Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah's film is best enjoyed for its little moments

Mumbai: Women tell stories of women the best. In debutant director Jasmeet K Reen's 'Darlings', a twisted mother-daughter duo not only is the biggest cheerleaders for each other but also each other's critics. They are both stuck in a complex relationship involving men, yet never are projected as vulnerable. Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah play spirited women- who despite bad marriages are never willing to give up on life.

Set in bustling Mumbai, the story of Shamzi (Shah) and Badru (Bhatt) could be any of our stories. It is the story of a protective single mother, always wanting to look out for her daughter, it is about a woman desperately trying to make her marriage work, it is about a man who is not too fond of his mother-in-law, a man who is deeply frustrated at work and who takes it out on his wife every night. Such stories exist in every bylane of India, every nook and corner, in high-rises and shanties, irrespective of class.

Alia Bhatt and Vijay Verma play a young couple Badru and Hamza. They have had a love marriage but after three years, the marriage has turned sour to a great extent. She is naive and wants a future with him while he is a raging alcoholic who can't keep his anger in check and hits his wife every other night. Living across them is Badru's mother Shamzi who has single-handedly raised Badru and cannot see her daughter suffer daily. She advises Badru to leave him every day but the daughter is hopeful to change her circumstance.

Situations worsen when Zulfi (Roshan Mathew) - the lovelorn, friendly neighbour goes and files a police complaint against Hamza accusing him of domestic violence.

The humour in 'Darlings' is not in your face. Instead, it's in the little moments. It is subtle and makes you smirk at the clever writing but never laugh out loud. Written by Parveen Sheikh and co-written by Reen, the film's detailing, the dialect of the actors, and the character portrayals are so well done that it keeps you hooked throughout its 1 hour 45 minutes run time. The scenes are so engaging and well written. especially, the scene at the police station where the Inspector (Vijay Maurya) and Shamsi and Badru engage a hilarious conversation fuelled by misinterpretations. It's the kind of scene that you expect to see in Anurag Kashyap's film where characters are middle in trivial banters for a long time till they find the core point.

Scenes of Bhatt and Shah, in fact, are all very special. Both gifted actors- complement each other- never overstepping each other's acting space and emoting majorly through expressions and eyes. It is truly a delight to watch the two gifted actresses attempt a genre like this.

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