Movie: Darling
Rating: 1.75/5
Banner: Primeshow Entertainment
Cast: Priyadarshi, Nabha Natesh, Ananya Nagalla, Brahmanandham, Moin, Shiva Reddy, Muralidhar Goud, Krishna Teja, Vishnu, and others
Dialogue: Sai Hemanth
Music: Vivek Sagar
DOP: Naresh Ramadurai
Editor: Pradeep E Raghav
Production Designer: Gandhi Nadikudikar
Producer: K Niranjan Reddy and Chaitanya Reddy
Written and Directed by: Aswin Raam
Release Date: July 19, 2024
The producers of “Hanu Man”, one of this year's biggest hits in Indian cinema, went all out to promote their new film "Darling." Despite being a relatively low-budget film for them, they left no stone unturned to generate buzz.
Let’s look at its merits and demerits.
Story:
Raghav (Priyadarshi), a travel planner, decides to end his life as he’s constantly mocked for his fiancée running away from their wedding. As he prepares to do this act, Anandhi (Nabha Natesh) emerges and stops him from doing so with her positive speech.
Without much deliberation, they hastily marry. But a challenge arises for him at this point, as she suffers from multiple personality disorder, and each of her distinct personalities prevents him from consummating their marriage.
How will Raghav address this? Who actually is Anandhi?
Artistes’ Performances:
Priyadarshi has already demonstrated his skill in portraying both humorous and leading characters. The role he plays in this film aligns perfectly with his body language, and once again, he has delivered a believable performance.
Nabha Natesh, tasked with portraying five distinct personas, unfortunately, is a misfit for this role. In certain identities, like the feminist Jhansi, her performance is completely out of sync.
Muralidhar Goud, portraying the role of Priyadarshi's father, along with Krishna Teja and Vishnu, who play the roles of Priyadarshi's friends, display their own unique acting styles.
Ananya Nagalla's performance in a small role is satisfactory.
Technical Excellence:
Vivek Sagar's music lacks distinction. The cinematography and production design are visually opulent, giving no indication of a limited budget. However, the screenplay writing and editing are major drawbacks.
Highlights:
Couple of comedy episodes
Drawback:
Confusing characterisation of heroine
Dragged on narration
Director messes up with too many things
The entire final hour
Sub par writing
Analysis
In the film, the main characters discuss movies like "Aparichitudu" to explain the female protagonist's multiple personality disorder. However, this is unnecessary. Our audiences are familiar with the concept of split personality or multiple personality disorder, as evidenced by its portrayal in blockbusters such as "Aparichitudu" and "Chandramukhi."
In "Darling," this multiple personality disorder is initially used for comedic effect. There is a lengthy sequence where Nabha's five different personas make the protagonist's life miserable. Each time he asks for a kiss, she slaps him hard, intended for humor.
Later, this disorder is used to develop a romantic connection between Nabha and Priyadarshi and address the topic of sexual abuse. However, the film shifts focus after the interval, introducing too many new elements.
As the film concludes, it completely deviates from its initial premise. The final plot twist involving the heroine's multiple personality disorder seems unreasonable and irrational, given the preceding events.
It appears the director attempted to force a connection between the concept of 'Paris' and the protagonist, resulting in an altered and confusing plot twist. The initial episode of an uncle abusing a girl child feels unnecessary once the final twist is revealed.
Clearly, the director lost track of the intended narrative, and the producers neglected to address crucial details.
While some segments elicit laughter, it is evident that better comedic writing would have benefited the film. The prolonged episode at a saree shop in the final hour is tedious. Priyadarshi's lecture to the parents about marriage is another frivolous scene. The last hour of the film is particularly messy.
A more skilled actress might have made the various personas depicted by Nabha Natesh more tolerable.
Overall, "Darling" is chaotic and boring. After a decent beginning and a few comedic segments, the film loses direction and becomes a tedious experience. It seems the director himself lacked clarity regarding the message he intended to convey.
Bottom line: Why This Kolaverri?
