Andhadhun will not only remain one of the best movies in the history of Bollywood, or Indian cinema as a while, but, frankly speaking, it's up there with the best of all time in world cinema. To put it plainly, it's a very tough act to follow. So, does Nithiin, Tamannaah Bhatia and Nabha Natesh's Telugu remake, Maestro, written and directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, manage to make a fist of it. Sadly, the apple falls very, very far from the tree in this case.
Merlapaka Gandhi attempts to take on the award-winning black crime comedy--Andhadhun and tweak it a little bit for Maestro. While the basic beats of the film remain familiar and it's almost a frame to frame remake, there are hearts tugged by sentiment and key plot points spoon-fed while it was left to imagination in the original. By the time the scene where a lead knocks a soda can out of their way rolls around, you're left with mixed feelings.
Arun (Nithiin) is a blind pianist in Goa, living in the handicapped quarters with only his cat Rani for company. He plays his music at local restaurants to make ends meet and save enough money to head abroad. Sophie (Nabha Natesh) and her father Pedro (Balakrishna) allow him to play at their struggling restaurant. Elsewhere there's an ageing superstar called Mohan (Naresh) who loves re-watching his old films to remember lost glory. He's been married to a much-younger Simran (Tamannaah Bhatia) since two years and she harbours the dream of being an actress. Maestro also sees Jisshu Sengupta as a CI called Bobby, Sreemukhi as his wife Lucky and Harshavardhan as a doctor looking to make a quick buck. An illicit affair leaves murders in its wake, a key witness must find a way to save themselves and a rabbit escapes a cabbage farm right on time.
Also, as earnest as Nithiin is, and as drop-dead gorgeous as Tamannaah and Nabha Natesh are, they simply can't match up to how Ayushmaan Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte brought so much to the table courtesy of their expressions and body language. Even the supporting players like Jisshu Sengupta, Sreemukhi, Harsha Vardhan, Mangli and Racha Ravi pale before their counterparts from the original. We wonder if this again has to do with the direction. And while some changes to the script are welcome, the others seem forced, merely added to show that we can do things differently.
Maestro is a classic case of how a remake seldom matched up to the original despite it treading the same path, owing to the Director changing hands. Instead of watching this failed remake, you should watch Andhadhun.
Merlapaka Gandhi attempts to take on the award-winning black crime comedy--Andhadhun and tweak it a little bit for Maestro. While the basic beats of the film remain familiar and it's almost a frame to frame remake, there are hearts tugged by sentiment and key plot points spoon-fed while it was left to imagination in the original. By the time the scene where a lead knocks a soda can out of their way rolls around, you're left with mixed feelings.
Arun (Nithiin) is a blind pianist in Goa, living in the handicapped quarters with only his cat Rani for company. He plays his music at local restaurants to make ends meet and save enough money to head abroad. Sophie (Nabha Natesh) and her father Pedro (Balakrishna) allow him to play at their struggling restaurant. Elsewhere there's an ageing superstar called Mohan (Naresh) who loves re-watching his old films to remember lost glory. He's been married to a much-younger Simran (Tamannaah Bhatia) since two years and she harbours the dream of being an actress. Maestro also sees Jisshu Sengupta as a CI called Bobby, Sreemukhi as his wife Lucky and Harshavardhan as a doctor looking to make a quick buck. An illicit affair leaves murders in its wake, a key witness must find a way to save themselves and a rabbit escapes a cabbage farm right on time.
Also, as earnest as Nithiin is, and as drop-dead gorgeous as Tamannaah and Nabha Natesh are, they simply can't match up to how Ayushmaan Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte brought so much to the table courtesy of their expressions and body language. Even the supporting players like Jisshu Sengupta, Sreemukhi, Harsha Vardhan, Mangli and Racha Ravi pale before their counterparts from the original. We wonder if this again has to do with the direction. And while some changes to the script are welcome, the others seem forced, merely added to show that we can do things differently.
Maestro is a classic case of how a remake seldom matched up to the original despite it treading the same path, owing to the Director changing hands. Instead of watching this failed remake, you should watch Andhadhun.