Director Shome Makhija's Blind is centred around an orphan female cop, Gia Singh, played by Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, living in Glasgow. When her aspiring musician brother dies in an accident and she loses her eye sight and her job, Gia begins to live in guilt with her support dog Elsa.
Things take a turn for the worse when Gia accidentally witnesses a kidnapping, making her the villain's (Purab Kohli) next target. Another eyewitness, Nikhil (Shubham Saraf), is also on the kidnapper’s radar. The identity of the criminal is revealed early on and the rest of the film is a cat and mouse chase between Gia and Purab's character. Riddled with the guilt of her brother’s death, Gia sets out on a mission to fight the criminal and save Nikhil.
Sonam tries hard to deliver a convincing portrayal of a visually challenged person, but lacks the finesse. Her natural grace often takes over, making it hard for the audience to connect with her as a tough former cop. She fights the criminal in action sequences, yet her poised demeanor makes the fight scenes look like child’s play where the criminal willingly injures himself.
Many movies have revolved around serial killers with psychological issues rooted in traumatic childhoods, and their backstories have been explored in depth. However, Blind, that deals with a psychopathic criminal who kidnaps women, just portrays him as such and misses out on his trajectory. The story of Purab's villainous character remains a mystery and the audience is left guessing as to why he conducted the acts of atrocities on women.
Though Purab’s character is dangerous and cold, the unsolved mystery around his past weakens the narrative. Other actors who form the supporting cast—Lillete Dubey whose only job is to repeat that god will take care of everything, Vinay Pathak as the Indian cop who only eats and goes after the criminal alone, well aware that he lacks the physical ability to tackle him—are underutilised talents.
Blind, the Hindi remake of the Korean movie of the same name, rushes through the storyline without giving enough time and space to its characters.
Film: Blind
Streaming on: Jio Cinema
Language: Hindi
Director: Shome Makhija
Cast: Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, Lillete Dubey, Shubham Saraf
Rating: 2/5
