Blind Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
BLIND is the story of a visually impaired woman trying to hunt a serial killer. Gia Singh (Sonam Kapoor) is a cop in Glasgow. She resides with her surrogate brother Adrian Pereira (Danesh Rizvi) and is close to Aunt Maria (Lillette Dubey), in whose orphanage both grew up. One day, Gia drags Adrian from a nightclub as he has exams the next day. To prevent him from running away, she handcuffs him in the car. The car meets with an accident. Adrian is unable to escape as he’s handcuffed and dies. Gia, meanwhile, loses her eyesight. She is devastated and tries to adjust to her new situation. The police force refuses to employ her not because of her disability but because she behaved irresponsibly by handcuffing her brother. One day, Gia is waiting for a taxi when a mysterious person (Purab Kohli) offers her a ride. Gia realizes that someone has been hidden in the trunk of the car. The driver assures her that it’s not the case and insists she drink water. This is when Gia again feels a knock from the trunk. Gia escapes from the car. The next day, she hears the news that a young girl has gone missing, coincidentally from the same locality from where she hailed the cab. She approaches the cop. The police don’t take her seriously but one of the officers, DI Prithvi Khanna (Vinay Pathak), realizes that she can be right. On the other hand, Nikhil (Shubham Saraf) sees the missing poster of the girl. He meets Prithvi and tells him that he saw the girl in a vehicle on the day she went missing. But contrary to Gia’s claims, it was not a taxi. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
BLIND is an official remake of the 2011 Korean film of the same name (directed by Ahn Sang-hoon). The story is intriguing. Shome Makhija's screenplay has its share of thrilling moments but is also riddled with loopholes. Shome Makhija and Sudeep Nigam's dialogues try their best to maintain interest and induce humour.
Shome Makhija's direction is a mixed bag. To give credit where it's due, he has managed to thrill the audiences. A few scenes really stand out like Gia’s first scene after getting blind and getting ready, Prithvi’s entry, Gia and Prithvi’s first meeting, Nikhil being attacked by the killer, Gia being attacked by the killer and the madness at the parking lot. He has also made good use of the lights and the location.
On the flipside, the first 30 minutes are flat and dry. Even later on, the film drops at certain places. The film is long and its length should have been curtailed. The biggest problem with the film is that things happen at convenience. It is set in an era where the characters are using the latest smartphones and yet, it seems like a city like Glasgow doesn’t have a single CCTV camera. That’s why the cops never even think of nabbing or even identifying the killer with its help. There are also several cinematic liberties. The climax fight is nail-biting and yet, we see a character deciding to fight out the antagonist, knowing he’s so dangerous. The other character, meanwhile, has a phone and is grievously injured but he doesn’t feel the need to call for help.
Blind – Official Trailer | Sonam Kapoor Ahuja | Purab Kohli | Streaming Free 7th July Onwards | JioCinema
Speaking of performances, Sonam Kapoor returns to celluloid after ages and delivers a fine performance. She looks convincing as a blind woman who has gone through a shocking tragedy. Purab Kohli is quite good as the antagonist. He has an image of a lovable person and here, he manages to put up a negative act with ease. Vinay Pathak is adorable and keeps the proceedings light. Shubham Saraf leaves a mark. Lillette Dubey is dependable. Danesh Rizvi and Javed Khan (Tarun Bedi; Prithvi’s senior) are cameos. Erin Elkin (Mia Wallace) and Tara Kirsty (Stacie Monroe) do well.
The songs are too Westernized and fail to entice. Clinton Cerejo and Bianco Gomes' background score is gripping. Gairik Sarkar's cinematography is fine and adds to the thrill element. Paul Rowen's production design is as per the requirement. Dipika Lal and Anirudh Singh's costumes are straight out of life. Alister Mazzotti's action is a bit gory but it works for the film. Tanupriya Sharma's editing could have been crisper. The 104-minute-long film should have been shorter by 15 minutes.
On the whole, BLIND rests on the performances and some thrilling moments. But it fails to impress due to its length and several loopholes in the script.
