What is Sunny Deol-starrer Blank like? It’s like talking to your 80-year-old relative — 75 minutes into the story, you finally understand the point of it. But at least your relative’s stories can be mildly interesting.
Blank, written and directed by Behzad Khambata, at first seems like Sunny Deol’s comeback to serious films, but a few minutes into the film you know why he’s better off doing the Yamla Pagla Deewana series.
The film follows the story of an ATS officer S.S. Dewan (played by Sunny Deol), who has a reputation for playing by the book and nabbing terrorists efficiently. He is a man of honour and principles and doesn’t believe in bending the rules even for his own son, who is arrested when cops bust a rave party.
His new target is a man (played by Karan Kapadia) who has a bomb implanted in his chest and has no memory of how he got it.
As Dewan investigates, it is revealed that the man is part of a much bigger plan hatched by a new terror group. Sunny Deol’s Dewan must use this man and stop the killing of hundreds of people before it is too late.
Turns out, investigating a new terrorist organisation and learning about its plans are literally all in a day’s work for this ATS officer and his team. Within the first half of the movie, the investigation is about 80 per cent complete as suspects are easier to break than half-open nuts and clues are found with such stroke of luck that you’ll believe in four-leaf clovers. It is enough to make you wonder if real intelligence work was this easy.
There is a twist, but it comes a little too late and is ineffective to say the least. The blatant glorification of police brutality and reducing characters to mere stereotypes are wholly predictable.
However, there is an upside — if you’re a Sunny Deol fan from the ‘90s, this is the movie for you. Because it seems like Sunny Deol never really left the ‘90s – the deadpan dialogue delivery and the flexing of muscles are in abundance in Blank.
Only now, if it’s even possible, he’s stiffened up more than ever, almost translating the pain of having to purposefully walk, run, or fight on screen. The other protagonist, newbie Karan Kapadia, shows promise but could use a few acting lessons (preferably not from Sunny paaji).
The film is staccato and lacks any purpose, which only proves the theory that it is timed well with Sunny Deol’s entry into politics.
Plot lines, like that of Dewan’s family, are abandoned mid-way, which is not that bad when you realise they were unnecessary to begin with. The cinematography is passable, but gets really patchy when it shouldn’t — during the fight sequences. The fight scenes are amateurish and laughable.
If you really must watch this film, watch it only for the scene where Dewan comes face to face with the head of the terrorist organisation. It is a lesson in effortlessly reducing a highly dramatic and tension-filled scene into a parody.
Bottom line, not filling in this Blank will actually help you clear the exam with full marks.
Also read: Nandita Das’ Manto is a befitting reply to Sunny Deol’s Gadar-like jingoism
Sunny deol is the Best Action Actor in film industry…. I wish ki ”Blank” Bahut achi movie Rahegi..