Maestro

Maestro is a 2021 Telugu black-comedy crime thriller directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, a remake of the 2018 Hindi hit Andhadhun. Nithiin plays a pianist who pretends to be blind, with Tamannaah Bhatia, Nabha Natesh and Jisshu Sengupta. Mahati Swara Sagar composed the music and J. Yuvaraj shot it. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic it skipped cinemas and premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 17 September 2021.

What the story is about

In Goa, Arun is a gifted pianist who pretends to be blind, telling himself it helps him focus on his music. He falls for Sophie, whose father’s restaurant he plays in. One evening his playing impresses Mohan, a retired film actor and builder who has recently married a much younger woman, Simran, and Mohan hires him for a private concert to surprise his wife on their anniversary.

When Arun turns up at the apartment the next day, Simran, believing he cannot see, lets him in, and Arun, still keeping up his act, realises he has walked into a crime scene. Now a “blind” man who has seen far too much, he has to keep pretending while deciding what to do. Anyone who has seen Andhadhun will recognise where this leads; the remake keeps the original’s twists largely intact.

Cast and crew

• Nithiin as Arun, a pianist
• Tamannaah Bhatia as Simran
• Nabha Natesh as Sophie
• Jisshu Sengupta as CI Ravindar, “Bobby”
• Naresh as Mohan, a former film actor
• Harsha Vardhan as Dr. Swamy
• Racha Ravi as Murali, an auto driver, and Mangli as his sister
• Sreemukhi as Bobby’s wife and Ananya Nagalla as Mohan’s daughter

Director: Merlapaka Gandhi. Production: Sreshth Movies. Music: Mahati Swara Sagar. Cinematography: J. Yuvaraj. Runtime: 135 minutes.

Making the film

Nithiin’s father, Sudhakar Reddy, acquired the Telugu remake rights in 2019, and the film was launched in February 2020. Tamannaah and Nabha were cast in September 2020 in the roles played by Tabu and Radhika Apte; Tamannaah said she avoided re-watching Andhadhun so as to give the character her own reading. Filming began in Dubai in December 2020, continued in Hyderabad in March 2021, paused for two months during the lockdown, and wrapped on 20 June 2021. The title was revealed in March 2021, and four singles followed between July and September 2021, starting with “Baby O Baby”.

Reviews

Reviews were mixed, with the inevitable comparisons. Neeshita Nyayapati of the Times of India gave it 3 out of 5, calling it “a pulpy remake” that is “worth a watch”. Haricharan Pudipeddi of the Hindustan Times found it “a good-enough entertainer” that stays largely true to the original. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu liked Nithiin and Nabha but felt Tamannaah’s laboured Telugu diction did not work: “Alas, she is no Tabu.” Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion found its blandness made the thrills milder, and The Indian Express called it an “unwitty remake”.

Where to watch Maestro

Maestro premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 17 September 2021, and in the United States on Hulu, according to Wikipedia. We have not checked a current listing, so availability may differ.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Maestro and the reviews it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.