Date: 05 October 2018
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Cast: Tabu, Ayushman Khurana, Radhika Aapte
Aakash wakes up early to practice his piano and has an attentive listener in his cat that jumps in from the window to spread herself in his house.
It is an 18 step staircase from his apartment to the ground floor and he counts them with a click of his stick every time he ascends/ descends the steps.
A small accident introduces him to Radhika Aapte who gets him a job as a pianist at her father’s restaurant. It is here that Aakash meets the 70s superstar/ Anil Dhawan and what follows is roller coaster ride of music, masti and murders.
A 19 second Amit Trivedi symphony is the turning point of the film and establishes Sriram Raghavan as a magnificent craftsman, easily the best in the thriller genre.
Raghavan presents a perfect coordination of characters, props, emotions and situations. Here’s a spine-chilling screenplay brimming with humor and razor-sharp editing.
Most filmmakers either get the first half or the second half, there are some who are master technicians and some better storytellers but Raghavan combines erotica, intrigue, pace, morality, music, nostalgia to serve you a delicious platter you cannot resist.
Unpredictable and full of twists and turns, the best part of the narrative is that the viewer is a participant in the plot and knows as much as the characters. That does not mean there are no surprises because the director holds the final card to himself till the end.
There are as such no negatives in the film but it is unusual that a film star has no staff at home or that a blind musician has no domestic aid to even shop his groceries but these can be overlooked for the adventure that unfolds..
The music is the soul of the film and all actors are aptly cast particularly Anil Dhawan in all his old songs. Radhika Aapte is spontaneous and Tabu, Ayushmann have you guessing till the end but the film finally belongs to the director and his technical team.
From Ek Hasina Thi in 2004 to Badlapur in 2015 Sriram Raghavan is a revelation. Andhadhun is unpredictable, adventurous and full of fun. It is a celebration of cinema and cannot be missed. Wait for the end credits paying tribute to Chitrahaar and Chaya Geet.
I rate Andhadhun with 4 stars