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Netrikann movie review: Nayanthara manages to shine in this too safe adaptation of Korean thriller

ByHaricharan Pudipeddi
Aug 13, 2021 06:08 PM IST

Netrikann movie review: Milind Rau has made safe and simple choices with his remake of Blind, starring Nayanthara in lead.

Ahn Sang-Hoon’s Korean thriller Blind isn’t particularly a great film, purely going by the standard Korean cinema has set with their thrillers over the years. However, what really works in its favour is that it’s a thriller with a female protagonist, and that’s what makes it slightly refreshing. Naturally, that’s exactly what makes Netrikann, too, the Tamil remake of Blind, equally refreshing as it features Nayanthara in the lead. It’s a film that completely rests on her shoulders and she doesn’t disappoint.

Netrikann movie review: Nayanthara plays a blind woman who ‘witnesses’ a crime.
Netrikann movie review: Nayanthara plays a blind woman who ‘witnesses’ a crime.

Watch Netrikann clip:

The film opens with the shot of Durga (Nayanthara as a CBI officer) walking into a pub and dragging her brother (Aadhi) out. She cuffs him to the passenger seat of her car and drives him home. Along the way, an altercation leads to an accident in which Aadhi gets killed and Durga loses her vision. As Durga tries to live with the guilt of her brother’s death and coming to terms with her disability, she must confront a serial killer with her only her intelligence at her disposal, before he preys on more young women.

Netrikann works to a large extent because it’s a safe remake of the original material with very little new elements added to suit the local sensibilities. For a film headlined by Nayanthara, who’s inarguably one of the biggest female stars of the country, the film needed more thrills to keep the viewer pinned till the last minute. It also needed a stronger antagonist to make the face-off with Nayanthara more satisfying. Ajmal is slightly underwhelming as the serial killer, and he can barely give you the chills with his presence. Thankfully, Nayanthara does all the heavy lifting with a strong performance, one of her best.

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The film is long drawn with a needless back-story to explain the actions of the villain. There’s a problematic subplot about women and premarital pregnancy which needs to be called out. Manikandan, who plays a supporting character, gets a meaty part and he makes the most of it. However, the rest of the cast has very little to contribute. Overall, Netrikann is one of those safe remakes that work because it didn’t try to tamper much with the soul of the original.

Film: Netrikann

Director: Milind Rau

Cast: Nayanthara, Ajmal Amir and Manikandan

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