When Hindi film Andhadhun (The Blind Man) came out in 2018, it was hailed for its intricate screenplay and inspiring performances of Ayushman Khurana, Tabu and Radhika Apte. Tamil actor Prashanth’s father, actor-producer-director Thiagarajan bought the remake rights and had made it as Andhagan. While the movie was complete in 2022, it has taken two years for it to hit theatres.

The plot

Prashanth essays the role of Krish, a blind piano player, in Andhagan. He lives alone with his cat and plays at a resto bar in the evenings to make his living. It is here that he meets Julie (Priya Anand) and the two become close. Yesteryear actor Karthick (who essays a similar role) is an also a frequent visitor to the bar and he falls in love with Krish’s music. Karthick invites Krish to his place for a private concert for his wedding anniversary to surprise his wife Simi (Simran). Landing up at the actor’s place, Krish finds he is not home and he receives a shock instead. There is a murder that is committed and Krish turns witness. What happens next?

The performances and more

Andhagan is a faithful remake of Andhadhun and director Thiagarajan has followed the script to a T. But having enjoyed the original Hindi film and the performances, the Tamil remake definitely falls short in numerous aspects including the casting and music.

Andhagan was a comeback vehicle for actor Prashanth who has not been seen in Tamil cinema for six years now. The 51-year-old actor who had some good films in his career, like Shankar’s Jeans, hasn’t had any big hits to speak of in the last two decades. In Andhagan, the actor looks jaded and not fresh and youthful which is imperative for the character of a charming piano player. This role was perhaps not what he should have chosen for a comeback though the movie has a good script.

Simran, on the other hand, is perfect as Simi, which was essayed by Tabu in the Hindi version. Priya Anand too is decent as Julie and numerous other characters, like Urvashi, Yogi Babu, Manobala, Leela Samson and Vanitha Vijayakumar, have been thrown to add weight and comic value to the film but this doesn’t do much for it. Yesteryear Tamil star Karthick is a misfit as Simi’s husband and moreover, his dubbing doesn’t match what he’s mouthing on screen which is very distracting. Again, Samuthirakani steps in as a cop - for the umpteenth time in Tamil cinema - and obviously it’s a cakewalk for him.

Music director Santhosh Narayanan is known for his spectacular songs and BGM but in Andhagan the songs are just terrible. Krish is a talented musician and plays at a bar for his livelihood but the songs he sings are tacky to say the least. This was quite unexpected from this talented music director who just gave us the massive Kalki 2898 AD.

Thiagarajan had to turn director for Andhagan after two directors walked out of the project. Having had a template already, it would have been easy to helm this film but Andhagan hasn’t been made exciting for the audience. The Tamil narrative is flat and the twists that come don’t pop on screen but play out very matter-of-fact for the audience. Had the director taken the script and made some changes to make it more engaging in Tamil it would have helped. The dialogues by Pattukotai Prabhakar also don’t evoke any emotions in the audience as they watch Krish’s character go through an emotional roller coaster from happiness to shock to fear.

Andhadhun was a smartly crafted black comedy thriller by Sriram Raghavan that kept you guessing and on the edge of your seat. Prashanth’s Andhagan tries desperately to match the original but falls short.