Authors: Aniket Parmar, Dr. Chetan Mewada
Abstract: This study provides a complete narratological analysis of Sriram Raghavan’s 2018 neo-noir thriller Andhadhun, drawing on Wayne C. Booth’s concept of unreliable narration and Leon Festinger’s psychology theory of cognitive dissonance. While plot twists are frequently used in contemporary thrillers to create suspense, Andhadhun uses a structural deceit that involves the viewers in the protagonist’s fabrication. This study contends that the film acts as a cognitive experiment by examining its prologue, protagonist’s performative blindness with an incompossible ending. It demonstrates that cinematic empathy can overcome logical scepticism, causing the audience to actively participate in the creation of a false world. The study concludes that Andhadhun is more than a whodunit; it is a meta-commentary on the intrinsic manipulability of the cinematic medium.
