Rating:
3.5/5
Star
Cast:
Irrfan
Khan,
Kirti
Kulhari,
Arunoday
Singh,
Divya
Dutta,
Omi
Vaidya
Director:
Abhinay
Deo
'Dil
Ke
Aar,
Jigar
Ke
Paar,
Do
Kaudi
Ka
Nakli
Pyaar!
Irrfan
Khan's
latest
outing
'Blackmail'
has
'love,
s*x
aur
dhokha'
as
its
central
theme.
A
misfit
couple
struggling
with
a
loveless
marriage
find
themselves
entangled
in
a
game
of
'blackmail'
where
each
is
unaware
about
the
other's
intention.
What
works
in
the
film's
favour
is
the
clever
writing
which
keeps
you
guessing
till
the
very
last
minute.
It's
a
wacky
ride
that
promises
to
entertain
and
regularly
gives
you
moments
of
laughter.
Blackmail
Movie
Review:
Irrfan
Khan,
Kirti
Kulhari,
Arunoday
Singh
Shine
|
FilmiBeat
Jumping
straight
to
the
plot,
Dev
(Irrfan
Khan)
and
Reena
(Kirti
Kulhari)'s
marital
life
is
already
under
the
shambles;
blame
it
on
the
seven-year
itch!
One
day,
on
his
office
colleague
Anand
(Praduman
Singh)'s
suggestion,
Dev
leaves
early
from
office
to
give
a
sweet
surprise
to
his
wife
to
bring
back
the
'spark' in
his
mundane
life.
Unfortunately,
the
poor
guy
is
in
for
a
rude
shock
when
he
discovers
her
in
bed
with
another
man
named
Ranjit
(Arunoday
Singh).
Does
he
knock
off
his
wife's
lover?
Nope.
Does
he
bumps
off
his
wife
for
adultery?
Nope.
Instead,
the
heartbroken
husband
decides
to
take
some
'badlaa'
and
starts
blackmailing
her
lover.
Meanwhile,
Ranjit
turns
out
to
be
a
henpecked
husband
whose
wife
Dolly
(Divya
Dutta)
never
misses
a
chance
to
bully
him.
But
like
they
say,
'what
goes
around
comes
around'
and
soon
in
a
hilarous
turn
of
events,
there
begins
a
chain
of
'blackmail'
which
makes
up
for
a
thrilling,
eccentric
ride.
Abhinay
Deo
won
rave
reviews
for
his
directorial
debut
'Delhi
Belly'.
His
next,
'Delhi
Safari'
and
'Force
2'
didn't
exactly
manage
to
charm.
But
with
Irrfan
Khan's
'Blackmail',
the
film-maker
is
back
in
the
game.
What
makes
Blackmail
a
refreshing
watch
is
its
wacky
concept
and
generous
bouts
of
witty
humour!
Of
course,
the
film's
message
should
be
taken
in
jest!
Further,
Abhinay
has
a
complete
control
over
his
characters
in
this
tale
of
a
scam
gone
awry.
On
the
flip-side,
the
film
takes
its
own
sweet
time
to
build
up
the
narrative
which
might
make
you
restless
in
your
seats.
Further,
the
slow-pace
of
the
film
might
not
be
every
cine-goers'
cup
of
tea!
With
a
runtime
of
around
139
minutes,
there
were
moments
where
'Blackmail'
gets
a
tad
repetitive
and
loses
its
steam.
Right
from
the
first
frame
till
the
last,
Irrfan
Khan
is
a
complete
show-stealer.
His
poker-faced
humour
adds
a
quirky
dimension
to
the
film
as
you
put
your
gray
cells
to
work
to
'bracket'
his
character
in
the
film.
Is
there
anything
out
there
which
Irrfan
can't
get
right?
The
scene
where
he
picks
up
a
bouquet
of
flowers
from
the
graveyard
for
his
wife
is
pure
gold!
Kirti
Kulhari
aces
as
Reena
and
puts
up
a
commendable
show.
Arunoday
Singh
is
a
surprise
package
and
it's
a
treat
to
watch
him
on
screen.
Divya
Dutta
as
his
dominating,
rich
wife
complements
his
character
wonderfully.
Wish
we
could
see
more
of
her
in
the
film!
Praduman
Singh,
Gajraj
Rao
and
Anuja
Sathe
are
total
charm.
Omi
Vaidya
has
its
own
funny
moments.
Jay
Oza's
cinematography
is
top-notch.
However
Huzefa
Lokhandwala's
editing
seems
blunt
at
a
few
places.
Amit
Trivedi's
and
Amitabh
Bhattacharya's
music
and
lyrics
flow
with
the
narrative
but
lack
a
recall
value.
Even
Urmila
Matondkar's
special
appearance
turns
out
to
be
'bewafaa'!
In
a
nutshell,
Irrfan
Khan's
Blackmail
is
a
roller-coaster
with
its
own
set
of
ups
and
downs.
A
song
in
the
film
goes
like
'Bewafa
Beauty,
Haaye,
Ishq
Mein
Cheating
Kar
Gayi!
But
director
Abhinay
Deo
stays
true
to
his
words
and
delivers
a
film
that's
high
on
quirky
quotient
and
almost
ticks
off
most
of
the
check-boxes
barring
a
few.
If
you
are
looking
out
for
some
quirky
black
comedy,
then
Blackmail
is
your
comfort
food.