“Darlings” on Netflix is hilarious yet heartbreaking. Movies like these bring valuable lessons with them. Shefali Shah and Alia Bhatt have set high standards for actors. Presented as a strong mother-daughter duo, both managed to win hearts easily. The story begins with a heart-warming love story between Badrunissa (Alia Bhatt) and Hamza Shaikh (Vijay Varma). The whole plotline of this film is a culmination of different genres coming together. Well, this makes everything even more interesting in the first place. With time, Badrunissa’s marriage becomes bland, like her expectations. Her hopes were burned away like ashes, with Hamza turning very abusive with each passing day. “Darlings” is the story of Badrunissa’s blind love and abuse. She decides to put up with Hamza’s violent nature for years, but she fails to understand that some men never change. Over these years, Badrunissa grew up with her single mother, Shamshunissa (Shefali Shah), who owns a catering service. There hasn’t been a single day wherein her mother didn’t warn Badrunissa about his atrocities. Well, another injury pops up, and the story continues.
Spoilers Ahead
Hamza is an alcoholic and a master manipulator. His way of influencing Badrunissa’s mind for three years has been downright crazy. She is so in love with him that Badrunissa never saw it coming. But deep down, she knew about his dirty deeds. A quick wave of realization doesn’t hit her until life gives her a strong response. Some factors might be triggering for young individuals, but “Darlings” doesn’t disappoint. Javed Ansari is Badrunissa’s father; he mysteriously went missing years ago. Hamza’s behavior became so pathetic that he would lay hands on her for absolutely no reason. To satisfy his male ego, Badrunissa is not allowed to give her opinion on any important matters. Every morning, Hamza would turn up to get an apology for his mistakes. Even after landing at the police station, Hamza knows to play with her mind. This time he even hit Shamshunissa.
Zulfi (Roshan Mathew) is the master trickster behind arresting him. Things finally get back on track as Hamza promises never to lay his hand on Badrunissa again. But this time, there’s a catch. Hamza is struck down with sharp pain, and it is soon revealed that he has been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Badrunissa is pregnant with their first child until Hamza discovers that Zulfi is responsible for his arrest. Not only that, Badrunissa’s participation makes him furious. Infuriated with anger, he pushes Badrunissa down the stairs, causing her to have a miscarriage. This is where the entire movie changes its direction. Now, an empowered Badrunissa wants to avenge her child’s death. Hamza is injected with heavy doses of sleeping pills, causing him to doze off. Badrunissa decides to involve her mother in this, and together they make up different plans to get rid of him. Hamza becomes terrified of her since she is plunging herself into the same sins as well.
But Badrunissa just wants to get her respect back and wants him to feel the same pain. But is it all worth it? Even after all this, there’s no change to Hamza’s character. Every time he was spared, he would warn Badrunissa. This time, Badrunissa convinces Hamza to spare his life after he reveals all the details about his physical and mental abuse. This included a deal of uploading his video on social media and him leaving for his village. Instead of killing him, Badrunissa spares his life. Still, Hamza didn’t change, but Karma got the best out of him. Badrunissa’s transition from a timid to an empowered woman is undoubtedly a remarkable journey for women who want to take a stand for themselves. Women go through domestic abuse for a very long time. Only some dare speak out about it. All the actors in this film have come a long way from their choice of characters. Another important aspect of this film would be its ability to soothe the overbearing and hurtful experiences of Badrunissa through Black Comedy.
Jasmeet K. Reen’s portrayal of Badrunissa is brilliant. The beginning of “Darlings” will leave you puzzled. It’s almost impossible to guess that Hamza and Badrunissa’s chemistry would become so toxic. The dynamics of Alia Bhatt’s character as Badrunissa sat well with all the corners of Shefali Shah’s character as Shamshunissa. Multiple mishaps were made in terms of decision-making. But Badrunissa could finally comprehend the depth of her situation. Vijay Varma portrayed the complex aspects of Hamza’s character beautifully. Over these years, he created a different persona through his acting skills. The ending will give you a fantastic twist. Badrunissa believed that her father had gone missing, but Shamshunissa knew the exact cause. The movie proved every aspect of the saying that “history repeats itself.” “Darlings” ends on a good note, wherein Badrunissa is free from the grief of her husband’s abuse. Shamshunissa and Badrunissa are still carrying on their catering business, and this time she made the right decision by letting everything go.
See More: ‘Darlings’ Ending, Explained: Does Badru Kill Hamza?
