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Ramu Darling Is Back

APK | September 07, 2007

Rating: *** (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad)

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Cast: Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Isha Koppikar, Zakir Hussain, Kota Srinivasan Rao, Upyendra Limaye, Pubali Sanyal, Mukesh Bhatt, Shishir Sharma, Nisha Kothari, Promodini, Raghvendra Sharda and Others.
Action: Parvez Khan-PK Swain.
Art: Aparna Sud.
Background Music: Prasana Shekhar.
Choreography: Remo, Harshall & Vitthal.
Cinematography: Amit Roy.
Costumes: Shaheed Aamir, Falguni Thakore, Komal Shahani & Raghuveer Shetty.
Dialogues: Kusum Punjabi.
Editing: Amit Parmar-Nipun Ashok Gupta.
Lyrics: Sameer.
Music: Pritam.
Singers: Himesh Reshammiya, Tulsi Kumar, Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Adnan Sami & Priyad.
Sound: Kunal Mehta.
Special Composition: Himesh Reshammiya.
Story & Screenplay: Prawaal Raman-Kusum Punjabi.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma.
Presenter: Gulshan Kumar.
Producer(s): Bhushan Kumar-Krishan Kumar.
Banner: T-Series.
Release Date: 7th September, 2007.

Darling is RGV's latest venture, starring Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol and Isha Koppikar. It is a strange mix of horror and comedy. The horror does not chill or thrill, but it has a ghost hovering around nonetheless. The comedy is not forced, and is more situational than anything else. RGV's forte lies in a few things-like framing a shot, bringing out the characters and introducing new characters as opposed to the regular stereotype.

For those who saw RGV Ki Aag and vowed never to watch an RGV movie again (or in fact, never to watch any movie again), here's breaking news: the maverick maker was 'experimenting', some things work, some don't. He hasn't really lost it, i.e., he hasn't lost his touch. Darling does not bring back the magic of his earlier movies, but it has brought back a trace, a shadow, a ghost of his unique style. Pun intended.

Plot Aditya is married to Aswini and has a son. He also has a girlfriend at work, Geeta, to whom he makes promises of marriage. When Geeta tells him she is pregnant, they fight and in a freak accident, he kills her unintentionally. She comes back and hell begins for him.

Story, Screenplay and Direction Geeta is not your regular ghost. It is not the usual in-your-face horror flick. Geeta the Ghost looks the same, talks the same and is as opaque as she was when alive. Manjeet in Bhoot and Geeta in Darling could not be more different. Whereas in Bhoot, Manjeet goes from righteous anger to blazing rage, Geeta starts off with a crazed temper and ends with a softer attitude. The climax is not clichéd.

The difference and the slight unpredictability of the screenplay work in the favor of the movie. The background score and the editing are pluses. The cinematography is good, and the dark tone is consistent in the movie.

Best Scenes: The scene where Aditya, his wife and Geeta are visiting Sameer in the hospital, Aditya's anniversary scene, Geeta's father coming to Aditya's house and all the scenes with the police investigating Aditya among others. Geeta's corpse is the scariest part of the movie, and the rest of the movie was not designed to scare.

The characters of Bhasker Reddy, a crime investigator and his unblinking assistant Malathi are superb. Sameer, Aditya's friend, again, is one more character that works. Kota Srinivas Rao cast in the role of a psychiatrist is just okay. But Reddy and his assistant, Sameer and of course, Geeta the Ghost make the movie.

Isha Koppikar and Fardeen Khan

Performances Fardeen Khan has a great role and a director who extracts performances out of his actors. He is really good in some scenes, while some places a better actor could have done wonders. That being said, he just justice to the role and fits the role of Aditya well. Esha Deol has finally bagged a role that she could do, and she does something with it. The character, the scenes and the timing seem challenging, yet Esha pulls it off like a pro. This could be the beginning of a new phase for her as an actor, but let's hope she hasn't peaked too early. Isha Koppikar has strong screen presence and is convincing as a housewife in the dark about her husband's meandering ways. Upyendra Limaye as a crime branch officer and his unnerving assistant Malati are fabulous. The same goes for Zakir Hussain who plays Aditya's friend Sameer.

Music and Dance 'Aa Khushi Se Khud Khushi Kar Le' is silly and the situation is unnecessary too. 'Tadap Tadap' is already topping charts.

Last Word This is not one of Ramu's best, but it is Paisa Vasool. Don't go expecting a Raat or Bhoot, as it's not a thrilling horror tale. But still, it has some good moments and is watchable.