If you are tired of watching the same old (literally old yet some legendary) faces dancing to the same ‘old’ songs remixed to the point of distortion and of course mixed with casual objectification, Andhadhun can actually restore your faith on Bollywood movies again as it breaks through the monotony of routine.
With Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead, I was skeptical about the movie until I watched it, because he had not been a part of any mentionable movies released recently. Needless to say, I was blown away by his acting and I was honestly more impressed with how a story like this was portrayed in such a quirky and casual way.
Being at the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana), a blind pianist who lives in Pune and was content with his life until he ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. He witnesses a murder and his conscience urges him to report a murder he has technically ‘never seen’ taking place. As the story continues, Akash faces a series of more unfortunate events that reveal some shocking facts about the story in suspenseful manner.
The movie is directed by Sriram Raghavan, who previously directed Badlapur, Johnny Gaddar and Agent Vinod. The story of Andhadhun is itself thrilling but the director has successfully portrayed the story by adding more wickedness and darkness to it. A touch of dark comedy and quirkyness makes the movie stand out among the other Bollywood movies of the same genre.
Although it is inspired by a French Short Film named L’Accordeur or The Piano Tuner (2010) by Olivier Treiner, the director has definitely turned it into a nerve-racking tale of terror, thrill and mystery that will make you want to be as attentive as possible to know what happens next.
“It isn’t a sordid story. The pianist is happy with himself and is trying to prepare for a competition when he meets a terrific girl and then another woman and many things happen to him. Among my inspirations was the movie Fargo, as well as the television series based on it – it’s a bit macabre, like going down a rabbit hole.” said the director, Sriram Raghavan during an interview prior to the movie’s release. Unpredictable twists and turns with perfectly timed and unconventional background scores, this movie has certainly lived up to our expectations with spot on direction.
Two Stellar Performances Anchor the Narrative Well
Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role as the blind pianist adds more volume to the entire setup and this is undoubtedly his best work so far. His presence in the movie is oddly comforting and he effortlessly pulls off the variation of expressions throughout.
“The script was so amazing. There were crazy revelations every five minutes. The tonality was surprising. You would think that it was a dark film, but there is this dash of crazy humor.
The fact that the character was a musician got me really excited. Being a musician and a blind musician added layers to the character,” said Ayushmann in an interview with Scroll.in.
Tabu plays one of the most vital roles in the movie as her role is responsible for 80% of the suspense and thrill. Deceitful and erratic, Tabu did a fantastic job as her role contributed massively to the success of this movie. Radhika Apte didn’t have much to offer and didn’t leave much impact as she played the role of Akash’s love interest. Amit Trivedi with his brilliant and cheerful compositions complements the ongoing proceeding and enables the movie to play with your emotions.
The most intriguing part of the movie is definitely the screenplay and a well crafted narrative. The variation of characters and each character having distinctive and bold features build up the story in the most riveting way.
Every scene, every conversation between the characters lead on to the next event that will feed off of your curiosity.
The movie starts off with the plot seeming like an innocent and simple one but as time goes by, especially after the first half, the plot will leave you questioning and re-evaluating every scene, connecting the dots. The climax was done right as it was a twofold and even the very last scene will give you something to think about. Overall, Andhadhun is a thriller crafted with finesse that will not only engage your attention but also leave you wondering.
Also, did I mention that it already won 4 awards in the categories of Best Director, Best Story/Screenplay, Best editor and best sound design at the Star Screen Awards? Deserving.
I rate the movie a solid 8 out of 10 for top notch screenplay and direction (If it seems too generous, that’s because Ayushmann showed off his hot bod for a considerable amount of times as a plus), interesting and unconventional plot and spontaneous yet impactful acting by the actors. I would love to rate it a 10 out of 10 but then again I felt the dialogues could be better.