Creative and funny film on blind pianist
This film has been applauded by, and has captured the imagination, of cinema goers and movie Mughals of the Indian tinsel world. PHOTO| ALLAUDIN QURESHI
What you need to know:
- This film has been applauded by, and has captured the imagination, of cinema goers and movie Mughals of the Indian tinsel world. It has reaped success at the box office and has had raving appraisals.
- The movie Andhadhun, meaning a blind melody, is all about a blind pianist — Akash, who is in search of a perfect melody. He only has a pet cat for company.
A holiday break is always an opportune and very welcome time to laze around at home and watch some interesting serials and movies on the small screen in the company of near and dear ones.
A cinematic presentation released by Bollywood fascinated me recently during one such break as it did not portray the usual winsome heroines, muscular supermen type and the acrobatic song and dance routines around the trees.
This film has been applauded by, and has captured the imagination, of cinema goers and movie Mughals of the Indian tinsel world. It has reaped success at the box office and has had raving appraisals.
The movie Andhadhun, meaning a blind melody, is all about a blind pianist — Akash, who is in search of a perfect melody. He only has a pet cat for company.
However, one fine day he literary crashes into charming Sophia who finds him a job to entertain at a club. It is also about a yesteryear Bollywood star, Pammi, who derives guilty pleasure from scrolling through videos of his films and admiring the comments.
ASPIRATIONS OF HER OWN
His wife Simi harbours aspirations of her own and then there is a crooked cop who is a master at bending rules and getting away with it.
Akash, the blind man, gets invited to the Bollywood star’s house and becomes privy to an aftermath of a murder.
As the plot unfolds his conscious urges him to report the crime, which technically he has not witnessed.
The more he tries to get away the more he gets entangled in a mess.
Film director and screen writer Sriram Raghavan, an established movie maker, seemingly has been inspired by the short French film The Piano Tuner.
In making this presentation, however, he goes on to weave a compelling story with clever usage of visual motifs and references together with a delicious touch of humour, even in the most tense situations, and that adds to the overall thrill for viewers.
Lead actor Ayushman Khurana gives a remarkable true to life performance. It is certainly his best so far.
Radhika Apte as Sophie is certainly charming and lends her distinct shades of personality. Anil Dhawan as the fading superstar is convincing and Manav as the crooked cop really startles.
Above all else, it is Tabu as the superstar’s wife Simi or Lady Macbeth who delivers a knockout performance — she is charming and deadly in equal quantities.
Music score by Amit Trivedi has a distinct romantic flavour and the songs voiced by him; Akanksha Sharma and Abhijeet Srivastava are heart-warming.
If you have not already watched this mystery thriller, find a repeat screening on any Indian TV channel or get a video available locally and treat yourself to a feast of masterly performances and the entertainingly crazy world of Andhadhun.
And, finally, there are happy tidings for the fans of ghazals and the late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.
Come February Navrang Fine Arts Foundation will present a delicious feast of geets and ghazals to pay tribute to the legendary maestro. Watch out for details in this column next Sunday.
