Fans believe Alia Bhatt’s film Darlings is about ‘naturalisation of casual sexism’, not glorifying domestic abuse

Alia Bhatt’s Darlings promised an eerie vibe when its teaser was released last month and it certainly delivered. Tackling the serious topic of domestic abuse, the film has amazed many while making some people very uncomfortable.

Darlings is a story where tables are turned and the woman stands up to her abusive husband to give him a taste of his own medicine. With the prey becoming the predator, the dark comedy has been criticised for encouraging domestic abuse against men. Some viewers missed out on the point of the film, taking it on much of a literal level instead of grasping its nuance but fans are ready to defend the film on Twitter.

There are netizens calling for a boycott of Bhatt, the lead actor and co-producer of the film. They said the situation would be different were the genders reversed, forgetting that the genders were reversed in the film initially and that this was the actual reversal. The film is a take on the “reversed” situation where women are abused in real life.

Many jumped to the film’s defence saying that it’s not anti-men but anti-sexism and that it’s necessary to “show the monster before vanquishing it”.

Some even checked it out to see what the fuss was about only to realise it’s the fear that men could be treated the same way they treat women that’s making them cry out.

In a nutshell, it’s “society’s reality with a little twist”.

Overall, netizens think it’s a brilliant take on domestic abuse that connects fantasy with realism.

“An end to generational violence and trauma” is what we all want to see.

It’s a “must-watch”.

Even Shah Rukh Khan cleared his schedule to make room for it.

Darlings is available for viewing on Netflix. What did you think of the film?