5 dialogues of “Darlings” that reveal ugly truth of the Society

Darlings, a whimsical social thriller and a well-made public service film about domestic violence, deconstructs the crutches that allow patriarchy to amble into living rooms. The movie, which uses the word "scorpion" for the violent spouse in the story, was made with an activist's eye and encourages women to fight against violence.

Alia Bhatt starrer Darlings was released on Netflix on August 5. Directed by debutante Jasmeet K. Reen, the movie has stellar performances by Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma, and Roshan Mathew. 

Here, we will explore some significant and influential dialogues of the film-

Some men are scorpions dear, they never change

In this scene, Shamshu (Badru’s mother) tells her daughter a frog and scorpion story shortly after the events at the police station. She warns Badru that some men are like scorpions and that harming other people is an ingrained part of their character.

The world’s changed for the people on Twitter, not for the likes of us

In this scene, Shamshu and the policeman give the audience a taste of reality. Fed up with the torture that has been continuously happening to Badru, Zulfi, an old friend filed an FIR in the police station. In this police station scenario, the officers advise Badru’s mother that they can stop spousal violence right away as the world has changed. Shamshu, however, explains to the police how this is far from the truth. 

Why do men turn into monsters when drunk?

In this scene, Badru's mother asks the policeman why men turn into monsters when they get drunk. The policeman responds that it's because women allow them to, presenting a grim truth of society. 
There are no grey zones, according to Darlings, when it comes to domestic abuse. It doesn’t allow an abusive husband to fall into the safety net of social conditioning and drinking habits.

Why would I abuse you if I don’t love you? Why would you take it if you don’t love me?

And with that, Badru succumbs to this cunning ploy once more and declines to report her violent spouse. She thinks her husband has changed, but only the audience is aware that things are about to get far worse. In this scene, the husband apologizes, and the wife believes that the alcohol in his body is to blame rather than the vacuum in his brain.

Divorce tag is the worst, who will marry her then?

The fear of life after divorce is a typical problem for many Indian women. When the policeman advised Badru's mother to allow her daughter to divorce her husband, she immediately quoted divorce as the worst tag.

The voices of tens of thousands of women who have experienced domestic abuse are represented in the ‘Darlings’ dialogues. Shefali is just as erratic as ever, Alia is just as quick-witted, and Vijay Verma shines in a demanding role.