Jasmeet K. Reen’s much talked about directorial debut Darlings is touted as a dark comedy thriller about a mother and daughter trying to find their place in a male –dominated society. The lyrics of the title song of Darlings called, 'Pleaj!' are penned by none other than Gulzar Saab who is known for his versatile range but a little-known fact about him is his quirky nature and innate perceptiveness.

Jasmeet says she had a learning experience working with this octogenarian lyricist who has almost close to 150 lyricist credits to his name. “There was a certain kind of quirk that was required for ‘Pleaj’! and Gulzar Saab almost cracked the song instantaneously. He reads the script, understands the director's vision, narrates the lyrics himself, and is extremely perceptive about whether you like it or not”.


She added, “There was one word which I had later asked Vishal Bhardwaj Sir (who composes the music for Darlings), if he liked the choice of the word or should we look for options? And Vishal sir said even Gulzar saab was saying that he could see that Jasmeet is unsure about it. And Vishal sir continued to tell me that Gulzar Saab already wanted to discuss options with me. Also, conversations with Gulzar Saab were a learning experience and too much fun. He has a director friendly approach and did not make me feel like a debutant even for an instance”.

Speaking about the music of the film, she continued, “There is another song called 'Lailaaj'. We wanted a song for a perfectly flawed love, a relationship that is broken but for you it is all you want. Gulzar Saab and Vishal Sir gave us this word, Lailaaj. 'Dil Humara laailaaj hai'”


The audience got to see Vijay’s hidden dancing talent for the first time when Alia revealed it at the event, winning a lot of cheering and hooting from the Darlings team and the audience present there when he performed the Moonwalk. This film is also Alia and Vijay’s first time opposite each other though they reunite as co-stars post ‘Gully Boy’.


Vijay Varma, who plays the role of Hamza Shaikh, got talking to Times Now Digital as to how did he find a balance between the humour and darkness while shooting for the film. To this, the Gully Boy actor has quite a well thought response.

Vijay tells us, "The character and the dynamics of different characters, their relationships are very twisted and convoluted. At the same time, it is rooted in a certain kind of reality. The fine balance which we were aiming at was to kind of say it in a way that makes people relate to what is happening, so that they identify the ongoing event on the screen and relate to something they have probably seen or heard or felt, without making it a painful experience."