The basic plot of the Telegu-remake Maestro is a simple one. We have a virtuoso pianist played by Nithiin who stumbles upon a grisly crime. The movie follows this simple setup through a series of twists and turns, which keep the audience guessing.
Mainly the second half could be an edge-of-the-seat experience, but it fails to deliver. Also, the original had brief respites in between for squeezing in some dark humour which is left as gaping holes in the Telugu remake.
– Maestro Review does not contain spoilers –
Does the Telegu Remake- Maestro work?
The movie stars Nithiin, Nabha Natesh and Tamannaah Bhatia in critical roles. Sure, it is not easy to remake a film made with care after a meticulous selection of actors. Also, the movie had the proper storyline with all the ingredients needed to create magic at the box office. But does the cinematic experience work?
Maestro is full of shortcomings and is a big disappointment as such. The remake lacks the original’s panache, audacity, and flair, which was made with an earnest effort in the original movie.
Tamannaah in Maestro fails to match Tabu’s acting in the original
Maestro has the ingredients of being a good film, but too much has been leveraged on the lead character played by Tamannaah, which slows down the pace of the film. The maker has tried hard to churn out a film that matches the visual prowess of the original but leaves a lot to ponder over.
Tamannaah is no Tabu. That’s the only point I will make and leave it to the critics and fans to make the comparison. Tamannaah is good, but she is yet to reach the majesty that is Tabu. Tamannaah doesn’t carry across her brilliant portrayal of the villain.
Also Read: Priyuraalu (2021) Review
Maestro diminishes to a compromised version of the original
When it comes to remakes, there is a general habit of compromising with the original version to make sure the bandwagon rolls along. Along with this compromise comes a diminished scale. This can be portrayed convincingly by insulating the necessary elements of the plot without affecting its essence or bothering about sticking to some sidekicks.
Merlapaka Gandhi pulls off a reasonably good job in some parts and fails miserably in others. The original villainous tale was a spine-chilling tale of revenge that wasted no time in picking up the tempo from its onset until the last scene.
The remake of an iconic film is never an easy task. I mean, look at the remakes Hollywood does. It keeps changing the actors and the cast, but it has to stick to the original plot ultimately, or else you create a mess out of it. The Telugu remake of the Hindi film Andhadhun is by far the most recent in Indian cinema as it keeps as close as it can to the story of the original as possible.
Maestro cracks under pressure with a Superficial Setting
As the adage goes, don’t fix what isn’t broken. The phrase rings true over here with the remake too. It is expected to entertain you, make you sit on the edge of your seat and make you forget that Telugu is not your native language. In short, it’s supposed to be a bonafide blockbuster! Well, sometimes they are better than the original. And then some others-they aren’t even close to the original. Maestro falls in the latter category, where neither the casting nor the performances could support the plot’s intensity.
Maestro fails to match the classic- Andhadhun, and you have more than the actors to blame for it. The setup looks superficial, and so does the dialogues. This one indeed fell flat on its face with the remake.
The idea of remaking a cult classic is a noble one, and I’ve always favoured the concept, but the success of such an enterprise depends on how it’s executed. The South Indian industry is no stranger to such adventures. From Arinthum Ariyamalum to Titanic, the list features several films that made an earnest attempt to retell stories with which we were already familiar.
But quite often, when filmmakers build upon the plot of a much-loved classic, they inadvertently end up alienating audiences and reinforcing why we might’ve liked the original movie in the first place.
Stream It or Skip It?
The director of the movie, Merlapaka Gandhi, has tried his best to retain the original feel of the National Award-winning movie. But I have to be honest. It is not at all exciting to watch. The pre-interval and interval portions of the Maestro were engaging and very thrilling. The superb narration that we saw in the beginning, however, went downhill.
As an admirer of Andhadhun, I was looking forward to this one, but my expectations were low for the anticipated Telegu movie. A lot of remakes fail to live up to my expectations, and Maestro is no exception. Though Telegu movies are usually bereft of flaws, they are very predictable. And most of all, I adore the original for its cast; each character had his own identity derived from their mannerisms and body language. The new additions don’t work for me.
Maestro is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Lol u gave a biased review