What Is The Story About?
ZEE5 Original film ‘Blurr’ centres on a young woman, Gayatri (Taapsee Pannu), whose twin sister Gautami is found dead by suicide. Both sisters suffer from a degenerative eye disease, but Gayatri is not convinced of the suicide angle. As she digs deeper into the case, she senses a constant sinister presence around her, even while her eyesight deteriorates further, ultimately rendering her blind. As the bodies pile up, will she be able to uncover the truth?
Blurr is written and directed by Ajay Bahl, co-written by Pawan Soni, and produced by Zee Studios, Echelon Productions, and Taapsee’s own Outsider Films.
Performances?
Taapsee Pannu delivers an earnest, compelling performance as Gayatri, one of the finest of her career. The actress has been facing a lot of flak for her increasingly one-note performances in her recent films. But Taapsee in Blurr is a force unto herself. Gulshan Devaiah is a reassuring presence on screen, even though it’s a truncated appearance. Abhilash Thapliyal is terrific in his role – it’s a tiny role, with a towering impact. Krutika Desai seems like a shadow of her former vivacious self, passable in her role.
Analysis?
Blurr, a remake of Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish film ‘Julia’s Eyes’, is a psychological thriller that gets right all the significant elements of a film of this genre. It is taut, fast-paced, unnerving and claustrophobic – everything that makes a psychological suspense thriller a worthy watch.
Those who’ve not watched the original Spanish film will enjoy watching Blurr to the hilt. On the other hand, those who’ve already watched ‘Julia’s Eyes’ will find themselves recognising umpteen frames from the original film – yes, Blurr is an almost frame by frame remake of the original film, except for a few minor plot points.
Though we’re never enamoured by remakes, it must still be said that Blurr is a worthy remake. Director Ajay Bahl superbly captures the atmospheric horror of the story, which is further amplified by Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary’s brilliant cinematography, and Ketan Sodha’s disquieting and disturbingly haunting background score. The dread and claustrophobia are heightened further by Neelesh Wagh’s production design – the narrow corridors and drab colour palette of the woefully enclosed spaces are enough to fill anyone with claustrophobia, let alone a person dangling on the precipice of impending blindness.
Blurr opens with a terrifying visual, hooking the viewer to the story; and then continues with the same relentless sense of doom and foreboding until the very end, never letting up or loosening grip. The story moves along at a fast clip, except for a few repetitive sequences when Gayatri tries to convince her husband Neel (Gulshan Devaiah) on the reality of someone following her and watching her. This part of the movie is kind of tedious and off-putting, and you have half a mind to write Blurr off as another sub-par remake from Bollywood.
But then the story picks up in the final half an hour and hooks you again, veering off into a totally different, unanticipated direction. You do get a clue to the mystery because of that one fleeting scene in the latter half of the film – we’re not revealing it here, of course, for fear of giving away spoilers.
To sum it up, Blurr is an interesting psychological suspense thriller from Bollywood, one that deserves a watch. A pity that it’s a remake and not an original story, and that the remake is far far better by miles.
Music And Other Departments?
Ketan Sodha’s background music enhances the horror and suspense element of the plot. It is a well-designed piece of composition, apt for the proceedings unfolding on screen. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary’s cinematography is near perfect – the desolate and tense atmosphere he creates with his camera is so palpable and dense that you could cut it with a knife. Neelesh Wagh’s production design is superb. Manish Pradhan’s editing is efficient and flawless.
Highlights?
Cinematography
Direction
Taapsee Pannu and Abhilash Thapliyal’s performances
Drawbacks?
Gets tedious and repetitive in the middle portions
It’s a remake of a far better film
Did I like it?
Yes
Do I recommend it?
Yes
Blurr Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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