Bengaluru sees housefull shows for Kannada film ‘Blink’

Among the Kannada films that hit screens last Friday, it was debut director Srinidhi Bengaluru’s ‘Blink’ that stood out. It overshadowed films by popular directors Yogaraj Bhat and Guruprasad. 

The film, which did not receive many screens upon release, has been witnessing housefull shows after garnering good reviews from the audience and film critics. 

Titled India’s first musical sci-fi film, ‘Blink’ follows Apurva who has a rare ability to control his blinking. His normal life turns upside down when someone finds out about this unique ability. Soon Apurva learns about his dark past. The film, based on time travel, runs across different timelines and is peppered with multiple references from theatre and literature. It has received acclaim for its taut narrative which holds the audience’s attention throughout. 

Talking about the film’s writing, film critic and curator Harish Mallya says, “After a long time, we have a team that is promising and knows what filmmaking, theatre and literature are. This film has opened the door for complex narratives in science fiction. I think after ‘Lucia’, this is the only film with a challenging structure.”

Anju Asha Ananth, a cinephile, says, “The concept of time travel has not been explored much in the Kannada film industry. The film interweaves a refreshing time loop narrative with fantastic sound, music and production design.”

“Our budget did not allow for promotions. We were in a hapless situation but we’re happy our film has gained traction and people are watching it all just by word of mouth and reviews,” says Srinidhi. The film will also get multiple screens across the city from the coming weekend, he adds. 

The 25-year-old director says he wanted to bring in a local touch to science fiction, contrary to the popular “scientists and outer space” narratives. 

It’s interesting to note that the producer of the film, Ravichandra A J, who is also in his 20s, collaborated with Srinidhi following a brief chat about making experimental films in Kannada after having watched the Malayalam lockdown film, ‘C U Soon’. Ravichandra and Srinidhi are  both from the Kannada theatre group, Aneka. 

‘Blink’ stars Dheekshith Shetty, Chaithra J Achar, Gopal Krishna Deshpande and Mandara Battalahalli in the lead roles.

The film is also slated for an overseas release. It is currently running in
theatres across Karnataka.