Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, Roshan Matthew
Jasmeet K. Reen
2022-08-05
Hindi
4/5
Darlings is about a woman named Badru, played by Alia Bhatt, who is married to Hamza, played by Vijay Varma. Hamza comes home every night, after heavy drinking, and ends up abusing Badru, but everyone knows this happens - including her mother, played by Shefali Shah, and of course, Zulfi, played by Roshan Matthew.
Despite some unrealistic sequences, Darlings is somehow, completely real. There is so much conviction in this story - from the light and dark humourous situations to the sheer violence depicted by Varma as he plays Hamza. I'll be the first one to admit that as the years have gone on, I have certainly turned to Alia Bhatt as truly a phenomenal actor, but my, does she have a keen eye as she turns producer with this film.
Jasmeet K. Teen certainly seems to have an eye for a screenplay and dialogues that feel completely justified, yet nuanced in only this world. We never come out of this world, really, and we truly feel trapped when Badru feels trapped, liberated when Badru feels liberated.
But my goodness, the acting. Shefali Shah is by far my most favourite woman to grace the digital platforms. She has the most expressive eyes, and can speak volumes in every single frame. She really is the star of the show for me. Alia Bhatt is pitch perfect as always, and one wonders how she seems to always get it right. Roshan Matthew was definitely a favourite of mine and I hope we get to see more of him on screen. Vijay Varma is despicable - as he is supposed to be. Each actor is just so good, that this film becomes probably the best one out of Hindi cinema for me this year...
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