Nithiin gets talking about ‘Maestro’

South actor Nithiin says he considers his latest Telugu film “Maestro”, a remake of Bollywood hit “Andhadhun”, a step forward in exploring diverse stories.

Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi and produced by Shresht Movies, “Maestro” features Nithiin stepping into the shoes of actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s character of a blind piano player who unwittingly becomes embroiled in a murder.

In an interview, Nithiin, the star of blockbuster romantic dramas like “Ishq”, “A Aa” and “Bheeshma”, said venturing into the genre of black comedy-thriller with “Maestro” is his attempt to try something new as an artiste.

“When I was thinking of doing this film, I was in two minds if I should do it or not. Because I was happy in my space, I was doing commercials, masala films, love stories… But somewhere, as an actor, I wanted to push myself to reach a large audience and play a different role. This is my step towards doing different content and pushing myself as an actor,” he said.

“Maestro” also stars Tamannaah and Nabha Natesh, taking over the roles played by Tabu and Radhika Apte, respectively, in the 2018 Sriram Raghavan-directed movie.
Nithiin said he had seen “Andhadhun” and was a fan of the film, but remaking the story was a challenging process. The team was conscious to not spoil the world of the original movie, the 38-year-old actor said.

“The first time I saw the film, I wanted to do it in Telugu. The biggest challenge for me with the film was that we should not spoil ‘Andhadhun’. It is an acclaimed film and we didn’t want to make something and spoil the original. My director and I would check every shot repeatedly to ensure we got it right. The way I look, talk, move, the body language, everything was taken care of,” added Nithiin.

Apart from the gripping plotline, Nithiin said he was fascinated by the different shades of his character’s personality. But to play the part in his style, the actor said he tried his best to avoid being inspired by Khurrana’s National Award-winning performance.

“I didn’t want to be influenced, I wanted to have my own approach towards the character. It was a big challenge because it is a cult film which got Ayushmann a National Award. So, that made me more scared. I am really worried when people will see the film, will they troll me or praise me,” he added.

“Maestro” is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Tamannaah looks for challenges to expand her range

Pan-India actor Tamannaah Bhatia’s recent Telugu release ‘Maestro’ is drawing appreciation from the audience. Talking about picking the right projects, she says like every artiste, she too likes challenges.

“As an actor, you are always hungry for challenging roles which allow you to expand your range,” says the actor, who plays a negative character in the Telugu remake of Bollywood flick ‘Andhadhun’.

‘Maestro’ also stars Nithiin and Nabha Natesh in lead roles.

Talking about her role, which was played by Tabu in the Hindi version, the actor says: “With ‘Maestro’, I had a lot to play with while performing on the set. Because a genre like thriller needs a balance between what you know and what you want your audience to know. Also, a character as twisted as Simran gives you enough fodder to work with. I am ecstatic to know that the audience is loving my interpretation of the character.”

Tamannaah will next be seen in the Telugu films ‘F3’ and ‘Gurthunda Seethakalam’.