Review Overview
Fun Quotient
Screenplay & Direction
Technical Aspects & Music
Endless fun sans horror!
Overall, Darling is an out and out entertainer to unwind yourselves for the festival weekend. It offers endless fun with terrific performances from the cast.
Cast: G. V. Prakash Kumar, Nikki Galrani, Srushti Dange,Karunas, Bala Saravanan, Rajendran & Others
Cinematography: Krishnan Vasant
Editing: Ruben
Music: GV Prakash
PRO: Johnson
Written by: Maruthi Dasari
Direction: Sam Anton
Produced by: Studio Green & Geetha Arts
Distributed by: Dream Factory
Release Date: 15-01-2015
Run Time: 02:06:00
Originating from Tollywood, Darling is a faithful remake of Prema Katha Chitram with an enjoyable supporting cast who offer endless fun. The makers of Tamil cinema have settled down on a fact that horror-comedies are no-risk business and have every potential to fight with star-driven commercial cinemas. Darling has again reaffirmed that fact by satisfying audiences on a festival day with a clean entertainer.
Darling is cloaked as a horror film but focusses solely on the comedy part with scant regard for the horror part. Debutant director Sam Anton has still managed to keep the audience engaged throughout with a simple plot and enjoyable performances. GV Prakash, who debuts as a lead hero, has an easy task at hand and perfectly done what the script required him to do.
The story starts off with Kalaiarasan and his wife walking into a luxurious private guest house on the shores. They start shooting their cute after-marriage moments with a mobile and when the clock strikes 12 at the midnight, the couple are murdered by some mysterious presence. Cut from there, the film starts with the intro of GV Prakash, Bala Saravanan and Nikki Galrani, with each one planning for suicide simultaneously for their own reasons. The suicide plan seems to be very strong on their minds and before that, they decide to fulfil their last wish and decide to go on a small trip and end up in the same guest house where Kalaiarasan and his wife were found dead. On the way, they happen to meet Karunas who is also planning to give up his life recovering from a love failure. It could also be the much-needed comeback for Karunas. Bala Saravanan and Karunas provide stellar performances with their excellent timing and dialogue delivery. But, their suicide plans gradually fade away when GV Prakash turns face to face with Nikki Galrani and realises that she is possessed by the ghost. GV explains his reason for the decision and others also come to turns with it later.
Karanus, Bala and GV take turns with the ghost scene after scene, giving a comic relief but failing to evoke fear in the audience. Eventually, they seek the help of Ghost Gopal Varma, played by the hilarious Mottai Rajendran as a high-tech ghost buster. He received the most applause from the audience,though his role is just an extended-cameo.
Unlimited fun, melodic songs, neat background score are absolute strengths on the technical side. Negatives is the run-of-the-mill storyline sans anything novel.
Overall, Darling is an out and out entertainer to unwind yourselves for the festival weekend.