Language: Tamil
Priya Bhavani Shankar plays Rachel Victor, a journalist, in Zee5’s latest original film Blood Money. An Asian College of Journalism alumnus, well-read (which according to the film means arrogant), Rachel is promoted to the news desk after time on lighter sections. One of the first things I was told at ACJ was to expect and embrace drudgery. We were constantly reminded of the years' wait for a byline and the painfully slow hike up to high-profile stories. But not Rachel. On the very first day, her very first pitch gets approved. She is sent to Sri Lanka to gather information. Even after she makes a major blunder, she faces no serious repercussions. Her editor covers for her. Why does he trust her so much? We don’t know.
Blood Money is bogged down by this constant mismatch of what we are expected to feel, and what we actually feel.
Kaliyappan (Kishore) and his brother Anjaiyya are about to be hanged in Kuwait. Kaliyappan has never met his daughter. We are supposed to feel sympathetic for this man. (The film never forgets to remind us by showing the weeping girl.) But the emotion never really hits you because the narrative does not dig beneath the generic beats.
I liked some of the smaller quips -- like the one Rachel makes about cooking tips. “Adhu enna samayal kuripu na avlo elakaram. Pachaya sapda vendiyathu thana (Why are cooking shows treated with such disdain? Can he eat raw food?),” she says about a condescending male colleague. (The film is written by Shankar Das) But even the smarter moments fall prey to the lack of payoff. For example, Rachel desperately needs someone who can translate Arabic for her. She calls the Muslim cleric, whom she just met regarding the same case, for assistance. The phone keeps ringing, and there is tension. Just then, Rachel hears the sound of Azaan. It is a clever way of revealing that she won’t get help. But in the very next scene, we see the cleric being brought to her office, to help her with the phone call. Blood Money never really lets Rachel really struggle.
Generously doused in fluorescent light, I liked Blood Money’s visual aesthetics. In an important scene, the camera tracks Kaliyappan in a circular shot, keeping the action clear in the background. (Cinematography by G Balamurugan) Kaliyappan ignores the crime to move forward, but the shot makes it clear that he cannot leave this behind. I also liked Priya Bhavani Shankar’s performance, which is breaking free of her ‘girl-next-door’ mold. (This is the news-anchor-turned-actor's first female-centric film and it's a nice coincidence that she plays a journalist.)
On paper, Blood Money has all the ingredients for a taut thriller. It has a scrappy protagonist. There’s the emotional angle. A ticking clock. But the film doesn’t dig deep into the details and thus, reveals don’t land as it aspires to. After all, where’s the thrill or suspense when you know your protagonist will surface scratchless through any ordeal?
Rating: 2.5/5
The film is streaming on Zee5.
Ashameera Aiyappan is a film journalist who writes about Indian cinema with a focus on South Indian films.
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