'Darling' Movie Review

'Darling' Movie Review

Cast: Priyadarshi, Nabha Natesh, Ananya Nagalla, Brahmanandam, Moin, Shiva Reddy, Muralidhar Goud, Sunitha Manohar, Abhignya, Krishna Teja, Mullapudi Rajeshwari and others.

Music: Vivek Sagar

Cinematography: Naresh Ramadurai

Dialogues: Sai Hemanth

Producer: Niranjan Reddy & Smt. Chaitanya

Writer – Director: Aswin Raam

After delivering hits as a hero with films like 'Mallesham' and 'Balagam', talented actor Priyadarshi is aiming to score a hattrick with 'Darling'. He paired up with Nabha Natesh for this entertainer. 'Hanu-Man' producer Niranjan Reddy is bankrolling this project which is written and directed by Aswin Raam. The songs and trailer which came out till date generated a positive buzz on the movie. Amidst good expectations, the movie came out in theatres and let us dive into the review straightaway.

Story:

Raghava (Priyadarshi) is a regular guy with a decent job. He dreams of going to Paris on his honeymoon. He gets humiliated when his bride-to-be Nandini (Ananya Nagalla) elopes with her lover. He decides to commit suicide but he finds Anandi (Nabha Natesh) at the suicide spot. Raghava instantly likes Anandi who lives life on her own terms. They fall in love and get married within no time. Things take a drastic turn when Raghava learns that Anandi has split personality disorder. The situation becomes worse after he finds out it is a multiple split personality disorder. What does Raghava do now? Will he live happily with Anandi despite all odds? The answers form the rest of the story.

Analysis:

The first movie that comes to our mind when we hear split personality is 'Aparichitudu'. It left the bar so high that any other film with the same concept fails to meet its standards. 'Darling' is a completely different genre from Shankar's film but Vikram's acting is so good that any actor who plays a similar role will be compared to him. The director of 'Darling' gave a split personality to the heroine and penned a story that sounds exciting on paper. But what we saw onscreen is a completely directionless film that tests the patience of the audience after a certain point.

The makers did not hide anything in the trailer as we understand the screenplay pattern even before stepping into theatres. The director and execution need to be near perfect to impress the audience on such occasions. It is where the film falters badly. The inexperience of the writer-director is on full display. The team promised good entertainment but it is what went missing in the movie. The director tried to generate comedy through multiple split personality disorder and instead of using Priyadarshi, he left the comedy to heroine which did not work out. Her eccentric acting and variations in the second half irritate the audience. It was mainly due to the below-par writing and the Nabha Natesh's acting flaws are on display too.

The first half was still decent with a few good laughs and a handful of interesting moments. Despite the slow pace, the first half is passable and the pre-interval scene is well-executed. The honest performance of Priyadarshi is a plus point for this film. But things go downhill in the second half. Except for a few emotional sequences where the hero talks with his family members, the movie is a boring watch. The lame wife jokes and fights between the women in the family are quite bad but things go awry midway in the second half. We wait for the movie to get finished but it doesn't end and gets dragged on. Niharika's cameo is added unnecessarily and the twist in the climax is a bit dramatic. The last 10 minutes somehow share a resemblance to 'Endukante Premanta'. Overall, 'Darling' is a disappointment that is neither entertaining nor emotional. Barring a few scenes here and there, it tests the patience of the audience.

Performances:

Priyadarshi gives a sincere performance. Despite him not doing a lot of comedy, his acting skills are on display during the emotional scenes. His subtle expressions convey a lot of emotions. His dialogue delivery and looks suited the role perfectly. Nabha Natesh gets a meaty role in this film. She looks good onscreen and definitely tried to do heavy lifting which she is not used to. She did well in certain scenes but she goes overboard in many parts which irks the audience. Her variations in different roles are way over-the-top and her limited acting skills were exposed.

Ananya Nagalla is decent in an extended cameo while Brahmanandam gives a guest appearance. Niharika Konidela too arrives in the climax but fails to give an expression while actor Jeevan appears in one scene. Raghu Babu did justice to his brief role. Muralidhar Goud as the hero's father does his typical acting while Vishnu and Krishna Teja as the hero's friends are okay. The rest of the actors are fine too.

Technicians:

The cinematography of 'Darling' is quite good. The visuals are quite colourful and scenic locations are captured quite well. The music by Vivek Sagar is a bit disappointing. We expect more from such a talented composer but neither his songs get registered nor his background score elevates the scenes. The re-recording is loud in many places as well. The production values are very good but editing that leaves a lot to be desired. The movie is way too slow in the second half and having 160 minutes runtime for a romantic entertainer is a bit much.

Aswin Raam fails to execute the story which might sound exciting on paper. He manages to extract decent performances from his lead actors but the screenplay is not engaging and tests the patience of the audience after a certain point in time. The dialogues fail to leave a mark and the required comedy in such a film is missing despite all the attempts. Barring a few good sequences, 'Darlings' ends up as a jarring watch especially due to its second half.

Verdict: 'Darling' - Lacks Fun & Turns Out Boring!

Rating: 2/5