Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt’s co-produced film Darlings has taken the digital way out. The film, which stars Alia in the lead as well, has opted to skip the theatres and release directly on Netflix, a new report stated. Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Alia’s Eternal Sunshine Productions are yet to comment on the development.
Described as a dark comedy, Darlings stars Alia, Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Mathew. The film is helmed by debutante director Jasmeet K Reen. Alia and Shefali play the role of a mother and daughter in the movie.
Sources told Pinkvilla that the film has opted for the OTT way. “It’s a dark comedy and the makers felt that the film will be able to reach its target audience through the OTT medium. The conversations were on with multiple players and it’s finally Netflix, who has bagged the exclusive streaming rights. The film has been sold for a sum of Rs 80 crore, thereby making it one of the biggest deals for a female-led film,” the insider said.
If confirmed, Darlings would mark Alia’s second film to release on a digital platform. In 2020, Alia’s Sadak 2 skipped the theatrical release and opted for a streaming option on Disney+ Hotstar. The film was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and was not well-received by the audiences.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment is not new to the digital streaming platform space. The production house has released a few projects post the pandemic on the OTT platform. These include Class of 83, Bard of Blood and Betaal.
As for Shah Rukh, the actor is yet to announce his comeback project. Last seen in 2018’s Zero, Shah Rukh is likely to make his comeback with Pathan. He also has a film with Atlee and Rajkummar Hirani in the making. He will also have a cameo in Salman Khan’s Tiger 3.
