Andhagan Review - Twisted Thriller with a Gripping Screenplay!

Ashwin Ram

Andhagan is an official remake of the Hindi language film Andhadhun. Starring Prashanth, Simran and Samuthirakani in the roles. It is directed by Thiagarajan and the music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan.

Premise:

Prashanth is pretending to be a blind pianist to earn extra money in sympathy. He loses his eyesight in a series of crimes caused by Simran and Samuthirakani. How the hero survives after this forms the crux of the story.

Writing/ Direction:

A slight hiccup in the start as the establishments of the characters are done in a clumsy manner. The film shapes itself beautifully as it progresses, with the crime scene being the starting point of the highlights to follow-up. The screenplay is brisk by organically constructing all the sufficient elements around it. The fact that how serious can one wrong decision lead to something unexpectedly huge is shown through a succession of smartly packaged sequences. Kudos to the original writer Sriram Raghavan, neatly remade by director Thiagarajan by presenting it without deteriorating the quality. Tough job to hold the audience tight with a remake these days, the team has surprisingly achieved it. There is a slight lull in the second half for a specific period of time, which felt forceful, even in the Hindi version. But the flow gets back on track at the right time and continues to engage till the end. The pre-climax and the closure provide a satisfying feel, the gray shade in the characters are shown in a convincing manner. Dark humour works well throughout, with respect to Prashanth’s blind-game, the portions between Samuthirakani and his wife are a cracker. A dance number at the end, made as a promotion material did not fit the bill.

Performances:

Decent performance by Prashanth, more than facial expressions, he has focused and gotten his body language right. Brief screen time for Priya Anand, yet she has played her part well. Superb role for Simran, a little overacting in a few places, but it works aptly in a lot of tricky situations. Solid act by Samuthirakani, more than a serious cop, he was perfect as the cringe husband. Vanitha Vijayakumar blasts in a couple of hilarious scenes which are sure to work with the crowd. Karthik’s cameo plays a major role in moving the story forward, using him in a film actor role is logical for the subject, placing his old songs is hands-down the best idea. Urvashi, Yogi Babu, KS Ravikumar and Poovaiyar have given meaty roles who carry it nicely. Perfect casting overall.

Technicalities:

Songs are a mixed bag, the peppy promo song and the ones that take place at the resto-bar did not suit the mood, the pathos track sung by Sid Sriram stands out. Wonderful background score by Santhosh Narayanan, one of the supporting pillars of the flick, silence is maintained well and the music kicks in at perfect timing when a shocking revelation happens. First class cinematography, no-nonsense work with the shot compositions and camera angles. A few minor errors in editing, otherwise it is presented in a gripping manner. Poor VFX, wish the team had shot the ending lively in a foreign country instead of going for green mat.

Bottomline

Some flaws do exist, apart from that it’s a very neat remake of Andhadhun. It will be a solid flick with surprising turns for the ones who haven’t seen the original yet and an engaging watch for those who have experienced it already.

Rating - 3.25/ 5