INTRODUCTION
THERE'S SOMETHING INHERENTLY UNSETTLING ABOUT WATCHING A PERSON UNRAVEL IN REAL TIME. "DARLING" OPENS WITH ITS PROTAGONIST, MAYA, STANDING AT THE EDGE OF A FOG-SHROUDED CLIFF, WHISPERING TO SOMEONE WHO ISN'T THERE. IT'S A STRIKING IMAGE THAT CRYSTALLIZES WHAT DIRECTOR ANURAG KASHYAP DOES BEST—CREATING VISCERAL DISCOMFORT THROUGH ATMOSPHERIC DREAD. BUT AS THE FILM SPIRALS DEEPER INTO ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL LABYRINTH, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER IF KASHYAP HAS BECOME SO ENAMORED WITH DARKNESS THAT HE'S FORGOTTEN TO ILLUMINATE WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE SHADOWS.
THIS IS A FILM THAT DEMANDS PATIENCE, REWARDS ATTENTION, AND ULTIMATELY FRUSTRATES WITH ITS REFUSAL TO COMMIT TO EITHER PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH OR GENRE THRILLS. IT'S AMBITIOUS, VISUALLY ARRESTING, AND DELIBERATELY PACED TO THE POINT OF PARALYSIS. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S QUINTESSENTIAL KASHYAP—BRILLIANT IN MOMENTS, MADDENING IN OTHERS, AND IMPOSSIBLE TO DISMISS.
THE STORY: FRACTURED REALITY AND BURIED TRAUMA
"DARLING" FOLLOWS MAYA SHARMA, A CELEBRATED CRIME NOVELIST WHO RETREATS TO AN ISOLATED HILL STATION AFTER A PUBLIC BREAKDOWN AT A BOOK LAUNCH. SEEKING SOLITUDE TO FINISH HER LATEST MANUSCRIPT, SHE RENTS A DILAPIDATED COLONIAL-ERA MANSION WITH A DISTURBING HISTORY. THE LOCALS WARN HER ABOUT THE HOUSE, NATURALLY, BUT MAYA DISMISSES THEIR SUPERSTITIONS AS SMALL-TOWN PARANOIA. SHE'S RATIONAL, EDUCATED, URBAN—IMMUNE TO GHOST STORIES.
BUT AS DAYS BLUR INTO NIGHTS, MAYA'S GRIP ON REALITY BEGINS TO SLIP. SHE HEARS VOICES IN THE WALLS, FINDS DISTURBING SKETCHES SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER DRAWING, AND EXPERIENCES VIVID HALLUCINATIONS OF A YOUNG GIRL WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE A FIGMENT OF HER TRAUMATIC PAST. HER ONLY HUMAN CONTACT COMES THROUGH SPORADIC VISITS FROM RAJESH, A FRIENDLY BUT ENIGMATIC LOCAL SHOPKEEPER, AND VIDEO CALLS WITH HER CONCERNED EDITOR, MEERA, WHO GROWS INCREASINGLY ALARMED BY MAYA'S DETERIORATING STATE.
THE FILM REFUSES TO SPOON-FEED ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT'S REAL AND WHAT'S IMAGINED. IS MAYA BEING HAUNTED BY SUPERNATURAL FORCES, OR IS SHE SUFFERING FROM A COMPLETE PSYCHOTIC BREAK TRIGGERED BY REPRESSED CHILDHOOD TRAUMA? ARE THE STRANGE OCCURRENCES GENUINE PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, OR MANIFESTATIONS OF HER GUILT OVER A LONG-BURIED SECRET? KASHYAP DELIBERATELY KEEPS US IN MAYA'S UNRELIABLE PERSPECTIVE, CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE OF CONSTANT UNCERTAINTY THAT PROVES BOTH THE FILM'S GREATEST STRENGTH AND MOST FRUSTRATING LIMITATION.
WITHOUT VENTURING INTO SPOILER TERRITORY, THE THIRD ACT ATTEMPTS TO WEAVE TOGETHER THE VARIOUS NARRATIVE THREADS INTO A COHESIVE REVELATION ABOUT MAYA'S PAST, THE HOUSE'S DARK HISTORY, AND THE NATURE OF THE HAUNTING. WHETHER IT SUCCEEDS IS DEBATABLE, BUT IT CERTAINLY TRIES TO SAY SOMETHING SUBSTANTIVE ABOUT TRAUMA, MEMORY, AND THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES TO SURVIVE.
DIRECTION AND VISUAL STORYTELLING: KASHYAP'S ATMOSPHERIC MASTERY
ANURAG KASHYAP HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FILMMAKER WHO TRUSTS ATMOSPHERE OVER EXPLANATION, AND "DARLING" REPRESENTS PERHAPS HIS MOST PATIENT WORK TO DATE. WORKING WITH CINEMATOGRAPHER SYLVESTER FONSECA, KASHYAP TRANSFORMS THE ISOLATED MANSION INTO A CHARACTER ITSELF—ALL CREAKING FLOORBOARDS, MOTH-EATEN CURTAINS, AND SHADOWS THAT SEEM TO BREATHE WITH MALEVOLENT INTENT.
THE COLOR GRADING SHIFTS SUBTLY THROUGHOUT THE FILM, STARTING WITH MUTED GRAYS AND BLUES THAT GRADUALLY GIVE WAY TO SICKLY YELLOWS AND DISEASED GREENS AS MAYA'S MENTAL STATE DETERIORATES. IT'S A VISUAL METAPHOR THAT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY, SHOWING RATHER THAN TELLING US ABOUT HER PSYCHOLOGICAL DESCENT. LONG, UNBROKEN TAKES FOLLOW MAYA THROUGH THE MANSION'S CORRIDORS, THE CAMERA MAINTAINING AN UNSETTLING MIDDLE DISTANCE THAT MAKES US OBSERVERS RATHER THAN PARTICIPANTS IN HER TERROR.
KASHYAP EMPLOYS SILENCE AS EFFECTIVELY AS SOUND. EXTENDED SEQUENCES PLAY OUT WITH ONLY AMBIENT NOISE—WIND AGAINST WINDOWS, DISTANT THUNDER, THE HOUSE SETTLING—CREATING A HYPNOTIC RHYTHM THAT PULLS YOU INTO MAYA'S ISOLATED WORLD. WHEN THE SCORE DOES ARRIVE, COURTESY OF COMPOSER SNEHA KHANWALKAR, IT'S DISCORDANT AND UNSETTLING, ALL ATONAL STRINGS AND DISTORTED PIANO NOTES THAT FEEL LIKE MUSICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF ANXIETY.
HOWEVER, THE DELIBERATE PACING BECOMES A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. AT 128 MINUTES, "DARLING" OFTEN FEELS INDULGENT, LINGERING ON ATMOSPHERIC SHOTS LONG PAST THE POINT OF EFFECTIVENESS. THE MIDDLE SECTION PARTICULARLY DRAGS, WITH REPETITIVE SEQUENCES OF MAYA WANDERING THE HOUSE, FINDING DISTURBING CLUES, AND QUESTIONING HER SANITY. WHAT FEELS ARTISTICALLY INTENTIONAL IN THE FIRST HOUR STARTS FEELING LIKE DIRECTORIAL STUBBORNNESS BY THE SECOND.
PERFORMANCES: TAAPSEE PANNU'S FEARLESS COMMITMENT
TAAPSEE PANNU DELIVERS WHAT MIGHT BE HER MOST CHALLENGING PERFORMANCE TO DATE. CARRYING VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE FILM ON HER SHOULDERS, SHE INHABITS MAYA WITH RAW VULNERABILITY AND INCREASING DESPERATION. THIS ISN'T THE COMPOSED, FIERCE TAAPSEE OF "PINK" OR "THAPPAD"—THIS IS AN ACTRESS WILLING TO BE UGLY, PATHETIC, AND GENUINELY FRIGHTENING IN HER BREAKDOWN.
WATCH HER FACE DURING THE FILM'S NUMEROUS SILENT MOMENTS. THE MICRO-EXPRESSIONS, THE WAY HER EYES TRACK MOVEMENTS ONLY SHE CAN SEE, THE SUBTLE SHIFT FROM CONFUSION TO TERROR TO RESIGNED ACCEPTANCE—IT'S MASTERCLASS ACTING THAT TRANSCENDS THE MATERIAL. IN SCENES WHERE SHE'S ESSENTIALLY PERFORMING ALONE, REACTING TO NOTHING, PANNU MAKES US BELIEVE COMPLETELY IN MAYA'S SUBJECTIVE REALITY.
THE SUPPORTING CAST HAS LESS TO WORK WITH GIVEN THE FILM'S ISOLATION-FOCUSED NARRATIVE. RAJESH SHARMA BRINGS WARMTH AND AMBIGUITY TO THE SHOPKEEPER ROLE, LEAVING US CONSTANTLY UNCERTAIN ABOUT HIS INTENTIONS. IS HE GENUINELY CONCERNED ABOUT MAYA, OR DOES HE KNOW MORE THAN HE'S SAYING? SHARMA PLAYS THIS UNCERTAINTY PERFECTLY, NEVER TIPPING HIS HAND. AMIT SIAL APPEARS IN FLASHBACK SEQUENCES AND BRINGS APPROPRIATE MENACE TO HIS LIMITED SCREEN TIME, WHILE SHIKHA TALSANIA, AS THE EDITOR MEERA, GROUNDS THE FILM'S FEW CONNECTIONS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD WITH PRAGMATIC CONCERN.
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE—THIS IS PANNU'S SHOWCASE, AND SHE DELIVERS WITH THE KIND OF FEARLESS COMMITMENT THAT DEFINES CAREER-BEST WORK. SHE'S IN NEARLY EVERY FRAME, AND SHE MAKES EVERY MOMENT COUNT, EVEN WHEN THE SCRIPT DOESN'T GIVE HER QUITE ENOUGH TO WORK WITH.
SCREENPLAY AND STORYTELLING: AMBITION VERSUS CLARITY
WRITER-DIRECTOR KASHYAP (WORKING FROM A STORY BY NIHIT BHAVE) CONSTRUCTS "DARLING" AS A PUZZLE BOX, SCATTERING CLUES THROUGHOUT THAT ONLY RETROACTIVELY MAKE SENSE. THIS APPROACH CAN BE REWARDING WHEN DONE WELL, FRUSTRATING WHEN IT FEELS DELIBERATELY OBSCURE FOR ITS OWN SAKE. "DARLING" VACILLATES BETWEEN BOTH.
THE DIALOGUE IS SPARSE BUT EFFECTIVE. MAYA'S CONVERSATIONS WITH HERSELF, HER WRITTEN NOTES, AND HER DETERIORATING VIDEO CALLS CREATE A FRAGMENTED NARRATIVE VOICE THAT MIRRORS HER MENTAL STATE. KASHYAP AVOIDS THE EXPOSITION TRAP THAT SINKS MANY PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS, TRUSTING THE AUDIENCE TO PIECE THINGS TOGETHER. SOMETIMES THIS TRUST IS REWARDED WITH GENUINELY UNSETTLING REVELATIONS. OTHER TIMES, IT FEELS LIKE INTENTIONAL VAGUENESS MASKING THIN PLOTTING.
THE FILM'S GREATEST SCREENPLAY WEAKNESS IS ITS REPETITIVE STRUCTURE. THE MIDDLE HOUR FOLLOWS A PREDICTABLE PATTERN: MAYA EXPLORES, FINDS SOMETHING DISTURBING, QUESTIONS HER SANITY, TRIES TO SLEEP, IS AWAKENED BY STRANGE OCCURRENCES, REPEAT. WHILE THIS CIRCULAR NARRATIVE MIGHT INTENTIONALLY REFLECT HER TRAPPED MENTAL STATE, IT TESTS AUDIENCE PATIENCE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT VARIATION OR ESCALATION.
"THE GHOSTS WE CARRY ARE WORSE THAN ANY THAT HAUNT HOUSES," MAYA WRITES IN HER JOURNAL, ARTICULATING THE FILM'S CENTRAL THESIS MORE CLEARLY THAN THE SURROUNDING TWO HOURS EVER QUITE MANAGE.
WHEN THE REVELATIONS COME, THEY'RE SIMULTANEOUSLY PREDICTABLE AND UNDERDEVELOPED. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MAYA'S TRAUMA, THE HOUSE'S HISTORY, AND THE HAUNTING ITSELF FEELS THEMATICALLY SOUND BUT NARRATIVELY RUSHED. AFTER SO MUCH PATIENT BUILDUP, THE EXPLANATIONS ARRIVE IN AN AVALANCHE OF INFORMATION THAT DOESN'T FEEL AS EARNED AS IT SHOULD.
THEMES AND SUBTEXT: TRAUMA, MEMORY, AND FEMALE RAGE
"DARLING" WRESTLES WITH SUBSTANTIAL THEMES ABOUT HOW TRAUMA RESHAPES MEMORY, HOW SOCIETY DISMISSES WOMEN'S PAIN AS HYSTERIA, AND HOW GUILT CAN METASTASIZE INTO SOMETHING MONSTROUS. MAYA'S PROFESSION AS A CRIME NOVELIST WHO WRITES ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ISN'T COINCIDENTAL—THE FILM SUGGESTS SHE'S BEEN PROCESSING HER OWN TRAUMA THROUGH FICTION, CREATING DISTANCE THROUGH STORYTELLING UNTIL SHE CAN'T ANYMORE.
THERE'S A POINTED CRITIQUE HERE ABOUT HOW WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH IS PERCEIVED AND DISMISSED. MULTIPLE CHARACTERS SUGGEST MAYA IS "JUST STRESSED" OR "BEING EMOTIONAL," REFUSING TO TAKE HER EXPERIENCES SERIOUSLY UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE. THE FILM DRAWS UNCOMFORTABLE PARALLELS BETWEEN HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS OF FEMALE "HYSTERIA" AND CONTEMPORARY DISMISSALS OF WOMEN'S PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS.
THE HAUNTING ITSELF, WHETHER LITERAL OR METAPHORICAL, REPRESENTS BURIED FEMALE RAGE AND SUFFERING. THE HOUSE HAS A HISTORY OF WOMEN DYING WITHIN ITS WALLS, AND MAYA BECOMES THE LATEST IN A LONG LINE OF WOMEN WHOSE PAIN IS IGNORED UNTIL IT ERUPTS VIOLENTLY. IT'S POTENT THEMATIC TERRITORY THAT KASHYAP EXPLORES WITH SENSITIVITY, EVEN IF THE EXECUTION DOESN'T ALWAYS MATCH THE AMBITION.
HOWEVER, THE FILM OCCASIONALLY GETS SO CAUGHT UP IN ITS OWN SYMBOLISM THAT IT FORGETS TO GROUND THESE THEMES IN COHERENT NARRATIVE. THE LINE BETWEEN "ARTFULLY AMBIGUOUS" AND "PRETENTIOUSLY UNCLEAR" IS THIN, AND "DARLING" STRADDLES IT UNCOMFORTABLY.
TECHNICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP: SOUND DESIGN THAT HAUNTS
BEYOND THE CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SCORE, "DARLING" EXCELS IN ITS SOUND DESIGN. THE AUDIO LANDSCAPE CREATES PERPETUAL UNEASE—FOOTSTEPS IN EMPTY ROOMS, WHISPERS THAT MIGHT BE WIND, THE SCRAPE OF FURNITURE MOVING WHEN NO ONE'S THERE. THE FILM USES SPATIAL AUDIO BRILLIANTLY, PLACING SOUNDS JUST OFF-SCREEN IN WAYS THAT MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL.
THE PRODUCTION DESIGN BY MANSI DHRUV MEHTA DESERVES SPECIAL MENTION. THE MANSION FEELS AUTHENTICALLY DECREPIT, WITH PEELING WALLPAPER REVEALING DISTURBING OLDER PATTERNS BENEATH, WATER STAINS THAT RESEMBLE FIGURES, AND ARCHITECTURAL QUIRKS THAT CREATE OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. IT'S A LOCATION THAT DOES HALF THE HORROR WORK JUST BY EXISTING.
EDITOR AARTI BAJAJ FACES AN UNENVIABLE TASK—MAINTAINING TENSION IN A DELIBERATELY SLOW FILM—AND LARGELY SUCCEEDS. THE CUTS BECOME INCREASINGLY DISJOINTED AS MAYA'S MENTAL STATE DETERIORATES, CREATING A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF HER FRAGMENTATION. HOWEVER, EVEN SKILLFUL EDITING CAN'T ENTIRELY OVERCOME THE SCRIPT'S PACING ISSUES.
WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
CONTEXT AND COMPARISONS: KASHYAP'S GENRE EXPERIMENT
WITHIN KASHYAP'S FILMOGRAPHY, "DARLING" REPRESENTS HIS MOST SUSTAINED FORAY INTO PURE HORROR TERRITORY. WHILE "RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0" AND "UGLY" CERTAINLY CONTAINED HORRIFIC ELEMENTS, THEY WERE GROUNDED IN GRITTY REALISM. "DARLING" EMBRACES THE SUPERNATURAL (OR APPEARS TO) IN WAYS THIS DIRECTOR HASN'T BEFORE, AND THE RESULTS ARE MIXED BUT INTERESTING.
THE FILM SHARES DNA WITH ATMOSPHERIC HORROR LIKE "THE LIGHTHOUSE" AND "HEREDITARY"—SLOW-BURN CHARACTER STUDIES WHERE THE HORROR IS AS MUCH PSYCHOLOGICAL AS SUPERNATURAL. HOWEVER, WHERE THOSE FILMS COMMITTED FULLY TO THEIR NIGHTMARISH VISIONS, "DARLING" SOMETIMES PULLS BACK, REMAINING TENTATIVE ABOUT HOW FAR TO PUSH INTO GENRE TERRITORY.
IN THE LANDSCAPE OF CONTEMPORARY INDIAN HORROR, "DARLING" STANDS APART FROM MAINSTREAM EFFORTS LIKE THE "STREE" FRANCHISE OR RECENT RELEASES LIKE "BHEDIYA." IT HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH ART-HOUSE HORROR LIKE "TUMBBAD," PRIORITIZING ATMOSPHERE AND PSYCHOLOGY OVER JUMP SCARES AND CONVENTIONAL THRILLS. WHETHER THAT'S A STRENGTH OR WEAKNESS DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON WHAT YOU'RE SEEKING FROM A HORROR EXPERIENCE.
WHO SHOULD WATCH (AND WHO SHOULDN'T)
RECOMMENDED FOR:
• ANURAG KASHYAP FANS WILLING TO FOLLOW HIM INTO SLOWER, MORE EXPERIMENTAL TERRITORY
• VIEWERS WHO PREFER PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR OVER JUMP SCARES
• TAAPSEE PANNU ADMIRERS WANTING TO SEE HER RANGE
• ANYONE INTERESTED IN FILMS ABOUT TRAUMA AND MENTAL HEALTH
• AUDIENCES WHO APPRECIATE AMBIGUOUS, DISCUSSION-WORTHY ENDINGS
• FANS OF ATMOSPHERIC, SLOW-BURN HORROR IN THE VEIN OF "THE WITCH" OR "THE LIGHTHOUSE"
APPROACH WITH CAUTION IF YOU:
• EXPECT CONVENTIONAL HORROR WITH CLEAR SCARES AND RESOLUTION
• HAVE LIMITED PATIENCE FOR SLOW PACING AND DELIBERATE AMBIGUITY
• PREFER STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVES WITH CLEAR ANSWERS
• SEEK ESCAPIST ENTERTAINMENT RATHER THAN CHALLENGING EXPERIENCES
• FIND FILMS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH DISTRESSING
• NEED CLEAR SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS IN YOUR HORROR FILMS
"DARLING" IS DEFINITIVELY NOT A DATE MOVIE OR CASUAL ENTERTAINMENT. IT'S A DEMANDING WATCH BEST EXPERIENCED IN THEATERS WHERE YOU CAN SURRENDER TO ITS OPPRESSIVE ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS. HOWEVER, GIVEN ITS PACING, IT WON'T LOSE MUCH ON SMALLER SCREENS, AND HAVING PAUSE CAPABILITIES MIGHT ACTUALLY IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE FOR SOME VIEWERS.
FINAL VERDICT: A FLAWED BUT FASCINATING PSYCHOLOGICAL DESCENT
"DARLING" IS THE KIND OF FILM THAT'S MORE INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT THAN IT IS TO ACTUALLY WATCH, WHICH IS BOTH COMPLIMENT AND CRITICISM. KASHYAP HAS CRAFTED A TECHNICALLY ACCOMPLISHED, THEMATICALLY RICH PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR THAT REFUSES EASY CATEGORIZATION OR INTERPRETATION. IT DEMANDS ENGAGEMENT, REWARDS ATTENTION, AND ULTIMATELY FRUSTRATES WITH ITS UNWILLINGNESS TO COMMIT FULLY TO EITHER ART-HOUSE AMBIGUITY OR GENRE SATISFACTION.
TAAPSEE PANNU DELIVERS CAREER-DEFINING WORK THAT DESERVES TO BE SEEN, EVEN IF THE FILM SURROUNDING HER DOESN'T ALWAYS RISE TO HER LEVEL. THE ATMOSPHERE KASHYAP CREATES IS GENUINELY OPPRESSIVE AND UNSETTLING, DEMONSTRATING THAT INDIAN CINEMA CAN ABSOLUTELY COMPETE WITH INTERNATIONAL HORROR ON TECHNICAL AND ARTISTIC TERMS. THE THEMES ABOUT TRAUMA, MEMORY, AND DISMISSED FEMALE PAIN ARE THOUGHTFULLY EXPLORED, EVEN WHEN THE NARRATIVE MECHANICS CREAK UNDER THEIR WEIGHT.
BUT AT 128 MINUTES WITH A REPETITIVE MIDDLE SECTION AND AN ENDING THAT FEELS BOTH RUSHED AND INCOMPLETE, "DARLING" TESTS PATIENCE WITHOUT ALWAYS JUSTIFYING THAT TEST. IT'S A FILM I RESPECT MORE THAN I ENJOYED, ADMIRE MORE THAN I CONNECTED WITH. THERE'S REAL ARTISTRY HERE, GENUINE AMBITION, AND MOMENTS OF POWERFUL FILMMAKING. THERE'S JUST ALSO A LOT OF SELF-INDULGENCE AND A SENSE THAT KASHYAP WAS MORE INTERESTED IN CREATING MOOD THAN TELLING A FULLY FORMED STORY.
FOR ADVENTUROUS VIEWERS WILLING TO MEET THE FILM ON ITS OWN CHALLENGING TERMS, "DARLING" OFFERS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN INDIAN HORROR—CEREBRAL, ATMOSPHERIC, AND UNCOMPROMISING. FOR THOSE SEEKING CONVENTIONAL THRILLS OR CLEAR RESOLUTIONS, THIS WILL LIKELY BE A LONG, FRUSTRATING SIT. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO, ADJUST EXPECTATIONS ACCORDINGLY, AND THERE'S VALUE TO BE FOUND IN THIS DARK, DISTURBING DESCENT INTO ONE WOMAN'S FRACTURED PSYCHE.
IN THE END, "DARLING" IS NEITHER THE MASTERPIECE ITS MOST STRIKING MOMENTS SUGGEST NOR THE PRETENTIOUS SLOG ITS DETRACTORS MIGHT CLAIM. IT'S A FASCINATING, FLAWED EXPERIMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR THAT PROVES INDIAN CINEMA CAN TACKLE THE GENRE WITH SOPHISTICATION, EVEN WHEN IT CAN'T QUITE STICK THE LANDING. AND SOMETIMES, AN INTERESTING FAILURE TEACHES US MORE THAN A SAFE SUCCESS EVER COULD.
DIRECTOR: ANURAG KASHYAP √ GENRE: PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR√THRILLER
RUNTIME: 128 MINUTES √ LANGUAGE: HINDI
CAST: TAAPSEE PANNU, RAJESH SHARMA, AMIT SIAL, SHIKHA TALSANIA √ RELEASE YEAR: 2024
RATING√ ★★★☆☆ {3√5}
