Here’s letting the rabbit out of the hat right away. Andhagan is the official remake of Sriram Raghavan’s Andhadhun, which won multiple National awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. So, the makers of Andhagan had the best source material, which was also timeless. Now, all they had to do was to bring together the already set pieces, give them a new look, and paint them on a new canvas. But this is often easier said than done, and we have already seen filmmakers failing to do this in the Telugu and Malayalam versions of the film where something was always missing despite the excellent source material. If one version wanted to change the ending to make it less ambiguous, the other played with the characterisation and diluted the essence. Somehow, Thiagarajan’s loyalty to Sriram Raghavan’s writing holds Andhagan in good stead, and it only gets better with the effective casting.
Andhagan is about Krish (Prashanth), a blind pianist trying to earn enough to reach London for a global music competition. Accidentally, he meets Julie (Priya Anand), the owner of a local restro-pub, and starts playing the piano for them. There is a former star Karthik (Karthik) who is a patron, and then there is his much younger and beautiful wife Simi (Simran). The stage is set for a dark comedy meets crime thriller, and we soon have a couple of murders, cover-ups, an illicit relationship, an overbearing wife, a bunch of con artists, a crime syndicate, and a gun-toting cabbage farmer being thrown into the mix.
ALSO READ: Prashanth on Andhagan: ‘My script choices have never been wrong and my passion never waned’
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What truly elevates Andhagan is the convincing performances of the principal cast. Prashanth returns to form with a role that allows him to display a gamut of emotions. Despite a shaky moral compass, Krish is more of a survivor than a fighter. There is a strong sense of innocence to his character, but there are also doubts about him being an unreliable narrator, and Prashanth sells this dichotomy well. He scores high in the emotional moments, and it is his usually strong suit of romance that takes a hit in Andhagan.
Prashanth and Priya Anand in Andhagan
Andhagan rushes through the romance to reach the crime caper narrative, and we are not too invested in these portions despite Prashanth and Priya effectively selling the meet-cutes and its follow-up. The songs were engaging but not memorable, playing an important part in the disengagement. However, once we enter Simi’s house, and Murphy’s Law is brought into action, the film picks up pace and takes us on quite an intriguing ride. Prashanth’s Krish is someone who reacts more than he initiates anything, and the actor does a convincing portrayal of someone who is pushed to the wall every single time he believes he has turned a corner. Another highlight of Andhagan, which went missing in every version of Andhadhun was the presence of Karthik as the washed-out star still basking in the glory of the past. Karthik plays to the gallery and proves that there are very few people who are a better sport than him. Despite the flamboyance, there is a moment of vulnerability where Karthik’s eyes do all the talking, and that is the clincher.
Talking about eyes doing all the talking, the casting coup of Andhagan is Simran, who steps into the big shoes of Tabu from the original film and still makes it her own. Be it in the loud moments, the a-ha ones, or the quiet and contemplative ones, Simran is terrific without saying much. Even when she goes on a rant or finds herself louder than usual, it is with a lot of purpose, and we understand how Krish and Simi are just two sides of the same coin. Both are reacting to a chain of events which are spiraling out of control, and all they can do is find out who is the last person standing. They are supported by an ensemble headed by a brilliant Samuthirakani, and a funny yet poignant Urvashi and Yogi Babu. The scenes involving Samuthirakani and Vanitha Vijayakumar are a hoot and a half. However, the portions involving Urvashi and Yogi Babu feel disjointed because the lines are hit-or-miss, and the poetic justice coming their way doesn’t feel poetic enough. Once again, it is Andhagan’s casting game that saves the day despite the hurriedness of the narrative, and the rough edges in certain scenes keeping us at an arm’s length.
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Thiagarajan and Co have managed to retain the charm and quirkiness of the original in Andhagan, and it is reflected in the background score, and the well-orchestrated piano pieces. These add levity to the serious scenes and inspire gasps and cheers at the oddest yet thoroughly intended times. Of course, faithfulness to the original also means certain issues regarding the sudden tonal shifts and willing suspension of disbelief. But in a world where cars can fly in the air, and people can still come out of flaming buildings unscathed, why allow logic to interfere with the way of a good retelling?
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For those who haven’t seen Andhadhun, the film has all the ingredients to pique your interest. For those who have seen Andhadhun, the film offers the same highs, stays too long on the same lows, and is still an enjoyable watch because who doesn’t like an underdog story, especially one that leaves the audience with two important takeaways…
- Prashanth is back, and how!
- Saar, Simran saar…
Andhagan Movie Director: Thiagarajan
Andhagan Movie Cast: Prashanth, Simran, Samuthirakani, Priya Anand
Andhagan Movie Rating: 3
