Blackout review: Vikrant Massey is stuck in this unfunny and chaotic comedy of errors!

To say that Vikrant Massey's Blackout was a hit and a miss would be unfair, as this comedy crime thriller is disappointing and not that fun! 

Recently, comedy mixed with some other genres has become the go-to choice for filmmakers. And why not? When something is funny, given that the punchlines hit the right mark, it automatically becomes easily palatable and entertaining to watch for the audience! Unfortunately, Blackout isn't that because despite having a crazily interesting plot and a star-studded cast, this comedy of errors seemed to be full of errors! 

Amidst the chaos ensuing in the film, it follows a simple thumb of rule - in a single night, everything that could go wrong will go wrong for Lenny D'Souza (Vikrant Massey). A crime reporter whose expertise lies in sting operations in a city-wide blackout in Pune, Lenny goes out to get some anda pav but ends up in a series of wrongful situations. He gets involved in not just one but two accidents with four reluctant passengers and a madcap night that is full of shootouts, gang wars, dead bodies, conspiracies, plot twists, detectives, police, treacherous partners, and a whole lot of stolen gold.

Also Read: Netflix announces 'Heeramandi' Season 2 with a spectacular flash mob at Mumbai's Carter Road!

In terms of the story, a lot is working in favor of the film! Because of the blackout, Lenny ends up causing two awkward accidents, one where he crashes into a minivan full of gold and dead thieves and another where he runs over a man, bringing out his greediness and selfishness. Similarly, with the other characters, a brooding drunkard poet, Asgar (Sunil Grover), is also a crime lord with a past and the two poor influencers, Thik (Karan Sonawane) and Thak (Saurabh Ghadge) find every possible opportunity to steal and make a Reel. But while all of this makes up for interesting plot points for the film, unfortunately, it all sounds sane only on paper as it hardly translates to its intended effect on screen. Even Mouni Roy, as the cliche damsel in distress, has no role to play and this gets boring to watch just as much as 'blaming Lenny's unluckiness' for the situations gone wrong. 

This film also wants to be many things at once - a satirical commentary on human behavior, a comedy of errors with one weird plot twist piling on to another, a revenge crime thriller of gang wars, a mystery with a detective solving the case, and a dark comedy. And in the wake of being everything all at once, it just ends up being nothing! Its stylized intros, overcrowdedness with too many characters, overlapping arcs, Bollywood puns, unoriginal voice-overs (by Anil Kapoor), and overexerting dialogues make for a desperate attempt. After a point of time, it's hard to tell the film's flaws from the fun, like the film is trying too hard to be a spoof and fails at both.

I get it; Blackout is a shamelessly foolish film that is extremely self-aware of its language of ridiculousness and it's not supposed to be taken seriously at all. But generally there is some method to the madness that makes you enjoy the crazy; here, there is nothing that you can attach to. Even the intentional comedy and the timing of it falls flat because an old man taking hours to open four locks, producing frustration amongst the four others waiting for him to do so, only makes it feel tedious instead of funny. Having situations going wrong alone doesn't inevitably turn the film into a laughable joy ride, and Blackout is proof! 

Blackout is currently streaming on JioCinemas! 

For more binge-centric content and reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.