Rating : 4/5 (Good)
Genre : Thriller
Year : 2018
Running time : 2 hours 30 minutes
Director : Sriram Raghavan
Cast : Tabu, Ayushman Khurana, Radhika Apte, Zakir Hussain, Anil Dhawan, Ashwini Khalsekar
Kid rating : PG
Expectations were high for Andhadhun because it came from Sriram Raghavan, who’d given us the impeccable Johnny Gaddar. Fortunately, unlike the recent Pataakha, this one keeps up its end of the bargain; it’s a treat to watch this well-done thriller.
Andhadhun is based on French short L’Accorder (The Piano Tuner) and has a fabulous plot. Blind pianist Akash (Khurana) meets lovely hotel proprietress Sofie (Apte). Through Sofie he meets film veteran Pramod Sinha and his beautiful wife Simi (Tabu). When Sinha is murdered, Akash is willy-nilly sucked into the aftermath and becomes witness to certain unfortunate events.
The film starts off with us following around our golden boy, good-humored Akash as he runs around doing errands, with the aid of his walking stick. The film quickly switches tracks as Akash is embroiled in Sinha’s murder, and this surreal upheaval comes on so suddenly, that it takes you completely by surprise. From then on, the tension grows, twists come at a fast clip and the bodies pile up. No one is above suspicion. Everyone has ulterior motives and secrets to hide, even protagonist Akash.
Andhadhun has a capable cast. Ayushman’s character Akash is a mixed bag – he is cheerful and friendly, but we can tell that there is more to him than the suave facade he presents to the world. Khurana brings Akash to life with his deadpan mannerisms. Then there is veteran Tabu who shines as Simi Sinha, flipping from lovely, sweet-talking femme-fatale to testy, tantrum-throwing customer in the blink of an eye. Dependable Zakir Hussain plays a greedy doctor with aplomb even in a short role. Radhika Apte felt wasted in her brief screen time, with her character not really lending heft to the story.
I’ve got to hand it to Badlapur director Raghavan – he knows how to keep them coming. Andhadhun has the tautness of a thriller, interspersed with quirky, zany, dark humor. It was hard to tell where the film was going or how it would end. The film chooses as its locale, Pune, a city where one imagines low-key, casual piano-bars abound and veteran film personalities hobnob with the local erudite junta. Another nice touch is Raghavan’s nod to Chitrahar, Chaya Geet, Doordarshan and 80s films – a homage to the pre-24×7 programming days.
Andhadhun was such a refreshing change – an engrossing entertainer and a well-done thriller! Totally worth the money and time! Do go see!
Kidwise: Bodies, blood and gore abound in this film.
