By The 2018 cult film ‘Andhadhun,’ starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, and Radhika Apte, received a Tollywood remake in 2021 titled ‘Maestro.’ Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, the Telugu version features Nithiin, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Nabha Natesh in the lead roles. Interestingly, Keerthy Suresh and Priyanka Mohan were initially approached for the film but declined the offers due to a specific scene involving a kiss.
According to a report in Cinejosh from 2020, the makers had initially planned to cast Keerthy Suresh as the female lead opposite Nithiin in ‘Maestro.’ However, she rejected the role due to reservations about an intense lip-lock scene in the script. Subsequently, Priyanka Mohan was approached, but she too declined the project for the same reason. The decision by both actresses not to take up the film sparked rumors about the presence of a kissing scene in ‘Maestro.’
The original film ‘Andhadhun,’ directed by Sriram Raghavan, indeed features an intense lip-lock scene between Ayushmann Khurrana and Radhika Apte as part of the storyline. In the case of ‘Maestro,’ the decision to maintain the scene may have influenced the casting choices, leading to the eventual selection of Tamannaah Bhatia and Nabha Natesh. The Telugu remake was eventually released on September 17, 2021, and received mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike.
