Co-written and directed by Jasmeet K. Reen, Netflix’s ‘Darlings’ is an Indian black comedy drama film that follows a mother-daughter duo living in a lower-middle-class neighborhood. When Badrunissa ‘Badru’ Shaikh realizes that her unstable husband, Hamza Shaikh, won’t reform or make her life simpler, she teams up with her mother, Shamshunissa, and decides to exact revenge on Hamza, which gets a bit clumsy.

Badru and Shamshunissa take Hamza hostage and put on an act by submitting a missing person report at the police station. With everybody looking for any trace relating to his whereabouts, the mother-daughter duo ensures to make life a living hell for Hamza and make him repent for his actions towards Badru. The mix of dark comedy with a controversial topic resembling physical abuse makes for an entertaining watch. In addition, the setting of a poor neighborhood makes you wonder where the movie was shot. Moreover, the themes and elements highlighted in the film are not unparalleled in real life, which begs the question — is it based on a true story? Well, allow us to answer all your questions and put your curiosities to bed!

Is Darlings a True Story?

No, ‘Darlings’ is not based on a true story. However, the hilarious and intriguing narrative can be credited to the creative minds and excellent writings of Parveez Sheikh and Jasmeet K. Reen. By working together and using their writing prowess, they were able to come up with a seemingly realistic and enthralling screenplay for the Alia Bhatt-starrer.

It’s natural for many of you to wonder if it has anything to do with reality because the themes depicted in the movie, including revenge and abuse, have been explored in several other films and TV shows over time. One of the aptest examples has to be that of ‘Promising Young Woman.’ Although there are several differences in the premise of the two films, the similarities between the characters and certain elements cannot be neglected.

The character of Cassie in ‘Promising Young Woman’ has many similarities with Badru from ‘Darlings.’ Cassie also looks to exact revenge on a selected group of men, who have wronged her late best friend in the past. The only difference is that Badru fights for herself and not someone else. Both narratives deal with the theme of abuse, which is an ongoing problem in almost every corner of the world. Thus, even though the story of ‘Darlings’ seems true to life, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a fictional narrative and not rooted in reality.

Darlings Filming Locations

‘Darlings’ was filmed entirely in India, specifically in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Principal photography for the black comedy film commenced in early July 2021 and wrapped up in September of the same year. Since the story is set against the backdrop of a lower-middle-class neighborhood in Mumbai, it made sense for the filming unit to utilize the locales of the actual city for the production of the movie. Now, let’s traverse the locations that appear in the Bollywood film!

Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India

All the pivotal sequences of ‘Darlings’ were lensed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, a metropolitan area comprising Mumbai and its satellite cities in the northern Konkan division of Maharashtra. The production group utilized the facilities of several film studios in the region, including Filmalaya Studio and Studio No. 9 of the Film City, for the capturing of this movie. The former is situated on St. Anthony Marg in Andheri West while the latter is located at 1, Film City Complex in Goregaon. Studio No. 9 stretches over 400 sq. feet in total and has air conditioners and electrical connections.

Furthermore, Floor No. 5 of the Green Valley Studio on Western Express Highway, 1, Jari Mari Mandir Road in Kashigaon, and Ellora Studios on S.V. Road, Miraroad in Thane served as prominent filming sites for ‘Darlings.’ The latter is a licensed studio on a 4.5-acre campus and houses air-conditioned floors, several ready sets, and outdoor locations. In addition, the cast and crew members of the film set up camp in Famous Studios No. 2 at 23, Dr. Elijah Moses Road, Upper Worli in Mahalakshmi. The studio offers several ready-to-shoot areas, which can be customized and utilized as per the productions’ requirements. This makes it a suitable filming site for all types of productions.

Apart from the above-mentioned studios, the filming unit took over several other locations across the Metropolitan Region, including Sir Elly Kadoorie School and Junior College at XR8Q+JJW, Shivdas Champsi Road in Mazgaon, Bara Chawl at 5/ 19, Senapati Bapat Marg in Lower Parel, Kamla Mill Bridge, Rustomjee Seasons Sales Lounge, BKC on Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Road, Kala Nagar in Bandra East, Uma Society opposite to Mahim West Station, and Lata Kunj on New Nagardas Road in Andheri East. Moreover, during the filming schedule, the cast and crew were also spotted shooting some scenes at the swimming pool of the Four Seasons Hotel at 1/136, Dr. E Moses Road in Worli. They also set up camp in and around the Metro INOX Cinemas on Mahatma Gandhi Road in New Marine Lines.

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