BUZZ18 REVIEW: Darling
What the film is all about
A philandering husband Aditya Soman (Fardeen Khan) finds himself in a soup when he accidentally kills his 'other woman' Gita Menon (Esha Deol) after a night of passion. Despite all efforts to put the mishap behind him, he finds himself being haunted by his past, literally. What follows are strange incidents for which he is unable to give any explanations whatsoever to anyone around him.
His wife Ashwini (Isha Koppikar) is at a loss to understand his irrational behaviour. Meanwhile the police get an inkling and a certain Inspector Reddy and Sub-Inspector Malti Pande are hot on his heels. Gita then begins targeting Aditya's loved ones. At the end, sitting next to his unconscious wife, a crestfallen Aditya confesses his mistake and his love for Gita. Little does he know, however, what is in store for him after this little confession.
What we liked
Besides Esha Deol's acting there is practically nothing to write about here. However the girl has really proved she has a lot to offer to a film besides skin show. Her role as the revenging ghost reminds one of Urmila's performance as an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (eerily also an RGV production, starring Fardeen Khan).
What we didn't like
Don't bother about the plot sounding similar to Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya because Darling has far too many flaws than just that. After Aag, this is yet another half-hearted effort by Ram Gopal Varma. A dreary storyline and an uninspiring screenplay are the biggest drawbacks of this film. The overall look of Darling also leaves a lot to be desired. Camera angles and frame selection seem contrived, somewhat pseudo.
But the most unpardonable of them all is the film's shoddy editing. In the scene where Gita is sitting under Aditya's office desk, feeling up his new secretary's legs, you cannot miss Aditya's left hand on his face in one shot then on his lap in the other, back on the face in the third and again on his lap in the fourth. Certainly such amateurish direction (and indeed editing) isn't expected of an RGV film.
