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With confident, strong-willed women characters, Ayushmann's acting expertise and director's brilliance - Andhadhun is a must watch if you are a lover of suspense thrillers.
With confident, strong-willed women characters, Ayushmann’s acting expertise and director’s brilliance – Andhadhun is a must watch if you are a lover of suspense thrillers.
On a very strong recommendation from my children, I went to watch the Tabu-Ayushmann starring Andhadhun and what a movie it turned out to be! I am no movie critic but here’s my two bit about this fantastic movie. No spoilers, mind you.
Inspired by a French short film L’Accordeur or The Piano Tuner (2010) by Olivier Treiner, it is a racy, edge of the seat crime thriller. A taut screenplay and gripping narrative make Andhadhun what it is – a dark and intense film with palpitating suspense but immensely enjoyable. So much thought has apparently gone into the creative visualization of each scene, beginning from the first to the last, they are a virtual treat to the senses. The finest nuances of each scene and expressions of every character have been captured by the cinematographer brilliantly.
As it is obvious from the title ‘Andhadhun’ – blind melody – music is the pivot around which the movie revolves but there’s nothing random about the movie or the music. It has been so cleverly woven into the script that the movie floats from one scene to the other seamlessly. Nowhere you feel the songs forced, jarring and no crass item songs either. The melody of Akash’s (Ayushmann) piano soothes your mind and makes you want to sing along and join the revelry in the pub. Reportedly Ayushmann trained for two months under Akshay Verma, a pianist based in Los Angeles for this role. Amit Trivedi’s fabulous background score effectively heightens the dramatic effect.
The movie has many moments of wit and humor but they don’t affect the smooth flow of narration. No crass jokes here. The adroitly penned dialogues punch you, tickle you and enhance your overall enjoyment. You may find the first half even paced but the movie picks up the steam in real earnest in the second half. In fact, too many things seem to be happening at the same time but the last few minutes even out the chaos.
The story has very few characters apart from the main leads and surprisingly all of them are brilliantly etched out in a masterfully crafted narrative.
Ayushmann, as the hero, has done complete justice to his character. He is suave, funny, quirky, charming and so very believable as Akash – a blind pianist and singer who gets unwittingly embroiled in a murder. He flirts with the camera from behind his dark glasses and steals the show in quite a few scenes especially when he goes to Pramod and Simi’s home for a private concert and she is… no, no spoilers I assured naa!
It’s no surprise that Ayushmann sails almost effortlessly through his portrayal of Akash. The twists and turns in the life of Akash keep you intrigued till the end and even the climax leaves you wondering ‘why, how and what next’?! I must say Ayushmann has matured as an actor from the days of his debut movie Vicky Donor and proves his versatility here.
Anil Dhawan lives up to the role of Pramod Sinha, an ageing film star of yesteryears who has forayed into realty business but is still obsessed with his once blockbuster films and likes to watch them day and night, much to the annoyance of his wife, Simi. Manohar Jawanda (Manav Vij), the police officer having an extramarital relationship with Simi appears to be a rather bumbling officer in comparison with the astute and adroit Tabu as Simi. Other male actors like Zakir Hussain in the role of an unscrupulous doctor and another one in the role of an auto driver Murali ably complement the lead actors.
But it is the female characters who amaze you the most, despite being deeply flawed.
Tabu is outstanding as Simi, the second and much younger wife of ex-movie star Pramod Sinha. She is ambitious, erratic, vulnerable and deceitful at the same time. Simi is a conniving, scheming anti-heroine who cleverly manipulates men to her advantage. She is alert yet calm and collected even in the most challenging situations and plots her next moves impeccably. She is ruthless, vicious and doesn’t hesitate to kill anyone when it comes to protecting her name, money, and life.
Radhika Apte is charming as Sophie-the bubbly, chirpy daughter of a pub owner and muse of Ayushmann. Sophie and Simi are miles apart in their natural disposition yet share a common trait; they are unabashed, unapologetic about their sex life – premarital and extramarital. Chhaya Kadam as Sakhu-the lottery seller and Ashwini Kalsekar as Rasika Jawanda – the police inspector’s wife are again formidable characters and are integral to the movie.
The women in Andhadhun leave a lasting impact on your mind as confident, strong-willed women who are self-assured and know what they want in life. They are people with independent thinking who lead their men instead of being subservient to them. They stop at nothing to achieve what their heart yearns for.
All in all, Andhadhun is a fabulous movie that startles you with its sheer brilliance and the director Sriram Raghavan, famous for his dark genre movies deserve all appreciation for his skillful handling of the well-crafted script, camera, actors and music. It stands apart from the other run of the mill movies because of the intelligently interwoven irony and metaphors. It is a must see especially if you like suspense thrillers. Believe me, this movie would keep you riveted to the screen.
P.S. Do watch out for the climax. It holds the final punch.
Earlier Published here.
Image Source – Still from the movie.
Curious about anything and everything. Proud to be born a woman. Spiritual, not religious. Blogger, author, poet, educator, counselor. read more...
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