‘Blank’ review: This Sunny Deol-starrer doesn’t rise above the ‘bad Muslim’ narrative

Blank starts off with a pretence to cinematic style. An injured, bleeding face at one corner of the frame with an expanse of saltpans around. Then it quickly moves on to evoking that barmy CID feeling. A cache of 25 kg of HMX, the more potent cousin of RDX, has been found. The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) is busy investigating under the able leadership of Dewan (Sunny Deol). Forget the tough ATS chief standing in for ACP Pradyuman, there is a Dr. Salunkhe like forensic expert and Dr. Tarika/Sub Inspector Purvi kind of woman team member who can send an ardent CID fan down the nostalgia lane. The fact that there is an utter lack of logic to the proceedings and a bunch of out-of-shape officers makes it even more CID -like.

Meanwhile, some people with a bag each of HMX bomb roam around in slow motion in Mumbai streets and a suicide bomber gets amnesia after being hit by a car. The ATS has a lot to do with this one man who is their passport to the sleeper cells. He is also the central trigger for all the explosives in the city. And as the Dr Salunkhe-like forensic guy puts it, the fellow's heart is the battery of the bomb(s). Unfortunately the human bomb escapes their clutches and is on the run.

So far, fairly loony.

Then we go back to the past and the terrorists step in. All of them are radicalised Muslims, led by one bearded Osama lookalike. Kohl-eyed with white skull caps, these Hanifs, Farooqs, Maqsoods, belong to an organisation called Tehreer-e-Hind and are all out for a good jihad to reach their respective jannat .

This is not just about adding to the worn out stereotypes and tired tropes about Muslims in cinema. In the times of blatant bigotry and hate politics across class, caste, religion, region, even food divides, the film adds fuel to the feeling of suspicion and fear getting built around ordinary Muslims in the country. Almost every single Muslim character is turned into an object of distrust. They are the kinds who can be unfaithful to their own community. Even Muslim children are not spared, especially in the disturbing indoctrination scenes.

However, as opposed to all the Muslims who have a propensity for misinterpreting Quran, there is our holier than thou ATS chief who holds the religious text with calculated, affected respect, right next to his heart.

Despite the vendetta twist in the end, Blank eventually doesn’t rise above being a stilted “bad Muslim” narrative. It’s yet another film that plays on Islamophobia and it does say a lot that it comes with the backing of the BJP candidate from Gurdaspur (who plays the clean-handed ATS chief) and the Canadian journalist specialising in doing non-political interviews (who does a special end credits song, titled Ali ali ).