Thrillers appear to have carved their niche in the Hindi film industry recently, with Taapsee Pannu reigning supreme. Blurr, her most recent OTT release and also her first as a producer, is a psychological thriller that is cleverly written but, more importantly, brilliantly shot. Blurr, the official Hindi remake of the Spanish film Julia’s Eyes, manages to be an exciting whodunnit with terrific camera work and a thrilling background score laced with jump-scares.
The plot follows Gayatri (Taapsee Pannu), who is trying to find the person who killed her twin sister Gautami (also Taapsee) and the reason behind what she believes is a murder in the hills of Uttarakhand. While cops believe Gautami committed suicide after suffering from depression as a result of her visual impairment (the twins have a degenerative vision condition), Gayatri refuses to let them close this case. Neil (Gulshan Devaiah), her husband, does accompany her on the journey, but his obvious reluctance makes him an obvious suspect.
Taapsee showed bravery as a producer in supporting a project like this, which has its niche audience and is not always suitable for family viewing. And, as an actress portraying twins, she expertly blends and balances multiple emotions. Though I found the scenes where she begins to lose her vision to be patchy and imperfect, Taapsee manages to make you overlook that. I felt like I was watching an extension of Taapsee from Badla, Game Over, Haseen Dillruba, Loop Lapeta, and Dobaara for the majority of the film. She has clearly found her own voice in this genre.
Gulshan, being the fine actor that he is, manages to complement Taapsee well in the limited role he has. There is one scene in which he gets to shine while scaring you, but I expected a lot more from his character. Kruttika Desai attempts to deliver a crucial cameo, but her half-baked character has no lasting impact. In a key role, Abhilash Thapliyal is a revelation. He completely aces the part, looks convincing, and makes the maximum impact by displaying his never-before-seen side onscreen.
What I particularly enjoy and enjoy watching in psychological thrillers is the build-up to the big reveal and also the climax. In Blurr, too, writer-director Ajay Bahl introduces several plot twists and truths that Gayatri discovers while investigating her sister’s murder. However, there are too many loose ends and unanswered questions in the story. For example, while we are told about the equation the twins shared, it is never clear what exactly conspired between the two to bring them to this fate. And, while there are many promising characters introduced throughout the story, not all are written well enough to live up to their potential.
Ajay’s story is engrossing and fast-paced. It veers off course at times but quickly returns to its original path. Ajay goes overboard with his characters and how they emote in places, in my opinion. A little restraint would not have hurt. Having said that, Sudhir K. Chaudhary’s cinematographer deserves high praise for creating a near-perfect setting in the hills and capturing each element in a way that is consistent with the storyline.
Without being preachy, Blurr subtly addresses mental health issues, societal pressure, and the fear of rejection, all of which can lead to extreme behaviour. Those underlined messages are extremely important and are strategically placed in the script. Overall, Blurr hooks you from the start and quickly transitions into a dark, edgy thriller. Zee5 is now showing the film.
