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Maestro (2021 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Maestro' is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language black comedy thriller film directed by Merlapaka Gandhi and produced by Sreshth Movies. The film stars Nithiin, Tamannaah, and Nabha Natesh while Jisshu Sengupta and Naresh play supporting roles. A remake of the 2018 Hindi film 'Andhadhun', the plot follows a blind piano player who unwittingly becomes embroiled in the murder of a former film actor.
Principal photography of the film began in December 2020 and ended in June 2021, with filming taking place in Hyderabad, Goa and Dubai. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the film skipped a theatrical release and opted for a direct-to-streaming release on Disney+ Hotstar on 17 September 2021.
Plot
In Goa, Arun is a pianist who fakes being blind to improve his piano skills. He encounters Sophie while trying to buy a used piano. She brings Arun to her father's restaurant and shows him the piano. Instead of buying it, Arun suggests to Sophie and her father that he would practice daily on the piano so that it could bring them customers, to which both agree. During these sessions, Arun and Sophie become close that leads to develop feelings for each other. At the restaurant, a retired actor, Mohan, notices Arun and invites him to perform for his wedding anniversary. Arun arrives at the flat, and Mohan's wife Simran opens the door. Simran is convinced that Arun is blind and lets him play the piano. Arun sees Mohan's dead body nearby but feigns ignorance and continues to play; he also sees Bobby, Simran's paramour, hiding in the bathroom. Simran and Bobby clean the body and stuff it into a suitcase while Arun plays.
Arun tries to report the murder to the police but discovers that Bobby is a police inspector. After knowing that her elderly neighbour Mrs. D'Souza was talking to a police officer about Mohan's murder, Simran later kills Mrs. D'Souza by pushing her off the ledge of their apartment. Arun sees the murder but is forced to continue feigning blindness. Later, when Simran brings poisonous offerings for him after her husband's last rites and pulls out a gun, Arun admits to faking his blindness as an experiment to help his piano playing. He says he will leave for US and keep Simran's secret but she drugs him anyway.
A neighbour's child, who is suspicious of Arun's blindness, records a video of Arun fully able to see and shows it to Sophie. As Sophie arrives, Simran arranges things to look like she and Arun had sex. Furious and heartbroken, Sophie leaves Arun. When he wakes up, he realizes he has been blinded by the offering Simran gave him. Bobby comes to Arun's home to kill him but barely escapes. The following day, Arun tries to leave the town but hurriedly changes his plan fearing that Simran might kill Mohan's daughter Pavithra. Soon, he is hit by an auto.
Arun wakes up in an illegal organ harvesting clinic. Dr. Swamy and his assistants Murali and his sister decide to spare Arun when Arun reveals he has information that would give them . They kidnap Simran, stage a suicide scene, and blackmail Bobby. However, Murali and his sister double-cross Arun, tie him up with Simran, and plan to take the money themselves. Bobby shoots Murali but is trapped in an elevator and accidentally shoots himself. Murali is taken to the hospital by his sister, but he dies on the road and the money happens to be counterfeit. Simran helps Arun free himself, and he removes Simran's blindfold. He tries to escape while Simran frees herself and attacks him. Dr. Swamy enters; after a brief fight, he and Arun knock Simran out, tie her up in the boot of a car, and drive away. Dr. Swamy reveals that Simran has a rare blood type and that her organs would sell for millions; he also plans to use her corneas to restore Arun's sight.
When Simran awakes in the car boot and begins making noise, Dr.Swamy stops the car to kill her, but she overpowers him and seizes the wheel. Arun, thinking Dr. Swamy is still driving, tries to persuade him to release Simran. She drops Arun off and tries to run him over. A nearby farmer who is trying to kill a hare misses, causing the hare to jump and hit the windshield. Simran loses control of the car and is killed. Two years later at a gig abroad, Sophie finds Arun who still appears to be blind. After Arun tells her the whole story, Sophie feels that he should have accepted Dr. Swamy's offer to restore his sight. Arun silently leaves and uses his cane to knock a can out of his path. It is revealed that Simran pledged her eyes for organ donation which she earlier attended with Mohan and Arun used this opportunity and restore his eyesight.
Cast
* Nithiin as Arun, a pianist
* Tamannaah as Simran, wife of Mohan
* Nabha Natesh as Sophie, Arun's girlfriend
* Jisshu Sengupta as CI N. Ravindar / Bobby
* Naresh as Mohan, former film actor
* Sreemukhi as Lakshmi / Lucky, wife of N. Ravindar
* Ananya Nagalla as Pavithra, daughter of Mohan
* Harsha Vardhan as Dr. Swamy
* Racha Ravi as Murali, an auto driver
* Mangli as sister of Murali
* Lahari Shari as a TV Reporter
* Srinivasa Reddy as SI P. Srinivas Naik
* Duvvasi Mohan as Musical instrument shop owner
* Master Nikhil as Tinku
Production
In September 2019, 'The Times of India' reported that Nithiin's father Sudhakar Reddy acquired the rights for the Telugu remake of 'Andhadhun' (2018). In February 2020, Nithiin confirmed that he will be featuring in the same. Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, the film was formally launched with a pooja ceremony in that month. The music is composed by Mahati Swara Sagar while J. Yuvaraj is signed as the director of photography. In March 2021, the film's title was unveiled as 'Maestro'.
In September 2020, Tamannaah and Nabha Natesh were cast in the roles played by Tabu and Radhika Apte respectively in the original. Tamannaah sought not to emulate Tabu, but give the character her own interpretation, and avoided re-watching 'Andhadhun'. Nabha noted that her character "will be tweaked" to suit the Telugu nativity.
Principal photography was originally scheduled to begin in November 2020, but ultimately began in Dubai in December. Filming took place in Hyderabad in March 2021. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown in India, filming was paused for two months i.e., April and May. The final schedule resumed on 14 June 2021 in Errum Manzil, Hyderabad, and ended on 20 June.
Music
Mahati Swara Sagar is the composer of the score and soundtrack. The first single "Baby O Baby" was released on 16 July 2021 by Aditya Music. The second single "Vennello Aadapilla" was released on 6 August 2021. The third single "La La La" was released on 6 September 2021. The last single "Shuru Karo" was released on 12 September 2021.
Release
In February 2021, the film's release date was announced as 11 June 2021. In August 2021, it was announced officially that the film would be skipping theatres due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India; instead it would have a direct-to-streaming release on Disney+ Hotstar. The film was released on 17 September 2021. In the United States, the film is exclusively available on Hotstar's corporate sibling Hulu as Hotstar ceased operations in the country.
Reception
Neeshita Nyayapati of 'The Times of India' gave 'Maestro' a rating of 3 out of 5, calling it "a pulpy remake" and wrote that it "might not be the classic Ilairayaaja number it set out to be but it still remains as catchy as the latest peppy number. That makes it worth a watch". Writing for 'Firstpost', Sankeertana Varma opined that 'Maestro' never pretends to be anything but a tamed version of its original, giving a rating of 3 out 5. 'Hindustan Times' critic Haricharan Pudipeddi said that "Despite not making any effort to leave a lasting impression, it still works as a good-enough entertainer. The minor tweaks to suit Telugu sensibilities, helps 'Maestro' stay true to the original to a large extent but the audience is spoon-fed a lot too."
Reviewing the performances, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of 'The Hindu' wrote, "Nithiin seems to have enjoyed being part of a story that stands out from mainstream Telugu films, and Nabha is at ease playing the girlfriend. It isn't a complicated part and she does well. It is appreciable that Tamannaah has dubbed herself, but her laboured Telugu diction doesn't cut it. Alas, she is no Tabu." On the technical aspects, 'The News Minute' Balakrishna Ganeshan said that the music and Mahati Swara Sagar's background music did justice the film and Yuvraj's camera work "keeps the movie upbeat."
'Koimoi' Shubam Kulkarni rated the film 2.5/5, stating: "'Maestro' might have been a spectacular film if 'Andhadhun' didn't exist, but that if is a privilege the film doesn't have". A critic of 'Eenadu' praised the performances of Nithiin and Tamannaah, first-half screenplay and the production values while pointing out second-half screenplay negative as its drawback. Manoj Kumar R of 'The Indian Express' called it an "unwitty remake", adding "Director Merlapaka Gandhi has turned the pulsating white-knuckled ride into a story of a damsel in distress. Nitthin-starrer has none of the moral ambiguity or smarts of Ayushmann Khurrana-Tabu original." Mukesh Manjunath of 'Film Companion' wrote, "The lack of humor and its blandness makes the thrills seem milder because the audience is never distracted enough with humor."
References
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