Nithin scores in 'Andhadhun' Telugu remake, which leaves no room for ambiguity at the end
Director Merlapaka Gandhi and actor Nithin, whose home production has backed Maestro, deserve a pat on the back for trying to recreate writer-director Sriram Raghavan's superb black comedy Andhadhun in Telugu. If you've seen the original, you can agree that it takes guts to even try to match that vision.
One could argue that when the original is available to watch digitally, do we need a remake that takes a direct-to-digital route (Disney + Hotstar)? But for commercial constraints during the pandemic, Maestro would have had a theatrical release, taking the story to new pockets of Telugu film audiences. This is a completely different issue.
As it stands, Maestro is faithful to its source material, changing it only lightly. Still it falls short. Remember the macabre humor that appears as the pianist, supposedly blind, is privy to the events that unfold at an old actor's home after a murder? A lot depends on how the sequence is choreographed, with Anupam Tabu playing a big role, helped by Ayushmann Khurrana and Manav Vij. The sequence in Maestro follows a similar pattern but the effect is far from the same.
Ustad is set in Goa where pianist Arun (Nithin) tries to make music with utmost attention, drama-acting, in order to go blind to avoid distractions. He falls in love with Sophie (Nabha Natesh), whose father runs a restaurant. Arun hopes that his music can help turn the restaurant's fortunes around. Here she meets the yesteryear actor Mohan (VK Naresh). An invitation to play a private concert at Mohan's house changes everything for Arun.
A picture of 'Ustad' Ilaiyaraaja is prominently placed on Arun's piano. It is also apt that the older actor's character is named Mohan, perhaps alluding to the 80s when Ilaiyaraaja's music helped 'Mike' Mohan deliver superhit Tamil films. VK Naresh also has his shortcomings in his earlier Telugu hits. Tamannaah plays the role of Simran, the sultry young wife of Mohan. Jisshu Sengupta is a police officer and Ananya is the daughter of Nagalla Mohan.
The moral compass skews for most of the characters, to Arun, Simran, Bobby or later the organ-sparing doctor (Harshavardhan), the lottery ticket vendor (Mangli) and the auto driver Murali (Racha Ravi). The one who is most regretful about his deeds, driven only by a survival instinct, is Simran.
Nithin seems to have enjoyed being a part of a story that is different from mainstream Telugu films, and Nabha is comfortable playing the girlfriend. It's not a complicated part and she does well. It is commendable that Tamannaah has dubbed herself, but her hardworking Telugu language doesn't cut it. I wish she was not Tabu.
The biggest tweak from the original comes on the fag end. The end of Andhadhun gave rise to several theories. Sriram Raghavan had said that the intention was to leave it open to interpretation. Merlapaka Gandhi, however, leaves no room for ambiguity.
For blind watchers, Maestro can be a bit overwhelming. For others, there may be some chew, given that Telugu cinema often does not detect such stories. However, the bigger issue is about the remake. In recent years, Uma Maheshwar has stood out by cleverly reinterpreting the Ugra Rupasya and Evaru origin stories. Most other frame-to-frame remakes seem unnecessary in the digital age when original titles are readily available for viewing.
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