Suspense thriller ‘Andhadhun’ was a runaway hit when it premiered in theatres in 2018. Audiences and critics raved about the breathtaking suspense of the film, that had everyone gaping in shocked surprise. The lead trio of Andhadhun, Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte and Tabu, received gushing praise from all quarters.
Andhadhun became an unqualified hit, it swept the Filmfare Awards and other Awards shows, and even won a National Award for its lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana. People flocked to theatres to watch the buzzy movie on the big screen.
Then, Andhadhun released on OTT, on Netflix and the more commonly available, Jio Cinema. And the movie became even more popular, achieving cult status on the internet. Those who missed watching the film in the theatres caught it on OTT.
Now, there’s an official Telugu remake of Andhadhun in the works. Actors Nithiin, Tamannah Bhatia and Nabha Natesh have been roped in for the Andhadhun remake in Telugu, to portray the characters played by Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte respectively.
Which brings us to the all important question – is it a good idea to remake a hit Hindi suspense film in another Indian language? Our answer is no — for a variety of reasons. Read on to find out –
First of all, though people may resent the imposition of Hindi as the second language across India, the fact remains that it is a language that has deep penetration across India. A majority of the country watches Hindi movies – regardless of which state they belong to or what is their linguistic preference.
If not all, then most definitely popular and hit films like Andhadhun. A poll we ran amongst our followers on social media told us that almost 88% have watched the original Hindi version of Andhadhun.
The suspense of the movie – the key to its popularity – is known by one and all. Even those that haven’t watched the movie have discovered the suspense from someone else or by other means. Andhadhun is a movie that worked because of its mind-blowing suspense. So, if its suspense is out, what value will a remake of the movie bring to the table for audiences? Won’t the remake be a colossal waste of resources – physical, financial and mental? It most definitely will, in our opinion.
Secondly, people have watched and loved the original actors in a hit suspense film. Tabu was terrific in Andhadhun. The layered character, grey shades and all, was stunningly pulled off by the uber-talented Tabu. Can Tamannaah Bhatia, who’s playing Tabu’s character in the Telugu remake, pull off a Tabu. We don’t know about you, but we don’t think so.
Tamannaah is more suited to glamorous, ornamental roles – not hefty ones such as Tabu’s in Andhadhun. Likewise with Ayushmann Khurrana’s role in Andhadhun, and Nithiin reprising it. Can you imagine anyone else other than Ayushmann in the role of the blind piano player? We rest our case.
Casting notwithstanding, remaking a Hindi language suspense film in a popular regional language doesn’t make sense at all. Vice versa is fine, coz not many Hindi speaking audiences watch dubbed south films. So if a Malayalam language Drishyam or Manichitrathazhu gets remade in Hindi (Drishyam, Bhool Bhulaiya), it is bound to be a hit. After all, suspense is an extremely popular genre.
With the rise of OTT platforms, even that equation is changing now. A lot of Hindi audiences watch dubbed versions of hit regional movies.
To conclude, remaking romantic dramas or thriller Hindi movies in regional languages is fine. But suspense – absolutely not!
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