Raghav (Priyadarshi) works as a travel agent and dreams of marrying a lovely girl to get her on a honeymoon to Paris. After wedding fails, he attempts suicide, but Aanandi (Nabha Natesh) comes to his rescue. Raghav weds Aanandi and soon his marriage turns into multiple issues. Which problems trouble Raghav? What is the reason behind Aanandi’s weird behavior? What action does Raghav hold next? These questions drive forward the rest of the film.
Priyadarshi performs admirably throughout, showing particular strength in the emotional moments. Nabha Natesh holds a significant role in ‘Darling.’ The character requires much from her, particularly in the second half, when she has to portray an eccentric behavior. She shows her strengths in a few aspects, while encountering difficulties in some. Her performance suffers because of the flaws in her writing.
D Krishna Teja and Vishnu Oi appear as friends of the protagonist, but they cannot evoke laughs. Ananya Nagalla performs satisfactorily in her character as Doctor Nandini. Muralidhar Goud appears as the hero’s father, but his appearance remains minimal. Brahmanandam shows up in only a few scenes. Raghu Babu plays his bit part exactly as one would expect. Balagam Venu takes on the role of a Baba, yet fails to leave an impact because of the poorly developed character.
‘Darling’ presents a quite basic narrative. It focuses on a man who eagerly wants to get married and have his honeymoon in Paris. He marries a woman, but unfortunately, she causes numerous problems in his life. He finds himself in deeper trouble as he tries to salvage the marriage. The director unveiled the entire plot in the trailer but kept the sentimental crux in the film. The concept of ‘Multiple Split Personality’ adds to the uniqueness of the story, but the director needed to set an interesting premise, poignant situations and fun moments around the female lead’s character. However, the director succeeded only in parts in his ambition.
While not perfect, the first half entertains with its comedic elements, working around a few minor writing issues. At the midpoint, we get a clue that the director will sort things out in the second half.
The latter half introduces too many characters, providing little value overall despite a few engaging moments. The various shades and backstories added to Nabha’s character cannot create intrigue and lead to a tiresome experience. The climax gets better yet continues to miss the mark.
