Netrikann

Netrikann, the new Nayanthara movie, is a thriller that feels inconsistent at times. What makes the film a watchable one is how the story unfolds and Ajmal Ameer’s performance as the antagonist. Despite the logical flaws, one could sense and the overtly verbal explanations, Netrikann manages to generate a sense of interest in the viewer. The movie is the official remake of the 2011 Korean film Blind. I have not seen that film, so this review won’t have any comparisons with the original.

The story here revolves around Durga. She used to work in the CBI, but after a fatal accident in which she lost her brother, Durga lost her eyesight. She now lives alone, and her only companion is her pet dog Kanna. One day, while she was waiting for her cab, a stranger offers her a lift, but later, he tried to take advantage of her. Durga managed to escape from the stranger’s attack, but she sensed a larger foul play and informed the police about the incident. How the hunt for this man changes everything for Durga is what we see in Netrikann.

In terms of placing the story in a more relatable environment, not much effort has been made here by Milind Rau. But he manages to keep the pace of the movie in that exciting mode. After the initial dull phases of establishing the character, the film becomes more interesting after the entry of the antagonist. Because the leading lady is a blind individual, the script has the advantage of creating multiple moments that have the antagonist and protagonist in the same frame. This cat and mouse game is what makes the movie look interesting. Nothing spectacularly unpredictable is happening in the story, but the helplessness of Durga and the ruthlessness of the villain create that necessary tension.

Nayanthara as Durga was fine with her performance. She has performed characters with similar states of mind in the past, and the portrayal of Durga would remind you of such characters. K Manikandan as SI Manikandan has tried to do his best to reduce the caricature tone in writing and was successful to an extent. Sharan Shakthi as Gowtham was also nice as that supportive character. Ajmal Ameer did the most commendable performance here as the antagonist. The character he plays has this psycho texture that could have easily gone comedic. But Ajmal was able to have the right control over his performance, and it had a great level of conviction.

The presentation of Netrikann has this typical loudness you see in Tamil films. They are trying to explain and spoon-feed the audience too much at times. There is a sequence where Durga was planning to go out and suddenly realizes that she can’t take her dog because he got injured. Durga literally says that to the dog, and I am like, “Madam, you are the blind one. We have seen it already.” And the script doesn’t feel like a foolproof one. There is a sequence where Durga is saved from an attack when she gets instructions through a video call. And one would really think why Gowtham never bothered to take a screenshot. Even though the efforts of Durga to find the villain look exciting, we somewhere forgive the movie’s logical inconsistency.

Netrikann is more focused on Nayanthara, the superstar, rather than being a well-refined thriller. You have her being this empowered woman on screen, and there is an interrogation scene in the movie where her character makes certain statements that could well surface as WhatsApp status in the coming days. Netrikann isn’t completely convincing, but the plot development creates some curiosity in the viewer’s mind. Along with the performance of Ajmal Ameer, this thriller becomes a passable one.