Film

Blackmail

Name: Blackmail
Genre: Comedy, Thriller
Released: 2018
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Kirti Kulhari, Arunoday Singh, Divya Dutta, Omi Vaidya

Other titles called Blackmail: the 1929 film.

A dark comedy thriller about a man who blackmails his unfaithful wife and her lover—only for the scheme to spiral into chaos. Irrfan Khan is brilliant in a role that's funny and uncomfortable by turns. It's a sharp, nasty little film that enjoys watching intelligent people make worse and worse decisions.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a comedy of escalating bad decisions, where a fragile scheme keeps tilting into farce and Irrfan Khan plays the desperate man at its centre with real nerve.

Skip it if you want a lean thriller with sharp edges; at over two hours, its comic set pieces run long and some of its sudden lurches in tone can feel unsteady.

What it asks of you: Two and a quarter hours of talky scenes, with the mood swinging between giggles and gritted teeth; it rewards full attention rather than background company.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Badhaai Ho2018

A comedy about taboo subjects (an older couple's unexpected pregnancy) that manages to be both hilarious and genuinely warm. Like Blackmail, it finds humour in situations that could feel exploitative, but never punches down.

But It's gentler than Blackmail—more family-friendly sentiment, less moral ambiguity. If you want pure darkness, this tilts toward sweetness.

A Wednesday!2008

An ordinary man decides to hold the city hostage. It's a taut, clever thriller where tension comes from dialogue and ideas rather than car chases. Sharp-eyed about how systems fail and how one person can exploit them.

But Made in 2008, so the politics feel dated. Also, it's more thriller than comedy—no relief valve for the pressure it builds.

Natrang2010

A Marathi film about an aging theatre actor consumed by ambition and ego. Beautifully acted, darkly comic, and utterly unsparing about how obsession corrodes everything. A masterclass in watching someone implode.

But It's a slow burn in Marathi, and the world it depicts is distant from most viewers' experience. Requires patience and subtitles.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Blackmail

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Funny Games2008

Both films weaponize the audience's own desire to watch transgression. Both ask: what does it mean that you want to see this?

Michael Haneke's English-language version: a family terrorized in their home by two young men. It looks like a thriller but it's actually a film about films—about your complicity as a viewer wanting to watch violence. Irrfan Khan's moral confusion in Blackmail is echoed here, but inverted.

But It's brutal and deliberately unpleasant. The structure is experimental in ways that feel like punishment. Not entertaining in a conventional sense—it's a provocation.

Drishyam2015

An ordinary man covering up a crime by thinking three steps ahead. Absolutely brilliant plotting, genuinely tense, and Ajay Devgn is excellent. Every twist feels earned, and the cat-and-mouse game is irresistible.

But The premise hinges on things you don't want spoiled—nearly impossible to discuss. Also, it ventures into emotional territory that's genuinely grim.

Gulaal2009

A film about corruption, ambition, and how easily good intentions rot. Visually stylish, morally murky, with excellent performances. It trusts the audience to follow a complex story without spelling everything out.

But It's deliberately opaque and somewhat slow. You need to pay close attention, and the reward is moral confusion rather than catharsis.

Udaan2010

A young man returns home to a tyrannical father. It's quiet, intense, and devastating about patriarchy and control. The tension builds almost imperceptibly until it breaks. Beautifully shot and acted.

But Very slow, very sad, with minimal plot. If you need something to happen on screen constantly, this will feel airless. Emotionally draining rather than entertaining.

Kahaani2012

A pregnant woman hunting for her missing husband through Kolkata. It's a thriller that genuinely surprises, with a central performance of real strength. Tense without being cynical.

But The third act does some genre-standard things that feel a bit predictable if you've seen a lot of thrillers. Also, the pacing occasionally sags.

Jai Bhim2021

A powerful legal drama about a lower-caste man fighting injustice. Gripping, angry, and formally inventive. It's a film with something to say and the craft to say it well.

But It's serious and harrowing throughout, with real violence and suffering. No comic relief, no easy answers. The subject matter is heavy.

Rang De Basanti2006

Young people radicalized by corruption and injustice. It's energetic, entertaining, and offers a different kind of black-and-white morality than Blackmail—the characters believe they're right.

But It's three hours, and the tone shifts significantly across its runtime. Some moments feel manipulative. The idealism might read as naïve.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro1983

Same DNA—blackmail as a plot engine, the comedy of watching smart people outsmart themselves. But 40 years earlier and far more anarchic.

A Hindi comedy-thriller from 1983 about two photographers who witness a murder and try to blackmail their way to safety. It's loose, irreverent, visually inventive, and genuinely funny—proof that the comedy-thriller works best when it doesn't apologize for either mode.

But The print quality is sometimes rough, and the pace is chaotic in a way that might feel shapeless. Also, it's very much a product of 1983 India.

Thappad2020

Both examine relationships built on deception and leverage. But where Blackmail is kinetic and dark-comic, Thappad is still, furious, and devastated. They're mirror images of how a marriage can break.

A woman's marriage unravels after her husband slaps her in public. It's quiet, precise, and devastatingly angry about domestic life and complicity. The opposite of Blackmail's escalating chaos—here, everything falls apart slowly and inevitably because of small, accumulated lies.

But Almost nothing happens. No thriller mechanics, no plot twists. If you're waiting for action or resolution, you'll be disappointed. It's a film about stasis and resentment.