'Blackmail' is wickedly funny (Review)
If I didn't know about Irrfan's health issue I'd still be shaken by his hangdog unenthusiastic expression as he plods through his chosen life of a born loser in this savagely funny satire on adultery and blackmail.
In the strikingly shot (by cinematographer Jay Oza) opening we see Irrfan (Dev) struggling to stay afloat through his office hours, fighting shy of going home because the spark has gone from his marriage and wife who watches cheesy song sequences on television to while away her time.
Actually, it was never there, the spark I mean. In a wedding song that comes on at the end of the film taken from Dev's marriage to Reena (Kirti Kulhari) seven years earlier, we see how mismatched and ill-at-ease the couple was.
This is a marriage where adultery is waiting to happen. And it does sooner than we expect. The takeoff point for the comedy is so steeply damning and done in the film with such humorous indulgence that we left pretty dazed by the absurdity of it all.
From the adulterous episode "Blackmail" builds into an edifice of outrageous eventualities all bursting at the seams but never getting out of control, such is the director Abhinay Deo's control over his characters, all victims of a scam that boggles the mind, tickles the senses and sets our imagination on the wildest wackiest ride since Abhinay Deo's "Delhi Belly".
While the writing sparkles with a roguish splendor, and the director fills the frames with a fiendish glee. The narrative does spark off a distant pensiveness in indicating the breach of modern urban marriages. While Irrfan's marital bedroom is shattered by Arundoy's presence, Arunodoy's own marriage with the bully wife played with splendid spleen by Divya Dutta, is no laughing matter. She treats him like her dog. He doesn't mind as long as his monthly allowance keeps coming. Arunodoy sets aside his ego to make the husband a henpecked gold-digger.
I found the scenes of domestic disharmony as enacted by Arunodoy and Divya to be far more vivid and representational of an urban despair than the Irrfan-Kirti marriage which is shown to be far quieter in its incongruities.
Arunodoy and Dutta are a riot together. Watching these two underrated actors imbue life and zest into their parts is a major part of the pleasure derived in viewing this bitterly dark comedy. Other exceptionally persuasive performances come from Praduman Singh as Irrfan's shifty cheesy office colleague and Anuja Sathe as a timid office co-worker who transforms into an avaricious money monster in no time at all.
Every actor gets the point. "Blackmail" is a film that celebrates the sheer lunacy of the marital equation when pushed against betrayal. Its strength lies in generating laughter out of the most meditative mishaps of marriage. The sheer preposterousness of making adultery into an occasion of a serial blackmail is used to invoke a sense of unabashed boisterousness.
"Blackmail" is a virgin territory in the comedy genre. It is heady and hedonistic, cocky and compelling in the way the comedies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee used to be. If only these veterans could see the sexiness that underlines all gender wars. "Blackmail" is a closeted Hrishikesh Mukherjee comedy with oodles of extra voluptuousness.
'Blackmail'; Starring: Irrfan, Kirti Kulhari, Arunodoy Singh, Divya Dutta, Praduman Singh, Anuja Sathe, Omi Vaidya; Directed by Abhinay Deo; Rating: ****(4 Stars)
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Denied chance to speak, Maharashtra Dy CMs Shinde, Pawar left embarrassed at Ambedkar Jayanti event
Mumbai: An unexpected turn of events at the annual state-organised celebration of Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary left Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar in an awkward position, as both leaders were denied the opportunity to deliver their scheduled speeches.
The commemoration, held at Chaitya Bhoomi, was to feature addresses from several top dignitaries, including Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the two deputy CMs. As per reports, brief five-minute speaking slots had been allotted to Shinde and Pawar at 10:10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., respectively.
While the Governor and Chief Minister addressed the gathering, both Shinde and Pawar were unexpectedly left out due "time constraints." Visibly displeased, the two leaders reportedly exited the venue without addressing the media.
In a bid to end the controversy, Shinde later downplayed the incident, stating that delivering a speech was secondary to the act of paying tribute to Dr Ambedkar. "What can be more important than taking Babasaheb’s darshan at Chaitya Bhoomi? Taking Babasaheb’s darshan was important than that speech," Shinde remarked.
He said that Dr Ambedkar’s invaluable contribution to the nation cannot be forgotten, noting that his Constitution gave every citizen equal rights, empowering even the most marginalised to live with dignity. “If we can genuinely follow even one of his principles, it would be the greatest tribute,” he added.
Shinde further emphasised that he harboured no resentment, insisting that leaders must look beyond trivial matters and focus on broader goals.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar clarified that he voluntarily chose not to speak, citing scheduling challenges.
The incident comes amid ongoing political chatter around internal rifts within the ruling Mahayuti coalition. However, Shinde recently dismissed such speculation, stating that any differences would be resolved amicably through dialogue.
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