Darling

A. Karunakaran's 2010 Telugu film is the story of a young man caught between a childhood love and an unexpected new attachment. As Prabha prepares to meet Nandini, his childhood friend, at a gathering his father has arranged, Nisha, the daughter of a gangster, falls in love with him and the balance breaks. Karunakaran's romantic comedy template runs familiarly here. Prabhas and Kajal Aggarwal appearing together for a second time was a draw for audiences at the time. The film's best quality is combining romantic comedy with gangster menace without dropping the tone. Its weakness is that both women are defined by the hero's decision rather than their own wishes, and that the resolution arrives too easily. Who it's for: viewers who like Telugu romantic comedy and Prabhas around 2010. Who it's not for: anyone troubled by the passivity of the women characters, or who will find a runtime past two and a half hours excessive.