Blackmail movie review: GV Prakash’s thriller collapses under forced, never-ending twists

Blackmail movie plot:

Mani (GV Prakash) works unknowingly to his boss who uses him to smuggle drugs. In one such instance, he loses his bike which also contains stash, and his girlfriend Rekha is kidnapped by his boss and blackmailed to return the stash or equivalent money. In another instance, Ashok (Srikanth) and his wife Archana (Bindu Madhavi) are off to leisure trip when their daughter goes missing and they are asked a ransom. In between, Archana is blackmailed by her former lover into giving money or getting exposed in front of her husband. But how does it all tie up?

Blackmail movie review:

A crisp runtime for movies can be seemingly called a bliss, especially in the content-loaded era of reels and shorts that even comes with fast forward option. But when a film like Blackmail which is made with the shortest possible runtime for an average Indian film and is only about two hours, it still feels longer and stretched, thanks to the repetitive writing, engineered twists, and never-ending screenplay. When even a modest runtime cannot save Blackmail, the film becomes a failed attempt in making a thriller.

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In short, Blackmail is a film where you can expect a twist for every 20 minutes. The beginning has some characters and connections established, and the later takes time to unravel. But just as we see that the story is going somewhere, a twist that comes with blatant artificiality comes to the fore, making it a yet another film that never understands what it wants, and in turn passes the confusion to those watching it as well. For example, for a film that talks about the trend of blackmailing, and how the dearest treasures of people are held at gunpoint, into making them do what the opposite party wants, Blackmail had enough to play to the emotional tunes of the crime. But here, the film merely reduces its core theme to drive to the next plot twist. An instance would be, Archana, who is blackmailed by her former lover into giving money, cannot open up about the torture she is going through to her benevolent husband. While it is natural to understand her plight, the film barely manages to attempt show its humans a little more than their genericness. This is consistent throughout the other characters, and what really remains is a film that does not really care about characters or writing.

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Blackmail is also severely structured that its multi-character arc, and chain of events that take place, can draw out the energy in you. For a thriller to set its pace, it either needs to be slow enough to see the twist not coming, or sleek, fast-paced enough that the making draws you in. Neither does it make enough room for you to care about the characters that it ends up as a mere namesake thriller that does not get you engaging after investing some time into it.

Blackmail movie verdict:

Blackmail is a laidback and severely writing-starved thriller. It is a film beats around the bush and milks its central theme or concept, but unable to achieve the results of a well-thought-out crime drama. Despite some decent performances, Blackmail becomes a failed attempt to do anything solidified, in turn becoming a drab watch.

FAQs

Q. What is the relationship between A. R. Rahman and GV Prakash?

A. GV Prakash is nephew to AR Rahman.

Q. What is GV Prakash Blackmail release date?

A. Blackmail is set to release on September 12 in theatres.

Q. Is GV Prakash still married?

A. No, GV Prakash divorced his former wife Saindhavi in 2024.