Hero Nithiin’s new film, Maestro, the official remake of Hindi hit, Andhadhun skipped its theatrical release and opted for a direct to digital release. Telugu version directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, the film is out on popular streaming platform Disney Plus Hotstar today. Let’s see how it fares.
Story: Set in Goa backdrop, the initial episodes explore the talent of a blind Piano player Arun(Nithiin). Impressed with Arun’s musical talent, a former actor(Naresh) invites him for a private concert at his residency to surprise his wife Simran( Tamannaah) on their marriage anniversary. How will the visit change the entire tone of the film and frame Arun’s name in brutal murder? Who is killed and what will Arun do to come out of the mess? How is the role of Jisshu Sen Gupta ( a cop) involved in the proceedings? Forms the main USB of the film.
Performances: Nithiin gave a convincing performance as a blind man. He is handsome on the screen and did his part honestly without any forced heroic episodes. During the tense scenes in the latter part of the film, Nithiin’s acting brings depth to the proceedings to an extent.
Tamannaah is impressive with her glamour avatar but the intensity in her character is missing as the skin treat dominates her character. Adding to it, Tamannaah’s own dubbing is also a minus for her role.
Nabha Natesh is limited to only a few scenes and her chemistry with Nithiin is okay. Vakeel Saab fame Ananya Nagalla is beautiful but her entire special role looks like a wrong choice.
Other actors such as Naresh, Jisshu Sen Gupta, Singer Mangli, Racha Ravi are apt in their roles.
Technicalities: Compared to the original version, Maestro has importance for songs. The music composed by Mahati Swara Sagar is nice. His background score is apt for this film’s genre.
Cinematography by J Yuvaraj is top-notch and he tried to elevate each frame with his lighting setup and adds a rich texture. Editing work by SR Shekhar is sharp as the film has hardly any unwanted scenes.
Production values for this limited budget movie by Nithiin’s home banner Sreshth Movies are adequate.
Analysis: It is well-known that Maestro is an official remake of the Hindi hit, Andhadhun but director Merlapaka Gandhi played a safe game by making the Telugu version without any major changes. Looks like he decided to stay away from taking the risk and tried maximum to remake the original version with Telugu actors.
The romantic episodes between the lead pair were not canned in an impressive manner to attract the youth audience. Though Nithiin’s character has been presented in an authentic way without any unwanted deviations, the pace of the film picks after Arun’s character makes an entry at Simran’s place. The entire tensed episodes in the second half are presented neatly with a major contribution from Nithiin. The surprise elements during this time are incorporated nicely.
Overall, Maestro is a faithful remake that has a few demerits such as no serious connectivity in Tamannaah’s character and not so convincing Ananya Nagalla’s role but still ends up as a one-time watch for those who did not watch the original version.
Verdict: Passable Dark comedy!
Rating: 2.5/5
