Nabha Natesh and Priyadarshi in Telugu film ‘Darling’
How far can you go for love? This question has given birth to many relationship dramas in books and cinema. In Telugu film DearWritten and directed by Ashwin Ram, and starring Priyadarshi Pulikonda and Nabha Natesh, when the male protagonist finds himself in a quandary, his determined expression makes it clear that he is willing to give his all. However, the foundation of this romance is so weak that it may leave the audience wondering why he doesn’t just walk away. The answer comes at the end of the 161-minute film; by then, it is too little and too late to sustain interest.
The portrayal of psychological conditions such as dissociative disorder or multiple personality disorder is not new in Indian cinema. In the past, such characters have been part of thrillers and vigilante dramas, the most popular being director Shankar’s film unrecognizable (Telugu dubbed version Anniyan) Ashwin Ram’s story gives the correct reference unrecognizable To explain how in that film, the central character takes on different identities and the styling makes it clear to the audience which identity is at play. However, reality is a different game. A spouse or family member may struggle to recognize the changing identity of a person suffering from a psychological condition.
Darling (Telugu)
Director: Ashwin Ram
Cast: Priyadarshi, Nabha Natesh, Ananya Nagalla
Plot: What happens when a man who considers marriage as a passport to happiness discovers that his wife has multiple personality disorder?
Dear The story is told from the perspective of Raghava (Priyadarshi), who is told as a child that only if he studies well will he be able to dream of a well-paid job and a nice wife with whom he can go abroad for his honeymoon! He grows up to be a naïve guy with only one dream in mind: to build a career and get married, and just to go to Paris.
Most of the first hour shows Raghav’s attempts to find the right partner for himself, surrounded by friends who have conservative notions about women and married life. Things move quickly when an unexpected turn of events makes him meet Anandi (Nabha Natesh). The two get married and he knows nothing about her.
When she gradually realises her psychological condition, the film tries to deal with the situation partly with humour and partly with seriousness, but neither of these situations seems credible. The presence of Nandini (Ananya Nagalla) as a psychologist ensures that Anandi’s condition does not become a butt of jokes among Raghav’s friends, but the methods suggested to deal with the situation are decidedly cinematic and perhaps do not match the professional, medical approach.
The film takes too long to establish the conflict point and even after Raghav knows what is coming next, the narrative is mostly a confusing tangle, trying to unravel one comical situation after another, and it gets tiring. The situations get even more complicated when Raghav’s parents get involved in the drama and he tries to handle the situations by not revealing his daughter’s condition. If he had just sat across the table and talked to them, we could have avoided the rest of the drama.
At one point, Raghav is seen wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Coffee – Can’t live without it’. Of course, he can turn to coffee to deal with all his problems. This is what the audience watching the film likes.
Priyadarshi depicts Raghav’s dilemma with sincerity. He effectively portrays the anguish of a man who wants to help his wife and is willing to do everything with patience. However, he can do only so much to save an overstuffed and boring film. On his part, Nabha tries his best to portray various identities in his character and hits the right notes in some segments. Vishnu Ooi is wasted in the role of a friend. Muralidhar Goud manages to leave his mark occasionally. Vivek Sagar’s music acts as a saving grace in many parts of the film. Naresh Ramadurai’s cinematography is characterized by warm, sunny tones that take away the gloom in the relationship drama.
there are some rare moments like these Dear When the protagonist extols the importance of the wedding and its guests, his character and the story gain some gravitas. These moments are rare and buried under a muddled screenplay.
