In Andhadhun, Franco is the owner of Franco’s, the restaurant where Sophie works, and Sophie’s father. He is played by Franco Vaz, a real-life drummer who was cast by director Sriram Raghavan after Vaz had already built a long career in music.
Who is Franco in Andhadhun?
Franco is Sophie’s father and the owner of the establishment called Franco’s. Sophie, played by Radhika Apte, brings Akash there and helps him get work. The film’s story presents Franco as a character; Franco Vaz is the musician and actor who plays him. Apple TV’s listing calls the character “Sofie,” while the Government of India’s IFFI catalogue and common film references use “Sophie.”
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Andhadhun (Brand New Single Disc Blu-Ray, Hindi Language, With English Subtitles, Released By... | $150.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Who plays Franco?
Franco is played by Franco Vaz, a veteran drummer whose screen appearance in Andhadhun came after decades of work as a musician. The role is not a claim about Radhika Apte’s real-life family: Franco is Sophie’s father in the film, not Apte’s father.
Franco Vaz’s musical family and career
Vaz was born in 1956, according to a 2018 profile by Scroll.in. His father, Francis Vaz, was also a musician and worked with bandleader Chic Chocolate. Scroll describes musicians including Francis moving into Bombay film studios as the Indian jazz scene changed around independence.
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Vaz began accompanying his father to studios when he was about 10 or 11, playing percussion. As a teenager, he attended All India Radio rehearsals through his father’s connections. That experience helped him improve his ability to read notation and led to work with composer Salil Chowdhury. He had learned violin and began professional studio work on that instrument, but later switched to drums, deciding that advancing from the violin section’s back row would take too long.
His major break came when R. D. Burman asked him to play on Kasme Vaade, released in 1978. Burman liked his work and asked him to stay on. Vaz’s family’s film-music history reaches further back: Francis Vaz appeared with Chic Chocolate and Johnny Gomes in the 1951 film Albela, backing Geeta Bali and Bhagwan in “Deewana Parwana.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Sriram Raghavan cast him
Vaz first met director Sriram Raghavan during a background-score recording, through composer Daniel B. George. When Raghavan contacted him in 2017, Vaz assumed the director wanted his help with music. He recalled telling Raghavan, “give me the reference, I will work on it.”
Raghavan instead offered him the part of the owner of a club called Franco’s. Vaz said, “I have never acted in my life.” The director told him the role suited him and that he would take care of the rest. Vaz filmed for seven days; the production used Gymkhana 91 in Lower Parel, Mumbai, transformed into Franco’s for the shoot.
About the film
Andhadhun is a 2018 Hindi thriller-comedy directed by Sriram Raghavan. The Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals lists its runtime as 139 minutes in the IFFI 2021 catalogue. The catalogue describes Sophie giving Akash a break at her father’s restaurant.
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