Netrikann review: Nayanthara shines in this safe adaptation of Korean thriller Blind 

Ahn Sang-Hoon’s Korean thriller Blind (2011) isn’t particularly a great film considering the standard Korean cinema has set with its thrillers over the years. However, it has a female protagonist at the helm, which makes it slightly refreshing. Naturally, that’s exactly what makes Netrikann, the official Tamil remake of Blind, equally refreshing as it stars Nayanthara. It’s a film that completely rests on her shoulders and she doesn’t disappoint. 

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, a small altercation leads to an accident in which Aadhi gets killed and Durga loses her vision. As Durga tries to live with the guilt of being responsible for her brother’s death while trying to come to terms with her disability, she must confront a serial killer with her sheer intelligence before he preys on more young women. 

Netrikann works to a large extent because it’s a safe remake with very few new elements added to suit the local sensibilities. For a film being headlined by Nayanthara, who’s unarguably one of the biggest female stars of the country, the script needed more thrills to keep the viewer hooked 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 powerful performance that is undoubtedly one of her best.

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

Netrikann is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.