The dangerous close-to-death encounters of a psychopath and a blind woman were what made the 2011 Korean film Blind a very compelling thriller. But when it comes to the 2023 Hindi version, starring Sonam Kapoor, Blind is pretty much bland as they have chopped off almost all the intricacies one felt in the story. With the writing lacking that element of intrigue from the word go, Blind, directed by Shome Makhija, is a tasteless thriller.
Gia Singh, an ex-COP, is our central character. Gia had lost her eyesight and her brother in a car accident which led to her losing her job. One day while she left the orphanage that raised her after a visit, she got into a taxi that had a driver whose actions were suspicious. When questioned about the content in the car’s trunk, the driver tried to attack her. Gia sensed a connection between this driver and the ongoing case of girls going missing in Glasgow. In the film, we see Gia’s efforts to find that man with the help of the police.
Netrikann starring Nayanthara, which was released on Disney+ Hotstar last year, is another remake of Blind. Even though it was burdened with Nayanthara’s superstar status, Milind Rau was clear about what parts should be retained from the original. That movie, in fact, created a whole new interrogation scene which interestingly never stood out. When it comes to Shome Makhija’s version, it feels like the budget got cut down, and they decided to make it a very linear thriller with very less emphasis on the villain. The cat-and-mouse game between the two sides looks very basic, and you can sense the creative laziness as they hurry things way too quickly for a conclusion.
Sonam Kapoor struggled to deliver the lines with the required stubbornness, and it was really hard to empathize with Gia Singh from that performance. The talented Purab Kohli’s major task was to walk a lot, and the movie rarely used his acting chops to create a solid villain. Vinay Pathak is reduced to a mere comic relief who just couldn’t stop eating. Shubham Saraf was okay in his role as Nikhil.
It is primarily the writing that filters out too many thrilling moments from the original and ruins the movie. The whole metro sequence with Facetime was one of the highlight sequences in the original, and it was retained in the Tamil remake as well. Shome Makhija redesigned that whole sequence in the most sloppy manner possible to bring something original to the table. The writing rarely tries to establish the characters, and it almost felt like they were just skipping through the scenes just to have a structure. Forget having something new; there was no excitement in recreating something that was already made. The cinematography uses neon lights and stuff in the initial portions of the movie to have a visual language. But as the story progressed, the same enthusiasm wasn’t visible.
Blind is a poorly redesigned version of the original that sort of fails to understand the moments that actually made it work for the audience. With almost everything happening in a very linear and somewhat convenient way, the Sonam Kapoor starrer fails to register any emotional connection with the audience despite having so many sentimental angles.
The Sonam Kapoor starrer fails to register any emotional connection with the audience despite having so many sentimental angles.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
