After Shefali Shah, Roshan Mathew opens up on the ‘surprising’ love story in Darlings

Darlings is currently riding a huge wave of fabulous reviews. The film, which revolves around the story of a domestic abuse victim fighting back against her abuser, was praised for its sensitive handling of the subject matter as well as the powerful performances of its cast. Roshan Mathew’s performance as the supportive young Zulfi was also the subject of praise. The actor recently opened up about a surprising part of Darlings’ narrative.

Spoilers ahead. In the film, which also stars Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma, Roshan’s character develops feelings for Shefali’s character. In conversation with Mid Day, Roshan spoke of how there was nothing ‘out of the ordinary’ or ‘unconventional’ about the relationship, and the film tried to drive home this point without putting it into words.

In the film, Zulfi is forced to confess his feelings for Shefali’s character after the former finds himself in a predicament with the police. Roshan said that the reason the character confessed his feelings was because it was the only way he could save himself from the situation. The actor said that Zulfi’s hesitation to confess his love stemmed from his fear of what society would think. “You get judged if you do things that society does not consider normal, he is honest in his love for Khala (Shah)”, said Roshan.

The actor also spoke of Zulfi’s characterisation and his relationship between the mother-daughter duo. Roshan said that he wanted his portrayal to be as balanced as possible, so that it didn't come across that Zulfi was being taken advantage of. He said that the character made his choice to be a part of the duo’s plot because he cared for them.

Shefali had also opened up about the love story between the two, in particular the scene where the duo shared a kiss. In conversation with Hindustan Times, the actress said that although it was a lovely moment, it had taken her by surprise.