of her alcoholic husband. In the house next door is her mother Shamsunnisa (Shefali Shah). They are telling their daughter to leave Hamsa in every possible way. Badru defends it all by sharing his hope that he will get better.
She makes a delicious omelette for Hamza, who cries every morning that alcohol brings out the animal in him. At the call of his darlings, her strife and pain melts away. Even when she reaches the police station for domestic violence, she believes his word and goes back to the same life. Finally, at some point, the frog in her realizes when she faces the biggest loss in her life. What happens to her later? How does she cope with her abusive, toxic husband?
In the first half, Badru is only a victim of domestic violence. In the second half, she becomes a hunter. Even when she asserts that she cannot be a frog, she cannot fully become a scorpion. She faces life with a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye. Every second makes the viewer wonder if all those efforts will bear fruit. Darlings reminds us at several points later that the lines between right and wrong are thin. The film travels through the layers of love, love and hatred. The film ends with Badru finding peace in his life by weighing the scales of right and wrong. However, the film leaves many questions.
The SI asks Badru and his mother, who have to go to the police station on a complaint of domestic violence, whether they should try for divorce. Shamsunnisa’s answer to that is that nothing has been said to people like us. Shamsu tells a glimpse of middle class life. It is also noteworthy that the mother-daughter team does not resort to such means to escape from the swan. Shamsu tells his daughter that he can beat Hamza and tells in detail the ways to do so. In response, the daughter says that cooking is good for her mother. (Shamsu is a small catering business woman). This mother-daughter partnership plays a major role in creating a presence of laughter in a very serious story. The Alia Bhatt-Shefali Shah duo has done little to bring the film to life. We will experience that excellence not only in conversations. Even in the movements of the eyes, both of them have an indescribable charm of identification with the characters. Vijay Verma has given a brilliant performance as a hero with a negative shade. The best example of this is the distaste felt by the viewer when Hamza calls Badru Darlings.
In addition to these three, the main character in the film is a young man named Zulfi. Roshan Mathew plays Zulfi. Zulfi’s love, who comes before the audience as Shamsu’s assistant, is confusing to the audience. Zulfi is the character that made actor Roshan familiar to the Bollywood audience even though he did not have much to show for it. (Through the movie Choked, the foundation of that story is laid).
Darlings is neither a perfect dark comedy nor a perfect suspense thriller. But it’s a good film to share. Darlings does not come to the fore in a way that fully satisfies the fans who have welcomed domestic violence films with open arms. However, we will get to know a girl like Badru. She is the same girl we used to see in our homes or around. It has to be said that this is the main reason why the female audience took the film.
Darlings is directed by debutant Jasmeet K Reen. The film also has the distinction of being Alia Bhatt’s first production venture. The film has reached the audience through Netflix.
Last Updated Aug 7, 2022, 9:55 PM IST