The Silence

So much potential. Such wasted opportunity. Good storyline but the production has unfortunately let it down. From the actors that don't age for decades to scenes that miss the punch at the right moments, it's a movie that leaves much to be desired. Take plenty of popcorn and managed expectations; it's an okay movie to watch.

Especially since it's based on a true story. Quite a typical story I'm sure for many women there unfortunately.

Extraordinary control on violent scenes, sublime acting. Too good.

Marathi Cinema has been making powerful and hard-hitting movies centered on stigmas and social prejudice. Gajendra Ahire, the celebrated Marathi writer & director, debuts in Hindi with "The Silence".

We come across the cases of sexual abuse on a daily basis and it is one of the most underlined issues. "The Silence", based on a true story, touches this burning subject and reveals the ordeal experienced by the women.

The screenplay is amazing, it keeps you fastened and each scene has an impact, the background score will haunt the audience for a long time. The flashbacks are edited wonderfully; the camerawork and the cinematography are beautiful.

Nagraj Manjule debuts as an actor and he has done a trailblazing job. He looked natural and was able to bring all the malice required for the character. Anjali Patil goes in the skin of the character and her expressions reveal most of her character. Then there is Raghubir Yadav, a shattered father, he can do such roles in his sleep. All the other cast has done impeccable work and they all were convincing.

The Silence gives you food for thought and things to ponder. It shakes the moral ground on which we are sitting comfortably and how we close our eyes to such heinous and dreadful acts.

Big hands for a powerful movie.

Kudos Gajendra Ahire.

Despite having a strong and unnerving content "The Silence" botched up on many counts. The strong storyline and the delicate content does help "The Silence" to grab attention among the audiences. But director Gajendra Ahire lower set of skills ensure the film is far from a perfect one. But the fact remains is that The silence is a brilliant and bold "attempt" to showcase a delicate subject such as the trauma of child abuse.

On the positive side the movie has some very good cinematography and a very strong storyline. The screenplay has its moments but is equally weak in parts. Shooting in picturesque locations in rural Maharashtra adds a soul to the story. Music is very good and kindles the emotions in audiences minds. Acting of the antagonist Nagraj Manjule is top class and will send a shiver down your spine. But despite having top class actors like Raghuvir Yadav and Anjali Patil on his side the director lazily fails to get strong performances from them. The next flaw is making full 30-40 second shots for walking, travelling, sitting,etc these scenes makes us feel this 91 min drama is longer than it is. I am afraid the director wanted to cover up the gaps in screenplay by adding such inconsequential shots to drag the movie to 90 mins. Supporting actors & extras are very weak in the entire movie.

Overall The Silence is a good movie for its content, it could have been a much better movie had the director put in some more effort. 5 stars for touching a delicate subject and some great parts.