Much like the film, the whole episode of going to review Andhadhun was thrilling! I was happy that I had reached the theater well on time but my happiness was short-lived as all the seats were full! It was not just me but almost around 10-15 of us who were left with no place to sit. While the PR was busy making other arrangements for us, a fellow reviewer and I decided to sit on the aisle and watch the film. Sitting on the aisle in a theater was a first time for me, so I was excited. We made ourselves comfortable and were enjoying the film, but almost 15 minutes into the film, the theater manager walked in and told us we couldn’t sit there due to security hazards. Disappointed we both walked out and luckily by then the PR had figured out a solution, they had made arrangements for us at another theater. We rushed back to the other theater and realised that it was a special screening with the cast and crew of the film! So basically our thrilling adventure with Andhadhun began much before the film and it was worth it!
Coming back to Andhadhun, Ayushmann Khurrana plays Akash, a visually challenged pianist living in Pune who is trying to complete a tune and whose only dream is to go to London to pursue his music career for which he is ready to experiment with anything. Life is going on well, Akash meets Sophie(Radhika Apte) ‘by accident’ and the two fall in love. He, however, gets caught in a web when he meets an ex-superstar Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan) who invites him to his house to surprise his wife Simi (Tabu). What happens after that is a series of unfortunate events with a whole lot of twists and surprises!
Image Credit: Andhadun Movie
Inspired by the French short film The Piano Tuner, which was about a piano prodigy who came up with a handicap theory to attract more sympathy, Andhadhun is a black comedy that keeps you at the edge of your seat right from the word go. The film opens with an interesting shot of a man hunting down a blind rabbit and if you wonder like me One of the best names in crime thrillers; director Sriram Raghavan has done it again with his skillfully weaved and extremely interesting story. The brilliant editing by Pooja Ladha Surti also plays a huge role in making the film swift and crisp.
That’s not all, the star cast of the film is brilliant too. Each one of them adds to making the film a masterpiece. Ayushmann especially is on a roll, you tend to forget it’s Ayushmann playing the character in the film because he has got into the skin of the character as the visually challenged Akash. He makes Akash feel so real.
Image Credit: Andhadun Movie
Tabu who plays the seductive young wife of a much older man is another fine actor. The way in which she switches from one emotion to the other is something only she could have done. The character of Simi seems to have been written keeping Tabu in mind. Anil Dhawan who plays the yesteryear star Pammi and Tabu’s husband is good too. Radhika Apte is spunky and refreshing, she has some witty dialogues but has less screenspace.
Image Credit: Andhadun Movie
There are so many horrible things that happen in the film but not once does it feel heavy and depressing. It only makes you want to know what will happen next and keeps you glued to the screen (Trust me I didn’t take a loo break even during the interval, fearing I’d miss out something!). Everything from the soundtrack to the background score and dialogues has been fit in so well in the film. The camera work is worth mentioning too.
Andhadhun is a film you wouldn’t want to miss!
