Blank

STORY: A young man (Karan Kapadia) meets with an accident and suffers from amnesia. During his medical examination it is revealed that he's a suicide bomber. That sets off the ATS Chief Diwan (Sunny Deol) his team on a manhunt to figure out the impending terror plans on Mumbai.

REVIEW: Precise execution is a must for a high-concept action thriller to deliver the proverbial thrills to the viewer. 'Blank', has a fairly far-fetched idea, where a ticking device is hardwired into a man's chest and linked to his beating heart. Not just that, this outrageous piece of tech is also wirelessly connected to multiple bombs that are part of a well-planned and innovative terror attack. The only saviour is topcop Diwan, who accidentally stumbles into the path of the bionic suicide bomber, who can't really remember if he's a terrorist or not. The film has some decent ideas, even the ones that seem over-the-top are genuinely creative and manage to pique the audience's interest. But the execution of this Bollywood thriller with Hollywood ambitions is far from clinical. In fact, on many occasions 'Blank' becomes a little too daft in the attempt to being clever.

The story begins on the edge as Karan Kapadia is strapped and handcuffed, as Diwan and his sniper prepare to shoot the young man in an isolated spot, away from the city. It builds a fair degree of interest for the viewer and the curiosity increases as the narrative jumps back into the past of this purported terrorist. 'Blank' has a complex narrative but not every piece of the puzzle makes sense. There are too many loopholes in the writing and the character development. It also doesn't help that one of the antagonists, Maqsood (Jameel Khan), the chief of the terror organisation, pouts such chaste Urdu, that even scholars of the language would be bamboozled with the barrage of words. At times, a film needs a restrained effort to be effective, but 'Blank' never holds back and at times it tries to do more than what's needed.

One aspect where the film doesn't hold back and yet manages to achieve good results are the action sequences. Most fast-paced fights feature newcomer Karan Kapadia and the youngster looks a lot more comfortable landing kicks and punches, than he does in scenes of heightened drama. Sunny Deol, as always, lands the heavy punches with consummate ease. Pity that the screenplay doesn't utilise more of his acting abilities. Young actors Ishita Dutta and Karanvir Sharma are mostly wasted in underdeveloped roles.

This action movie is helmed by first-time director Behzad Khambata and the inexperience shows in many portions where the filmmaker's choices aren't top-notch. The decision to play an emotional track called Himmat Karja just before and during a critical fight sequence kills the mood completely. And that is the way the film's narrative plays out throughout. The movie has flashes of promise but just as many, if not more, moments of amateur execution. There's also a special track called Ali Ali, featuring Akshay Kumar. Thankfully, it plays during the end credits and doesn't really add to plentiful woes of the film.