Darling Story

Raghav's(Priyadarshi Pulikonda) only ambition is to get married and take his wife on a honeymoon to Paris. Right from his childhood, he only lives by his dream. His parents find him a very good girl, but Raghav gets the shock of his life when the bride(Ananya Nagalla) elopes with someone else. Upset with this, Raghav tries to commit suicide. But he is saved by Anandi(Nabah Natesh). Impressed by her character, Raghavn proposes marriage to her, and Anandi says yes. Things turn on their head when Raghav finds out that his wife has split personality disorder and tortures him in the night. How Raghav came out of this deadly situation and saved his marriage is the basic story of the film.

Darling Review

Darling is produced by the makers of HanuMan, and they chose a fun romantic comedy as their immediate film after the success of the Teja Sajja starrer. Aswin Raam has directed Darling, which is about a husband's story who finds out that his wife has split personality issues. The plot looks attractive and is told light-heartedly from the beginning.

But one of the biggest villains of the film is the runtime. Darling is two hours forty minutes in runtime and keeps going on and on. Aswin Raam sets up the plot in a very interesting manner by showcasing the hero's life and how his fiance leaves him for someone else. Also, the manner in which the hero and heroine meet makes sense.

But things fall apart from there. The character of Priyadarshi decides to marry the heroine in just a few hours of meeting her, and the way she agrees to it, everything looks so rushed. Even if we are okay with the concept of marrying someone else in just a few hours, the idea of split personality disorder is not appropriately showcased. Why the character of Nabha behaves in such a way at night is showcased in a silly manner.

There are a few comedy scenes and dialogues which make sense in the first half and Priyadarshi keeps things going. But the moment the second half starts, things fall flat on the face. The concept of multiple personality disorder is showcased and the way Nabha behaves is showcased in an irritating manner and tests your patience.

Nabha Natesh, who is known to do romantic roles, is a big miscast in the role of a wife who has split personality disorder. Though she does well in the first half, the director makes her character look silly and spoils the film by showcasing Nabha in a weird and boring manner, which spoils the narrative. By making her ham in most scenes, director Aswin spoils the narrative and makes it tedious to sit after a point.

The second half is a huge letdown and has no emotional weight. The screenplay is wayward, and there is no seriousness after a point in the proceedings. There was no need to drag the film for so long. If Darling had been narrated as a two-hour film, things would have made a lot of sense.

The only solace of the film is Priyadarshi Pulikonda. He is the only actor who gives a sincere performance in Darling. Despite so many flaws in the script and narration, his urge and emotion to cure is wife are showcased in a solid manner by Priyadarshi. He is a seasoned actor and does not make the film look boring when he is on screen. But the rest of the cast is not at all effective.

Ananya Nagalla, in the role of a psychologist, is also a miscast. She hardly makes any difference to the narrative. The music by Vivek Sagar is quite good, and his BGM was impressive. The production values, camerawork and production design are superb in the film. The dialogue needs a special mention as the comedy generated clicks only because of the magnificent dialogue.

The climax is also rushed, and the reason why the character of Nabha develops split personality disorder is silly. This aspect is overlooked, and the happy ending that the director has is also over the top. The fun part of the film is good, but the lack of seriousness, runtime, and illogical scenes take Darling down in no time.

Darling Verdict

On the whole, Darling is a silly, over-the-top, and clueless comedy that goes on and on. Though Priyadarshi tries hard to salvage the proceedings with his sincere performance, it is the wayward narration that tests the patience of the audience.

TeluguCinema

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