Bollywood star Alia Bhatt’s debut production ‘Darlings’ to release on Netflix

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt’s debut production ‘Darlings’ will release on streaming platform Netflix directly and forego a traditional theatrical release.

According to reports in Pink Villa and Times Of India, the dark comedy -- also co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Production -- was sold for a whopping Rs800 million, which is a substantial sum for a female-driven film.

“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 Rs800 milliom, thereby making it one of the biggest deals for a female led film,” revealed a source close to the development.

‘Darlings’ is poised to release this summer.

The movie is described as relationship drama in which actress Shefali Shah plays Alia Bhatt’s mother. Actors Roshan Matthew and Vijay Varma also play crucial roles.

Bhatt also has a busy year ahead of her. Very soon, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ starring Bhatt as a fierce matriarch of a red-light district in Mumbai will release theatrically on February 25.

She’s also gearing up for the release of ‘RRR’, ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’ and Bhansali’s ‘Baiju Bawra’ with Ranveer Singh.

‘Darlings’ is not the first star-studded film to release directly on a streaming platform since COVID-19 swept India.

Deepika Padukone’s ‘Gehrayiyaan’, prouduced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on February 11.