ANDHADHUN (HINDI) (2018)

A blind pianist seeking artistic excellence.. 

A yesteryear film hero who could never make it big it then or now.. 

His much younger, beautiful wife who is happy with the wealthy lifestyle he provides, but, not entirely satisfied.. 

Her secret paramour who happens to be a cop ..

Into this mix, throw in a murder by accident, a planned murder made to look like an accident, a doctor who runs a dirty clinic harvesting organs from unsuspecting victims and a few more greedy characters who seek to profit from the opportunities that fate presents them .. 

Voila..

We have the perfect recipe for a classic thriller and in the hands of a master auteur like director Sriram Raghavan (Ek Hasina Thi, Johnny Gaddaar, Badlapur, etc.)  all these disparate pieces come together like a jigsaw puzzle coming into coherence - piece by carefully, assembled piece. Raghavan proves his mastery through a meticulously crafted narrative that is equal parts enchanting and ensnaring as it unfolds in one delicious twist after another which dangle us on tenterhooks. We are constantly surprised as the director and his talented team of co-writers play multiple tricks with our expectations as repeatedly, they make us believe in something only to pull the rug from under our feet in one swift motion.

True to its title, the movie plays like a blind symphony that enthralls with its sweep through a roller-coaster ride. Even the spurts of violence have a natural flow to them which appears lifelike without being overly dramatic, yet never failing to deliver the intended impact. 

Tabu is on top of her game and is having a ball as the volatile and chameleonic Simi while Ayushmann Khurrana hits all the right notes - in more ways than one - be it, deception or desperation - as Akash. He seems to have an enviable penchant to pick the right projects (Vicky Donor, Dum Lagaake Haisha, Bareilly ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan and even the recent Badhaai Ho) that suit his strengths and which do well commercially, despite breaking some new ground from the much trodden path of regular commercial fare churned out by Bollywood. The rest of the supporting cast including Radhika Apte in a minor cameo, Anil Dhawan, Manav Vij, Ashwini Kalsekar and others including a pet cat have a purposeful presence and complement the leads effectively to bring the plot together. 

Overall, this is an engrossing thriller that keeps you guessing and second guessing and entertains with dollops of dark humour even as it explores the dark side of almost every character that walks through its plot.

This is, by far, the best movie of the year and the entire team deserve kudos for their efforts.

A TOUR DE FORCE ! A MUST WATCH !! 

RATING - 4.5/5