Cast – Ayushmann Khurana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan, Zakir Hussain, Manav Vij, Ashwini Kalsekar
Director- Sriram Raghavan
Writers- Sriram Raghavan, Hemanth Rao, Pooja Ladha Surti, Arijit Biswas, Yogesh Chandekar
Could mean “ andha-dhun “ or blind tune and could also mean “ andhadhund “ or indiscriminate or madcap.
Just as he plays with the words of his title, Shriram Raghavan plays with the minds of his audience and colours of his characters, all different shades of grey .. or so it seems.
To avoid even a slight inadvertent spoiler, Instead of the story, let me introduce the characters.
A blind piano player Akash (Ayushman)who aspires to go to London ,a sassy and sweet girl Sofie(Radhika)who runs a pub with her father ,a shrewd and ambitious youngish wife Simmi(Tabu) of an aging yesteryear star Pramod (Anil Dhawan). Its the piano which binds these three main corners of the story.
Then there ‘s a policeman(Manav Vij )who is having an extra marital fling, an empathetic road side lottery seller( Chhaya Kadam), an auto rickshaw driver and a doctor (Zakir Hussain).
All of these get woven in this gripping narrative which keeps you guessing and tests your speculating skills.
And that’s the best thing about the screenplay co-scripted by Shriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti and Yogesh Chandekar. A long list , but deserves a mention.
The movie starts and characters keep joining the plot. We know it’s a thriller and we know something ominous is bound to happen. But thats not the suspense that the director binds you with. You could guess it easily enough and it unfolds smoothly. It’s the aftermath that makes the plot murkier.
When the pivots of the story get into their characters, that’s when it gets intriguing. No one stops at nothing. No qualms, no rights , no wrongs. For them
it’s nothing about ethics.
Events keep unfolding and you would be captivated by the twists to the characters.
It’s a typical Raghavan style thriller which is dark and sarcastic. Except for one , every character is flawed and very smooth and unapologetic about it. It’s not as grisly as Badlapur but ominous. I wouldn’t call it edge of the seat taut but the layers to the characters and narrative gives it a gripping edge.
The cringeworthy scenes could be the most unexpected ones for example a crab recipe or when the scalpel is about to go down and there seems no possible respite. The director likes to catch you off guard.
Tabu was marvellous in her layered character. She plays the maverick, the shrewd and the unpredictable edge to her character perfectly. As always , she’s a treat to watch.
Ayushman who we have usually seen as a vivacious boy next door kind of characters most of the time, gets it to play something vastly different and challenging this time and he plays it well.
Radhika Apte is as brilliant as ever in her small role. Actually, she’s so smooth, it hardly seems like acting.
The rest of the cast were equally good and gave befitting performances.
The music by Amit Trivedi is great. There’s a lovely dose of old melodies too.
Editing by Pooja Ladha Surti is almost apt except for slight sags post interval.
Overall, the movie is definitely recommended. Watch it because it keeps you guessing . Watch it for its plot that is convoluted and smooth at the same time just as its characters. Watch it for its unpredictability and the climax which leaves you in a quandary of interpretation.
Score 8 on 10