'Darling 2' review: This is not a darling and this won't scare you

Director: Sathish Chandrasekaran

Cast: Kalaiyarasan, Rameez Raja, Kaali Venkat, Arjunan, Maya, Hari

‘Darling 2’ starts off as a comedy film and ends up as a fool’s film. The movie released on the first day of April which gave the makers the stamp of authenticity to play a prank on the audience.

A bunch of friends decides to go on a tour before one of the leads gets engaged. It’s a trip meant for the boys. This usually means alcohol and women in other films but this film doesn’t go in that direction thankfully. It takes the gang to Valparai, a hill station, and here is where ‘Darling 2’ unfolds mostly. This is the official beginning of an unending two-hour fest of shaky camerawork, and ticktocking sounds, mixed with no-laugh humor, and songs.

Kalaiyarasan, who pressed the right button in the 2014 film ‘Madras’, keeps his fingers glued to the wrong buttons in ‘Darling 2’. He gets a show that doesn’t use his strengths or his fellow cast members’ strengths. Kaali is attacked by a ghost within the first few minutes. It happens in the middle of a light scene, which means the dialogues and the actions are meant to produce a smile or two, but Kaali’s reaction to it a second later put a question mark in my head. What happened to the ghost? Why isn’t Kaali telling his friends about this? What’s the ghost’s next plan? And the most important question: Who’s the ghost? These questions do not, in any manner, suggest that the plot is intriguing. These are just the extensions of a non-working screenplay.

Kaali, Arjunan, and Hari walk in and out of rooms and if they find nobody to talk to, they get chatty about what they are going to do (on their own). The only thing they don’t talk about is their breathing pattern. Oh, they also explain every little move they make. Not funny at all.

The main story of the film revolves around two lovers, Rameez Raja and Maya. Ram and Krishna are brothers and both the characters are played by Rameez. Rameez’s emotionless face is another reason for the film to get crushed under the bridge of mediocre horror comedies. If Rameez had a pair of sympathetic eyes, or if he had actually “acted", he would have made the film work in some parts, at least.

The connection between the opening scene and the climax is the fake silver lining of this cloud called ‘Darling 2’. Perhaps without the lining, this darling would have turned into a fake crumb of chills.

Rating: 1.5/5