Sightlines · reception

How Andhadhun was received

2018 · Sriram Raghavan · Andhadhun on Sightlines

The arc

A modest opener that word-of-mouth turned into 2018's sleeper hit, it has since climbed into 'best Hindi film of the decade' conversations and become the default gateway rec for modern Bollywood thrillers.

What’s debated

The ending is the whole argument — every rewatch spawns a fresh 'what actually happened' thread, and Raghavan's refusal to explain it keeps the theory-crafting alive.

Its footprint

'What is life? It depends on the liver' is endlessly quoted, the rabbit-headed cane became an instant icon, and the film basically spawned a cottage industry of ending-explainer videos.

Where it stands

A Letterboxd and IMDb favorite that sits near the top of Indian cinema rankings — the 'you must have seen this' entry point to Sriram Raghavan.

Did you know? It became a genuine phenomenon in China in 2019, where its theatrical run grossed several times its Indian earnings — one of the biggest Indian releases ever there — and it won Ayushmann Khurrana a National Film Award for Best Actor.

Named by the director

• L'Accordeur (The Piano Tuner) (2010) — Raghavan openly credited Olivier Treiner's French short about a pianist feigning blindness as the seed the film expands on.
• Vijay Anand — Raghavan's oft-declared idol, whose 60s–70s Hindi thrillers he cited as the sensibility Andhadhun's retro-noir homages channel.