Movie Review: Andhadhun

For me, Sriram Raghavan is the closest to Quentin Tarantino that we have in Hindi cinema. There are a few who comes from Vishal Bharadwaj school who can write a great screenplay like Quentin Tarantino. For instance, two movies immediately come into my mind namely Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey and Abhishek Chaubey's Ishqiya. Sriram Raghavan differs from this lot due to two reasons. The first is the passion for cinema. Hindi cinema and World (rest of Indian languages included in this category) cinema, in the order it is written. The second is the unpredictability factor. We try to guess the director-writer. But he surprises at every turn. Andhadhun is the latest offering from Sriram Raghavan. With this movie, Sriram Raghavan proves Aamir Khan wrong. Hindi cinema can make a film like Inception not regarding the special effects but in the way the audience questions and discuss the movie.

The movie is inspired by a French short film L'Accordeur. It is available on Youtube, but I would advise you to watch the short film after you watch this movie. Sriram Raghavan has blown up a 13-minute short film into a full-blown movie which lasts over 2 hours without numbing our senses even for a brief moment. The story revolves around Akash, a blind pianist played by Ayushmann Khurana. Akash's life turns brighter when Sophie(Radhika Apte) hires him to perform at her dad's restaurant. Then his life turns topsy-turvy when Pramod Sinha(Anil Dhawan), a regular at the restaurant, invites him to play for his wife Simi (Tabu) as a surprise. Pramod Sinha was a successful lead actor in the past who is now moved into real estate. By making Anil Dhawan playing the role, it is one among the countless nods to the past cinema. Pramod Sinha loves to watch his old movies. So we see a lot of clips from Anil Dhawan's old films thereby paying homage once again. If you are a movie buff, you will find many more references to successful cinema. But these references are so intelligently woven around the narrative that barely acknowledge it with a smile and move on.

When Sriram Raghavan expands the short film to a feature movie, he elevates the story with the help of casting, music, camera, editing, and locations. The majority of the screen time is devoted to Ayushmann Khurana and Tabu. Ayushmann Khurana has portrayed the common man endearingly in the past. In this movie, he plays a similar role but thrust into a difficult situation. He carries the film. As for Tabu, calling her role as the villain of the movie is derogatory. She comes across as a devious woman whose secrets are tumbling, unexpectedly and quickly, out of the closet and hence she is desperately trying to control the damage. For a crucial scene in the movie, there is only the music from the piano while there is a lot of thing happening on the screen. The scene contains a lot of hidden elements and we, as an audience, discover the hidden aspects along with the actors. This discovery is achieved by planning the camera movements. A stranger in dangerous surroundings has a cautious way of surveying the scene with their eyes. The editing makes us laugh at the predicament of actors even during a dark scene. These moments realize there can be comedy in a tragedy. Finally, the editing makes us love the songs. The songs do not stick out like a sore thumb. 

This movie is a must-see. Don't wait for the DVD. Go to the movies hall for two reasons. If you see it at home, you will only smile during those scenes where you are supposed to laugh your heart out. After all, cinema is a collective experience. The second reason is simple. If you don't spend money on this movie, then how directors like Sriram Raghavan get producers and the encouragement to make good movies?

Language: Hindi

Genre: Thriller

Rating: ****