Blurr is an upcoming psychological thriller which stars Taapsee Pannu and Gulshan Devaiah in the primary roles. Even from the looks of the trailer, it feels like something that will bring viewers to the edge of their seats. Needless to say, there’s an added excitement of watching Taapsee and Gulshan play these characters. The film that is directed by Ajay Bahl is set to premiere on December 9, on Zee5.
In a conversation with Taapsee Pannu and Gulshan Devaiah about Blurr, the two talked about their experience working on the film.
Blurr is also Taapsee Pannu’s first project as a producer. We asked her about how it felt juggling with the two key roles.
Taapsee Pannu opened up that it is a lot of responsibility to produce a film, and while she had some support, it was still a lot of work. There was a constant juggle between performing for the scenes and managing the responsibilities associated with producing the film. Given that she had multiple roles to carry in the same project, it was exciting yet hectic.
Films always have an impact on viewers, and it’s understandable that they leave a deeper impact on actors, given how they’re so close to the characters. Speaking of which, Gulshan Devaiah talked about his takeaway from Blurr.
He believes that Taapsee’s character had a lot of substance emotionally – which means that the actress had to put a lot more effort comparatively. Gulshan then added that the film will leave the audiences with an important message, that also stayed with him. It’s rooted in the theme, which somewhat revolves around empathy. He further mentioned that there are dialogues that emphasize on this messaging, and how they stayed with him. The actor wants the viewers to experience that for themselves.
The two actors have always picked up stories and characters that are unconventional. With OTT in the picture, viewers expect a lot more experimentation on-screen. We asked the actors if they feel a certain pressure of doing something new each time.
Taapsee elaborated how OTT feels like a boon, instead. Given that there’s a certain expectation of coming up with fresh characters and stories, it opens up new avenues. She added that this introduces a lot more opportunities for actors than there were before – which means that there’s space for all type of actors in the industry.
“OTT actually gives us enough space to experiment, and in-turn gives chances to all types of actors.”
Taapsee Pannu
Following up on how they like to experiment with choosing characters and scripts, they talked about the different formats. We asked them about the format or genre that takes more effort.
Coincidentally, they both mentioned that ‘horror’ as a genre feels like more effort, solely because as viewers it’s unnerving for them to watch a horror film. They joked about the fact that it get scary watching a horror movie, which is why they haven’t explored much in the genre, as actors. Gulshan added that different themes require different kinds of efforts, which is why it’s not something that can be easily compared. He also mentioned that working for Ghost Stories was an exhilarating experience, even if it was a horror segment.
“All the genres require effort. Comedy, for example is just as tough, which is why we cannot really compare the amount of effort put in.”
Gulshan Devaiah
Blurr revolves around a character who suffers from a degenerative loss of sight. While it is almost impossible to understand the struggles of someone who’s visually impaired, playing such a character requires a sense of empathy. Taapsee Pannu talked about her process while performing for this film.
The actress mentioned that she was asked if she’d like to train for the specific role, but since the story is about a character who gradually (not suddenly) looses sight, she wanted to keep it organic. Taapsee added that she’d wear bandages and use the specific lenses for her role so that she could avoid seeing things. Given that she had to play out stumbling and falling, because of her loss of sight, she wanted to step into that feeling where she had no choice but to walk without seeing things.
Taapsee also talked about the screening that was organized for people who are visually impaired. According to her, it was an experience that will stay with her for a long time, and is etched in her memory forever.
“It was an emotional experience seeing their reaction after hearing the film, or as they called it ‘watching’ it – because this is their way of experiencing the medium.”
Taapsee Pannu
Blurr is a Hindi adaptation of Julia’s Eyes. So, we asked them about their process from an actor’s perspective of working on an adaptation.
Taapsee and Gulshan mentioned that their process is not watching the original film, given that they want to avoid coming with a preconceived way to perform. They mentioned that their focus is to perform based on what the director’s notes, even if it is an adaptation. They further talked about their experience of working with Ajay Bahl and how his process is always insightful.
Taapsee summed up the experience that the viewers might have or what they should expect while getting into it.
The actress narrowed it down to a one-liner: “Do not watch the film alone.” She jokingly added that someone had said it to her after viewing the film, and that’s exactly what she wants to convey to the audiences. The film is a psychological thriller, and the experience is worth the chills.
All the images are screenshots from the trailer on YouTube, unless specified otherwise.
