The missing factor in the ‘Andhadhun’ remakes

Caution: spoilers ahead.

Two remakes of Sriram Raghavan’s acclaimed thriller Andhadhun were released on streaming platforms within weeks of each other. The Telugu-language Maestro, starring Nithin as the fake-blind pianist who “sees” a crime, was out on Disney+ Hotstar on September 17. The Malayalam version Bhramam, led by Prithviraj Sukumaran, was launched on Amazon Prime Video on October 7.

The remakes target viewers who have not heard of Andhadhun, did not watch it during its successful theatrical run in 2018, and do not have a subscription to Netflix, the current home of the Hindi movie. This seems to be a large enough cohort, which explains the success that co-producer Viacom18 Motion Pictures has had in selling the remake rights. A version in Tamil, starring Prashanth, is under production.

Sriram Raghavan’s fifth feature begins in one place and boldly lands in uncharted territory. The musician Akash, who is pretending to be blind in order to improve his compositional skills, unwittingly witnesses the aftermath of a murder. At the apartment of a former movie star, Akash sees the actor’s wife Simi and her lover Manohar with the actor’s body.

Although Akash escapes the scene of crime, Simi turns out to be a redoubtable adversary. Akash’s harmless con goes badly wrong when Simi blinds him…

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