Andhadhun: A Murder Mystery & A Blind Man's Bluff

Inspired by the French short film, The Piano Tuner, Sriram Raghavan's dark comedy is about a blind pianist and the unexpected chain of events he finds himself entangled in. Talkietive Reviews bring you the 5 Good Things to look out for, in the film.

1. The Write Notes: Director Sriram Raghavan, editor Pooja Ladha Surti, Arijit Biswas and Yogesh Chandekar team up together and give us a thriller which is not only chilling but also rich in irony and humour. The dialogues of the film are particularly clever and pack in the punches with cinematic cross-references. For instance, Simi-- essayed by Tabu seems to be a doffing of the hat to actress Simi Garewal, famous for her villainous turn in Karz. In one instance she is referred to as the Lady Macbeth, a role which tabu previously played in the movie Maqbool.

2. Characters of Sorts: Well-written characters are a prerequisite for a good film. Andhadhun boasts of a bunch that is quirky and morally ambiguous but lacks the cold-bloodedness common to characters that populate thrillers. For instance, Tabu as Simi is unscrupulous yet has her vulnerable moments. Pramod Sinha, a yesteryear actor who never tires of revisiting his past glory, played by Anil Dhawan lends a unique touch as does Akash, the blind pianist, the sole to witness to a murder most foul!

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3. Power-packed Performance: Good performances are always the bed-rock of memorable film characters and Andhadhun has plenty of them. Tabu as Simi, an unscrupulous femme fatale is outstanding and totally owns the role while Ayushmann Khurrana as the blind pianist, Akash, is both competent and impressive. Radhika Apte despite being cast in an underwritten role--that of Sophie, is rock solid as is Manav Vij playing the dubious cop Manohar.

4. Mystery Melody: Unlike other thrillers, the songs in Andhadhun do not slacken the pace of the film. With a blind pianist as its key protagonist, music is integral to the storytelling and Amit Trivedi's compositions add a delightful layer of intrigue. The fusion of contemporary and retro style as a homage of sorts to song sequences from the yesteryear films adds a charming touch.

5. A Different Direction: Film-maker Sriram Raghavan who has given spine-chilling thrillers like Ek Hasina Thi and Badlapur certainly seems to have aced it with his latest offering. Raghavan not only draws good performances from the star cast but also delivers an entertaining film likely to appeal to a far bigger audience. Andhadhun could well be the film that catapults him to the top league.

This review originally appeared on www.talkietive.in