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Thursday, January 23, 2025
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TAMIL DARLING
EDITOR'S PICK
'Darling'
a crowd-pleasing tale of horror (IANS Tamil Movie Review)
Rating:
***
'Darling', a faithful remake of Telugu hit 'Prema Katha Chitram', is better than
its original for the simple reason that it manages to entertain with a new set
of actors. It wouldn't have mattered so much if the same film featured Santhanam
instead of Karunas and maybe Soori in the place of Bala. The comedy would've
worked, but you wouldn't have been completely taken by surprise because you
already know what to expect from a film featuring seasoned comedians.
Even composer-turned-actor Prakash and Nikki, who are making their acting debut,
bring something fresh in terms of their performance for the audience.
Cashing in on the current trend of horror-comedies in Tamil, there's not much
creativity, story-wise, in this remake as most of it stays true to its original.
But there's enough creativity in the lines and humour to keep you hooked from
start to finish. Almost every scene featuring Karunas, especially the little set
piece involving him inviting the ghost for dinner, is a laugh riot. And there
are a few hilarious scenes linked to his bad eating habit. All this proves why
he's one of the most underrated comedians in the industry.
Karunas is aptly supported by Bala, who makes a great sidekick to heroes. It's
finally time to give Santhanam and Soori a break to just breathe, but not
because they're bad actors.
It would've been awesome if the makers kept the role of Rajendran as a surprise
but it's understandable they used it to create some buzz. He plays an exorcist,
Ghost Gopal Varma, who comes to the rescue of a group of youngsters who believe
to be living in a haunted bungalow where they've come to commit suicide. The
film's best moments, although short, are with him and you can't deny it. The
scene where he takes the ghost head on, and the following moments, are extremely
well-directed.
With a disappointing first half, the film bounces back strongly post-interval.
One wonders why spend all the time on explaining with a flashback, what forced
the hero to decide to end his life. A simple one-line explanation would've
sufficed instead of weaving a backstory that's mostly irritating. In fact, I
wonder, why even tell audiences why the characters want to end their lives? It
could be a story about a few characters on the brink of committing suicide. This
is where remakes should show some creativity and not blindly reproduce a hit
story.
Director Sam Anton has proved there's so much one could achieve with a new group
of actors. While Prakash does struggle in the romantic portion, he's good
otherwise. It's a great debut for someone who's spent all his life composing
music. When it comes to the music, he hits the bull's eye with songs as well as
background score in 'Darling'.
Nikki, the pretty damsel, has played her part really well as the ghost too.
Despite its flaws, 'Darling' turns out to be a crowd-pleasing tale of horror.
While there aren't many thrills to send chills down your spine, the comedy gives
you company throughout.
Actress Nikki Galrani, who didn't mind playing a ghost in forthcoming Tamil debut "Darling", which releases in cinemas Thursday, says playing a possessed character left her physically and mentally drained out.Read More
Darling Team At Suryan FM For Audio Launch