Aswin Raam: Darling will be loved by women more

Whenever the Indian film audience thinks about the subject of split personality disorder as a plot device, there’s usually one film that instantly pops to mind: Shankar’s 2005 film Anniyan (Aparichitudu in Telugu). Some fans even recall the 1993 Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu, later remade in multiple languages, which dealt with a similar subject. Priyadarshi’s upcoming film Darling, directed by Aswin Raam, promises to offer a new treatment of the subject, tackling the subject in a light-hearted manner.

While the trailer of Darling evoked many comparisons with Anniyan/Aparichitudu in the social media discourse, director Aswin Raam consistently asserts how his upcoming film is different from the much-loved Vikram starrer. “The conflict of stories is completely different in both films. Shankar wrote his film on a large scale. He dealt with social issues; I am dealing with home issues,” he adds with a chuckle.

Slated to release on July 19, Darling tells the story of a young married couple, where the girl suffers from split-personality disorder, and the man, hitherto unaware of it, struggles to deal with this situation in the best way possible. Aswin Raam restates that the team has dealt with the subject with a lot of empathy while making this film. “We didn’t make fun of the disorder,” he says. Aswin Raam recalls the example of someone like Charlie Chaplin, who ‘used humour to make audience understand emotions more.’

The Darling director states that he doesn’t want to preach through his film, and that entertaining the audience is always his priority. He says, “I didn’t try educating people on how to deal with the disorder. We just showed how attentive we need to be about people in our lives, as in what’s happening in their lives. When I frame it like this, it sounds serious, but Darling will be very entertaining.”

Aswin Raam also addresses the concerns about his film being more prone to providing material for wife-bashing memes, given that it’s the husband’s character who, in the trailer, comes across as a tragic figure or a victim in the entire situation. Aswin, however, is confident that his film won’t offend any section of the audience, going so far as to say that Darling will appeal more to women. He notes, “Whichever woman has watched the film so far, has told me that women were portrayed in a good way. I have a wife and a mother; I don’t need to do this merely for a hit film. I am confident Darling will be loved more by women.” Aswin Raam also mentions that he was an assistant on Atlee’s 2013 film Raja Rani, which too was a marriage story. He admits that the influences of that film have subconsciously seeped in while writing and making Darling for him, stating, “It was a perfect example of how to make a Rom-com. I have learned from the master himself, and that learning is implemented in my film.”

Darling marks the on-screen comeback for Nabha Natesh, who was on a hiatus from movies after meeting with an accident in late 2021 that left her with multiple shoulder fractures. Aswin Raam praises Nabha for accepting the role and embracing all its challenges. He adds, “She wanted to prove a point to people, and remind that ‘I am back, and I am here to stay for a long time.’ She really put her heart and soul into this performance.” The director also acknowledges the contribution of his male lead, Priyadarshi, towards Darling seeing the light of day. Recalling how they became friends while working on a small project many years ago, Aswin adds, “I have been narrating the story to producers since 2019. When he came on board, Priyadarshi knocked on all doors possible. He introduced me to nearly 15 producers, personally spoke to 6-7 heroines, and made me narrate the film. If the film film is happening today, it’s because of Priyadarshi.”

While Telugu cinema has been big on marriage comedies in the past, especially in the 80s and 90s, there haven’t been too many recent films on these lines. Aswin Raam, however, confidently states that some themes are always universal. He says, “Marriage problems are always relatable. The way men and women expresses themselves is different. Women cry, while men don’t tend to cry easily, but the pain they feel is the same.” Aswin quotes the example of the 2022 Malayalam film Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, which used comedy to offer a different perspective on marriage, adding, “With every generation, the way we handle relationships has changed. With Darling, we also want to offer a new perspective.”

Although Aswin Raam made his filmmaking debut in the Tamil film industry with the 2022 film Anbarivu, the director asserts that he would love to stay in Hyderabad and pursue a full-fledged career in the Telugu industry. He says, “I had always wanted to do Telugu films because i really enjoyed watching them. I have been trying for a long time to break through here. And it happened only in 2023, after Darling was greenlit. This has been the longest one-sided love story.”