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First, the Recap:
What is it that so often lies beneath the surface? The modern world, thanks to tech and other elements, can allow us to hide a multitude of deceptions that can entangle us, misguide us, and lead us down wrong paths. But, is there sometimes anything MORE dangerously beguiling than what shadows can lurk within our own hearts and aims? It is the city of Mumbai, and this particular night has brought together two lifetime friends, Imran (Rajnish Jaiswal) and Gullu (Deep Sheth), the former wishing to meet at an old spot in the darker part of the city, which gives the latter an initial sense of pause. As their conversation unfolds, what is revealed could have a far more drastic series of consequences than either of them anticipated.
Next, my Mind:
Veiled dissimulation, addiction, the trust of friendship, the ripple effect of poor choices, the need for escape, and the desperation of one man’s searching for solace amidst ever-building chaos all find their realities explored in the scheme of things as conveyed through this 12-minute indie short film effort that saw its WORLD PREMIERE back on Saturday November 19th at the inaugural 2022 Long Island South Asian Film Festival hosted by Jingo Media’s Jitin Hingorani, actor Harbinder Singh, and festival artistic director Ambica Dev. The project, brought to life by writer/director/producer Rajiv Walia and producer/actor Rajnish Jaiswal certainly carries a big, unflinching stick when it comes to the sheer forcefulness of the messages contained within its abbreviated runtime, an emphatic and unforgiving portrait of bad decisions, the seeking of an outlet, the revealing of truths not remotely easy to face, and the harsh actions that come about due to it all.
In a narrative that sees two men, both longtime friends who are all too familiar with specific forays into criminality (“innocently” or otherwise), meeting one night in an isolated spot they’ve always had to discuss one of their situations and the subsequent resolutions that come about from it, the story pacing, as is assuredly necessary with only 12 minutes to work with, moves with a quietly frenetic, slowly building, undeniably palpable tension throughout, making us as the viewer feel one way about what is happening then suddenly shifting our emotions in the totally opposite direction with a fluidity and excellence in execution that is simply awesome and effective. What really struck me is precisely how the notion of friendship really is the core foundation of it all, presented on several levels that add a wonderfully “layered” feel to the story while still allowing it to manifest into the exercise in unease and friction it becomes.
It would be an understatement of the year to say that how the film’s twist-filled, utterly jarring finale explodes into actuality was, well, disturbing yet just masterfully, intelligently impactful filmmaking, and it more than solidifies the narrative’s intentions in delivering a seriously cautionary tale plus a compelling argument about how hopelessness, fear, and the desire to protect oneself and those most valuable is paramount, though certain extremes might not work out so well if it were the “norm” when confronting our own shortcomings and faults! But, as this critic mentions so very much, this is the potency of indie cinema and its ongoing methodology that is willing to boldly and unapologetically illustrate human nature, even in its darkest times, and it is only telling the grander truth that happy endings don’t necessarily make a great film all the time. The music score here stuck out to me as well, as it very much aided in creating the needed atmosphere of both stress and simmering ominousness underlying the whole affair.
Jaiswal was brilliant for me here through his role as Imran, a man in trouble who only wants to have the opportunity to reach out to an old friend and find a means to rectify his circumstances in a way that allows everyone to be the better for it. Even after his friend arrives and they get into the car Imaran has brought, the conversation doesn’t take long to become a mix of his own muted but frantic state of being paired with the caring and strongly wishing to help out manner his friend exudes, constantly growing in magnitude and frustration on both sides until it finally culminates into the ending it does with assertive, decisive resolve. What I love about the performance from Jaiswal in guiding his character through this scenario is that he remains perfectly in control and just elicits feelings of empathy for Imran and his plight, even when so much of it all was of his own making, and the attitude of confession of his poor choices then morphing into what it does is so beautifully realistic, with Jaiswal’s “everyman” demeanor working to great impact the whole time.
Likewise, I honestly give an equal amount of credit to Sheth and the sheer combination of ardent and calmly understated fervor he presents through his role as Gullu, Imaran’s longstanding, childhood friend who gets the call one night to be there for support and, ideally, helping bring closure to a hard situation Imran’s in. Having lived a life that’s taken him into certain circles involved with a decidedly shady group of individuals, Gullu therefore feels he’s more than the right person to bring about the answers and way out his friend requires. Yet, even as he keeps pushing to BE that solution, his pushing to do so could end up having a different result than he expects. What stands out for me with Sheth is that the absolutely carefree manner in which he infuses into Gullu’s character while also managing to present an additionally insistent, earnest degree of sincere concern Gullu is expressing for his friend’s wellbeing just makes how events turn out even more affecting, a total credit to Sheth’s acting and his ability to provide us with another believable character who has us both supporting yet questioning the motives behind what we see occurring.
Finally, this funny enough will be the SECOND time, the first being 2021’s GENIUS short film effort “Raghu“, that the primary supporting role arrives via Sanket Bakshi where all I can say is that he does play a pivotal role here and that’s that! You will once more need to find the means to watch the film to find out any further details. So, in total, “Double Blind” more than lives up to its namesake and takes us on one wild ride into the darker side of not just a city as its backdrop, but more so the human heart, what our troubles can bring, the loyalty of friends, and the ramifications of deceit, rolled into another wider-ranging contemporary morality tale where the path to redemption and liberation may not get to be paved in gold.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
