Blackout Review : A promising premise undone by a chaotic narrative

Story: As the streets of Pune plunge into darkness after a power outage, a crime reporter gets embroiled in a series of unfortunate events, with a drunkard and two thieves in tow.

Review: Films set over a single night thrive on a tightly woven narrative where every scene must count, given the limited timeframe. Written and directed by Devang Shashin Bhavsar, Blackout initially hints at this promise. We meet Lenny D'Souza (Vikrant Massey), a crime reporter venturing out for food during a city-wide power outage. However, a chance encounter with a van full of armed robbers throws Lenny into a chaotic night, forcing him to flee with a stolen chest, a dead body, and some unlikely companions – a drunkard named Bewdya (Sunil Grover), two petty thieves (Karan Sudhakar Sonawane as Thik and Saurabh Dilip Ghadge as Thak, a pun on Tik-Tok), and a mysterious woman named Shruti (Mouni Roy).

While the premise offers an intriguing setup for a dark comedy, Blackout falters due to an uneven screenplay and an overstuffed narrative. In its attempt to showcase a night of chaos for Lenny, the plot becomes repetitive and lacks focus. As the narrative loses momentum, the second half introduces unconvincing plot twists and a flurry of new characters with minimal build-up. Bewdya's backstory, for instance, feels forced, and the introduction of a mafia don, Mugil Anna (Sooraj Pops), further strains credulity. Detective Arvind (Jeeshu Sengupta) adds to the already overcrowded cast, introducing yet another plot thread that feels superfluous.

Despite the film's shortcomings, Vikrant Massey delivers a commendable performance as Lenny. His comic timing shines throughout, even amidst the film's more outlandish moments. Sunil Grover, portraying the drunk shayar Bewdya, offers moments of amusement, but his character arc feels forced. The film generates some laughs through one-liners and the antics of Karan Sudhakar Sonawane and Saurabh Dilip Ghadge—their quest to retrieve Lenny's stolen camera provides a few chuckles.

Blackout aspires to be a fast-paced dark comedy, but the loose narrative and excessive characters prevent it from reaching its full potential. While flashes of humour and strong performances from the leads offer glimpses of what could have been, the film ultimately falters due to its overambitious script.