Bollywood Movie Reviews : Darling

Cast: Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Isha Koppikar, Zakir Hussain

Producer: Bhushan Kumar, Kishan Kumar

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Music Director: Himesh Reshammiya

Rating: **1/2

Considering that the promos don’t hint anything about Darling being a horror movie except for the tagline which says ‘A killer love story’, it would probably not be right to go in to the halls expecting a spine hilling, hair raising experience. That said, though Darling is technically supposed to be a ghost movie, it doesn’t quite fit itself into that genre. The film reminds me of Naqaab, another film that flouted the norms of the genre it was supposed to be positioned in. Darling is a movie which dangles in search of a category to perch itself in. I would rather call it a comedy. Well, not all ghost movies have to be scary now, do they?

Entertain, it certainly does. Darling has the audience laughing all through the film. While an attempt has been made to make the film look and sound scary, director Ram Gopal Verma doesn’t quite succeed in the attempt. Actually, it wouldn’t really turn out to be such a big disappointment if we tried and looked at the niceties of the movie rather than to pick on it and bash it up because it doesn’t scare you enough.

Let us just assume that RGV has taken his cinematic liberties with the overtly on-your-face background score and the dramatic editing. The movie sure will be a disappointment if you walk in to the theatres expecting to see scary spirits sashaying about the screen in grotesque makeup. Sorry, Darling isn’t one of those movies. In fact, it’s nice to see Esha Deol without makeup for once. What a pleasant relief from the disaster Cash was! (The torn fishnets she wore in Cash have been completely made up for. Just one white Kurti throughout the movie here!)

Two words to describe Darling – “Grisly Grins”. Well, scary, it is supposed to be, but it really isn’t. Esha as the ghost gives you the same kind of feel that Liz Hurley does in Bedazzled. Full of style and panache, her way of leveling scores range from stroking her avenger’s new female secretary to playing a trick on the life of his best friend. Amusing.

As far as the storyline goes, there is nothing new about it. It is the age old tale of a family man having an affair with his office secretary (Esha Deol) and getting her pregnant. Aditya (Fardeen Khan) lives the dream of every man. A doting wife (Isha Koppikar) and an adorable child at home and a sexy secretary who will help him explore all his wildest fantasies at work. But things take a nasty twist when Geeta (Esha Deol) informs him that she is pregnant and demands commitment from him. In the duel that ensues, Aditya accidentally kills Geeta. With vengeance and unfulfilled dreams, Geeta returns as the ghost and begins to play havoc in Aditya’s life.

The problem with Darling is that the pace sometimes gets a bit too stagnant. Fardeen Khan’s office sequences become boring after a while. He drives and drives in his car to and fro to work for what seems like eternity! Zakir Hussain who plays Aditya’s friend is extremely annoying. He can’t distinguish the difference between singing and talking. The sequences with the psychiatrist (Kota Srinivasa Rao) are ridiculous. As a doctor, instead of analysing what his patient’s problems might be, he blows up and begins yelling at Ashwini (Isha Koppikar) and Aditya. Upendra Limaye plays police inspector yet again, and to perfection. The sequences involving him are the most entertaining.Hats Off!

Darling is Esha Deol’s film. She carries the movie forward with finesse and elegance. Absolutely thumbs up! Fardeen Khan has tried very hard to do his best, but could’ve certainly done a lot better. Isha Koppikar is convincing in the first half, but doesn’t quite match up in the second half where she has all the emotional scenes. A little bit of polishing up needed there.

Cinematography (Amit Roy) is splendid. Himesh Reshammiya’s music is lingers on. The track ‘Tadap’, has already topped the charts. Another track to look out for is ‘Saathiya’.

Darling isn’t a fantabulous film with ravishing sets and ultra glamorous women but rather a film that plays with human emotions and sentiments. It is difficult to say whether it was made to be an intentional comedy or not but the movie will sure warrant a few laughs. Darling is timepass.

- AOL India

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