Shamitabh

Shamitabh...Instantly you think of two legends - Shammi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachan. Obviously there is no link to Shammi Kapoor in this film but you have to admit it's a great title.

Shamitabh isn't quite what I expected it to be when seeing the trailers and reading the synopsis. Amitabh and Dhanush are both nothing short of brilliant in their respective roles, but i think the story is flawed in many areas and just doesn't grab your attention. I'm not sure how big Dhanush will be in Bollywood, but he clearly has created a niche for himself. Without a single dialogue, he matches Big B in terms of his screen presence so well. He is full of expression and very energetic. Amitabh, as always is the soul of the film. Not only is his acting just top notch but when you watch Dhanush, but hear Amitabh's voice you remember just how amazing his voice actually is. Akshara wasn't as a bad as I thought, but she does not have the looks to go far in Bollywood. Perhaps if we could merge the two sisters (her acting and Shruti's looks) and you'd have something pretty decent!

I didn't like the music. Piddly is no doubt the most catchy and what most people will remember the film for.

On the whole Shamitabh is an okay film - a must watch for both Dhanush and Amitabh, but considering the work Balki did with Paa and English Vinglish it's a disappointment.

Indian Cinema has not only divulged into an unusual subjects recently but also has created a new trend of parallel cinemas like Cheeni Kum, English Vinglish, PAA etc. Shamitabh have two finest talents in a movie, unfortunately what you get is nothing but a boring and over-stretched film in the end.

Shamitabh talks about the rise and fall of a movie star whose ego comes in his way after he becomes a huge star with help of a cranky-drunkard old man who becomes his voice-lent over.

R. Balki is popular for making movies with high concepts but simple execution and melodious music. He chooses an upright concept this time but fails in the execution part. The first half is definitely a big thumbs in keeping you engaged with background story of Dhanush , the interaction between Amitabh Bacchhan and Dhanush and humor created when both of them struggles to get in sync with each other. However, it is the second half which plays the spoil-sports and never-ending climax will completely bore you down. Screenplay looses the steam and messes up the entire film. Editing should have been crispier, music by Illyaraja is disappointing . Art direction and cinematography is good. Akshara Hassan's over-the-top acting will irritate you. Dhanush, as usual, is outstanding. It is Amitabh's persona which make the film watchable after so many loopholes. The actor yet again proves that is he one best talent in the Industry today.

Overall, the film is meant for certain section of audience who might appreciate this kind of cinema. Average 2.5 /5

One thing that helps Shamitabh in making it a decent watch is a new story line. The concept itself is not yet tried in Bollywood. The trailer pretty much speaks about the story yet watching it unfolding on screen can be interesting.

The second great thing about Shamitabh is the performances of Amitabh and Dhanush. Dhanush just nails it again and manages to get noticed even when he shares the frame with Indian legend Amitabh Bachchan. Kudos!

On the flip side you might have wanted the screenplay of the movie to be more tight as there are few dull moments in the movie which at times hamper the narrative.

Nevertheless, Shamitabh is a one time watch owing to fresh new story and decent performances by its lead protagonists.

The film is another salute to the phenomenon by director R. Balki who previously presented Amitabh in two unconventional roles superbly in CHEENI KUM and PAA. Though in SHAMITABH, he once again brings in a fresh concept that in fact is not an easy one to shoot with all the voice and expressions matching to be done perfectly. Still the basic theme of the storyline is much thinner than his last two projects, which in turn makes it look like an overstretched, uneven film having few highs and lows together till its sudden and sad climax.

It begins with a great promise from a star studded premier of a film called LIFEBUOY attended by celebrities giving supportive TV bites and then introduces Dhanush the new star of the industry more famous for his heavy & impressive voice along with the acting. During his speech on the stage we are taken back to his flashback introducing another exceptional child artist who is a treat to watch (in a mute appearance) in those 10 opening minutes accompanied by an apt, catchy song with the lyrics "Salaam-E-Fillam" talking about the love for cinema in the general public. The intercuts of more flashbacks further introduce us to a grown-up Dhanush (as a bus conductor in a small city), who cannot speak but is confident enough to be a Hindi film hero rushing to Mumbai.

After this fine start the first unconvincing phase of SHAMITABH comes as Akshara meats Dhanush (who is just an Assistant Director) and she at once decides to help him out by even sending the struggling actor to foreign land for a costly operation of planting a voice box into his throat. A device, that enables him to lip-sync someone else's voice with a kind of micro recorder/transmitter working between two persons within a range of a few 100 meters. Now though the proceedings try hard to explain the procedure clearly, still the explanation remains a confusing one and the viewer has to accept that OK, let's assume that its possible!

Anyway the brilliance returns on the screen when the enigmatic Amitabh Bachchan is introduced as a drunken, beggar like defeated personality living in a graveyard and from here on we have the few worth watching sequences of the film written and enacted impressively. Both Akshara and Dhanush choose Amitabh to be the voice behind Dhanush's face and the fun begins as SH from Danish (Dhanush's name in film) and AMITABH together becomes SHAMITABH. Their first movie together becomes a hit and then the ego clashes begin claiming who he is the bigger star among the SH and AMITABH from the SHAMITABH.

The story progression featuring a hit film-star (who cannot speak) living a celebrated life, fooling the entire industry, successfully hiding the man behind his famous voice in the closet, turns out to be unconvincing repeatedly. And so does the character of Dhanush, who doesn't seem to be caring about anybody around like an arrogant celebrity proud of his instant success. As a result the ride becomes even more bumpy post intermission with uninteresting sequences coming at regular intervals like the use of bathroom pots in the immensely likable "Pidlee" song, Amitabh giving voice to a rival producer's B-grade film without any issues raised, his unnecessary dialogue with Robert De Niro poster leading to jail abroad, a lot of brand endorsement made in its various sequences and then the investigating reporter track left in the middle.

Yes, no doubt the director comes with many realistic characters with a visible effort of delivering a fine product based on a thin but fresh plot line particularly in the film's first half. Yet overall its only the superfine performances that actually carry the film forward much ahead than any other department of music, cinematography, background score or art direction. Promoted as the maestro Ilayaraja's 1000th film as a composer, the soundtrack has both good and average songs together with Swanand Kirkire's theme related lyrics.

In the performances, as I already mentioned it's a film once again proving the Shehenshah status of Amitabh Bachchan in the industry, who gives another worth watching and worth cheering performance as the deserted man with a golden voice. And I must say that I haven't seen anyone doing a better drunkard act in Hindi films ever with so much ease, elegance and conviction winning hearts right away. Also another appreciable feature of Amitabh's act remains that he never tries to outshine the co-actors giving them much space to perform too. And that's what proves the greatness of this 'Actor of the Millennium' evidently. Dhanush, the 'on-screen' hero of SHAMITABH confidently manages to stand in front of the magnetic persona of the Big B throughout and wins your heart in the early part of the movie before becoming the Superstar. Plus he also leaves a highly emotional impact on the viewer after the sudden, unexpected tragedy striking in the climax. Akshara Haasan makes a stunning as well as sincere debut amongst two towering personalities and so does the actor playing the landlord of Amitabh in the Graveyard hut.

Though the film revolves around a few characters only, here we also have some smartly inserted cameos by the industry figures too such as Mahesh Bhatt, Karan Johar, Raj Kumar Hirani, Rohit Shetty, Ekta Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Boney Kapoor and many more along with Rekha giving an award to Dhanush on the stage smilingly calling him SHAMITABH.

On the whole, SHAMITABH certainly cannot be rated as a close to perfection project as Balki's CHEENI KUM or PAA but it does have its appreciable highs along with the avoidable lows (offering a novel, inventive plot), making it a one-time watch for sure, especially for its enjoyable performances led by Amitabh Bachchan and his cult baritone voice.

I love when they make films about films, the reason I love some of those offbeat Indian indie flicks (the most recent one being Sulemani Keeda (2014)). So when R Balki came out of the cave and collaborated with personalities of two very different generations, the end result turned out to be a spectacle.

The film starts with a proper flashback montage telling a concise story of a mute, aspiring actor and film enthusiast Danish (Dhanush). The fact that he is a superstar now increases the excitement. He meets Akshara (same name), an assistant director and what follows is although slightly unbelievable (literally, in its premise), it is immensely enjoyable. The muteness vanishes and we welcome Amitabh's (same first name) baritone voice talking for Danish while he acts his character.

The only things that bothered me are one, why would an amateur assistant director help out an aspirant? and two, the voice technology. Of course, it is not a foolproof way for a mute person to speak his feelings. But, all these thoughts withers away as the narrative indulges you into it, demanding your attention about a consequential rags-to-riches story coupled with a mysterious source of envy.

The film amazingly addresses issues of that of envy and ego and how these two feelings can cause self-destruction, creating waves that also affect the people closer to one. The singleton phenomenon Shamitabh turns into two different entities as the film unfolds toward climax. The film basically acts as an intellectual spoof of the cinema industry, and it does it with finesse.

Dhanush is marvelous, and the measure of his excellence is only competed by his co-star Bachchan Sr, who displays a splendid air of being a drunkard wannabe. His mystery could have been demystified, given the importance it plays in the story construction, but it is forgivable. Akshara Haasan did not impress me much because clearly she cannot pull off romantic scenes properly. She may be the chip off the old block, but has a long way in order to master the art of acting.

Other than having a literally impossible setup, Shamitabh excels in all other departments, from the beautiful art setup and production sets to the beat music (by the maverick Illayaraja), from a fine camera job to inventive writing by Balki. He has carved out a fine plot, often taking potshots at recent filmmaking trends viz. masala nonsense, illogical songs (and even more illogical videos), etc. But, these potshots are not cringe-worthy, instead they will make you laugh. The film has a great amount of humor if you watch closely, and helped by Bachchan's fabulous dialogs delivery, you will roll on the floor laughing.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite a drag in the funnier second half, Shamitabh does not disappoint at all. Bachchan's few solo sequences made me yawn, but I am ready to call this the first good Bollywood film of the year. Go watch the next show, because this is one drama we have all been talking about haven't seen. You will be enthralled by the catchy songs.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES (if few expletives from the mouths of Bachchan Sr and Haasan's second daughter are okay with the heads of the family).