Andhadhun Co-Writer Hemanth Rao Reflects on 7 Years of the Acclaimed Thriller

In 2025, the critically acclaimed film Andhadhun, co-written by Hemanth Rao, celebrated its 7th anniversary. Rao, who is also the director of the film Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, recently shared his insights on the writing process behind the thriller.

Rao explains that the idea for Andhadhun originated from a short film called The Piano Tuner, which he and director Sriram Raghavan came across. They were immediately drawn to the premise and built upon it, with Raghavan writing an initial one-page outline. Rao found the prospect of crafting a story with morally questionable protagonists to be a "great writing challenge," as he aimed to make the audience empathize with the characters despite their dubious motives.

The co-writing process between Rao and Raghavan was a collaborative and enjoyable experience, according to Rao. He credits Raghavan as an "amazing person and filmmaker" for recognizing Rao's contributions and sharing the writing credit. However, Rao was not involved in the later drafts and the second half of the film, as the two filmmakers temporarily went their separate ways to work on other projects before reuniting to complete Andhadhun.

Rao expresses his gratitude for the enduring love and appreciation the film continues to receive, calling it a "magic trick about cinema" that should not be fully understood by its creators. While he is uncertain about a potential sequel, Rao would relish the opportunity to work with Raghavan again in the future, should the stars align.