Andhadhun: A Retrospective

Bollywood’s thrilling fusion of what the blind man saw and the boy who cried wolf.

Andhadhun is a Hindi film directed (and co-written) by Sriram Raghavan. The title translates aptly to “blind tune,” as the story centers on a talented piano player who feigns blindness initially as a challenge/gimmick, only to be literally blinded later within the shenanigans of the murder thriller plot.

The film is dramatic, fun, comedic (darkly so), and sexy. Raghavan and company have created engaging set pieces and populated them with interesting characters. Their world is a bleak one with lots of grey shading. These are flawed characters making decisions that fit their onscreen characterization. This dark comedy is not for those who hate grey morality flicks (I am one of those people).

The film’s highlight (above) is a beautiful piano piece set to our two villains trying to stuff a body into a suitcase in a grizzly fashion. Our protagonist quite literally watches the aftermath of a murder and clean-up but must continue to play beautiful music and commit to the blind persona he has built his fame upon. Hilariously, when our protagonist goes to tell what he saw, he must explain how a blind man could witness a murder, and avoid the culprit in the space where he should be safest.

Andhadhun is excellent fun, goofy, and serious in parts as appropriate, and wraps up with an ambiguous ending. Incluvie highly recommends it!