‘Darlings’ Nails The Portrayal Of ‘Love Beyond The Age Difference’. Gotta Love It!
Jasmeet K Reen’s Darlings starring Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma, was released on Netflix, a week ago. Since it has taken the internet by an absolute storm. has been declared to be one of the most popular Bollywood-based OTT releases of the year. In fact, it’s literally being remade in regional languages like Tamil and Telugu.
Darlings as a movie, has single-handedly, managed to tackle a lot of social issues including domestic violence, alcoholism and the patriarchal nature of the society. That too, by implementing dark humour. I loved how seamless and sorted it was while doing the so. No wonder it took the world by storm. I also loved the fact that it dares to showcase the power of love beyond the age barrier.
Also Read: Why ‘Darlings’ Feels Like A Fable Written By One Of Its Characters
Darlings’ Portrayal Of The Power Of Love
One of the most beautiful issues touched upon in the movie, that I think a lot of people seem to have missed out on, was the fact that Darlings dares to showcase the meaning of love beyond the bounds of age. I mean, Shefali Shah’s character Shamshun and Roshan Matthew’s character Zulfi get together in the movie without any additional layer of drama, useless questioning by society and disapproval by the characters’ near and dear ones. It was just a moment of pure love and bliss.
The way they uninhibitedly show a younger man’s love for an older woman is brilliant. The scene in itself is unexpected and of course, beyond just heartwarming. Another thing to note is the fact that the love shown beyond the barrier of age was done in the purest manner. It wasn’t sleazy and Shamshun wasn’t portrayed as a cougar for kissing a younger guy, it was just a pure moment of love.
Zulfi ends up confessing that he has a thing for Shamshu when the police put pressure on him. Then, she starts supporting him and even kissed him and well, it was a magical moment. The moment it happened, I could automatically spot the chemistry and sparkle between them that was literally missing in the rest of the movie. I loved how clearly visible and pure it was.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan Gives An Adorable Reply To “L’il One” Alia Bhatt’s About ‘Darlings’. So Sweet Yaa, SRK!
How Does Badru React To Her Mother’s Love?
Contrary to the usual reactions that family members tend to have when they hear that their parents are dating someone new, Shamshun finds the ultimate supporter in her daughter, Badru (played by Alia Bhatt). She notices the kiss and doesn’t even blink an eyelid. She doesn’t look down upon it or make a big deal out of it and in some sense normalises it. She smiles and supports her mother just like her mother has been supporting her through all the chaos. Such a sweet moment, I swear.
On top of this, she also notices how her mother and Zulfi look at each other and assures her mother that it isn’t a bad thing. In fact, towards the end, during her husband’s “funeral”, she catches her mother looking at Zulfi and lets her know explicitly that she supports her. She also tells her that Zulfi is different from both of their husbands and that she really does deserve love and happiness. They both do. Don’t they?
I think this is one of the most beautiful portrays of love beyond the bounds of age gaps showcased by Bollywood, to date. I really hope to see more of these because Bollywood movies can change the way people view the world and we really need to normalise this because, at the end of the day, age is indeed just a number and love dies triumph all.
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