Blackout review: Vikrant Massey film seems like an extended Instagram reel

What do you say about a film where most of the audience in the theatre is busy on their phones? Blackout, starring Vikrant Massey and Sunil Grover, did start on a promising note but fell flat on its face, even before we could settle comfortably into our seats. The film is chaotic and loud, and even when sprinkled with some forced jokes, it remains unfunny. If the JioCinema film is to be described colloquially, it would be ‘Kuch Bhi’!

Blackout looks like a heist drama as the credits roll out, but soon it turns out to be a story of a common man, Lenny Dsouza (Massey), and how a night changes his life. There is a city-wide blackout, an accident, an unguarded treasure, a dead body to dispose of, a drunkard and two pickpockets as aides, a bitchy boss, a Byomkesh Bakshi-styled detective, a damsel in distress, betrayal from loved ones, ex-MLA up for revenge, a police officer waiting to attack, gang wars, guns and bullets, a henchman, and a lot of confusion.

Isn’t that just too much, not only for Lenny but also for the audience? There are times when you feel the film is an extended version of social media videos where there are absurd twists to evoke laughter. Everything that Lenny encounters goes wrong, pulling him further into a murkier mess.

Earlier this year, we saw audiences enjoying slapstick comedy in Madgaon Express. In the past, we have also seen films like Delhi Belly, Kaalakaandi, and Go Goa Gone, with the same theme. The humour in Blackout, however, seems forced. While there are a few genuinely good jokes by an influencer duo, they are never highlighted.

The film only manages to tickle the funny bone towards the last 10 minutes when all loose ends are tied. (Spoiler alert!) There’s a scene where Vikrant’s character shoots bullets out of a gun while SRK’s ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ plays out. That was the star gag of the film.

Coming to performances, Vikrant Massey tries hard to play a loud Punekar. Given how he’s aced most of his characters in the past, this one fails to make an impact. His portrayal as the sting operation journalist also looks unconvincing.

Sunil Grover’s Bewda was written with Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan in mind. From his long hair look to his action sequence in the climax, Sunil embodies the superstar in most scenes. There’s also a reference to ‘Badshah’ but we leave it for you to discover. The comedian plays an alcoholic street dweller with a past who is also termed ‘sasta Ghalib‘ for mouthing tragic poems all along.

There’s a dialogue in the film where a character, amused with so many people walking into Lenny’s life, says how no one would be paid in full as they would be tagged as cameos. And that seems to be the reality of Blackout.

The makers got star performers like Jisshu Sengupta, Chhaya Kadam, Mouni Roy, and Anant Joshi, to play minuscule roles in the films. And that was truly heartbreaking. These actors never got a chance to bite their teeth into these poorly fleshed characters. Social media influencers Karan Sonawane and Saurabh Ghadge, who play Thik Thak, however, manage to add some light humour with their banters. The voiceover by Anil Kapoor, in his inimitable style, was also a treat to hear.

The director of the film, Devang Shashin Bhavsar, struck gold with the casting, but when you have a weak script, nothing works. Also, even though the basic theme had potential, the filmmaker did a shoddy job of setting the right narrative tone and making the plot engaging.

The film is all over the place with multiple characters and subplots. It never gets a chance to swim smoothly through and makes for an exhausting watch. The music by Vishal Mishra is also quite forgettable though using classic Bollywood songs at multiple junctures was a masterstroke. Those are probably the only moments when the happenings on the screen got everyone’s attention.

Blackout is streaming on JioCinema.