New Dlehi, February 7 – In his last film Paa, R Balki introduced viewers to the genetic condition of progeria for which there was no cure. This time around, there is a speech-impaired character and there is a cure in “voice implant/live voice transfer technology”.
In one-long sequence, doctors in Helsinki, Finland babble on about how a person without the ability to talk can do so with medical and technological progress. But even as Balki guides his third film to his trademark mawkish route, the effect is nowhere the same as Paa for the heart is missing.
With a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes and essentially two characters in focus – the speech-impaired Dhanish (Dhanush) and Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) – it is noteworthy that there is very little to discover about them other than their passion for cinema and their flawed personalities.
Dhanish is a cinephile and bus conductor from Igatpuri who comes to Mumbai to make it as a hero. Four decades ago, Amitabh Sinha came with similar aspirations but failed because his voice was deemed too heavy.
But Dhanish along with assistant director, Akshara (Akshara Haasan), rope in the shaggy, alcoholic Amitabh, who resides in a cemetery, firmly believing that he is pitch perfect as Dhanish’s voice.
Amitabh’s voice on the scrawny Dhanish is by no means a seamless fit but then again the Hindi film industry has largely been about make-believe so why look for logic and sense.
But it gives Amitabh an opportunity to realise his own unfulfilled dreams and he shadows as Dhanish’s valet to be his unrecognised voiceover artist. Dhanish succeeds where Amitabh failed.
There is already jealousy and insecurity which further grows into an artistic ego clash as Amitabh thinks that Dhanish is nothing without his intense voice, while Dhanish thinks that his delivery isn’t the reason for his popularity. It doesn’t help that they don’t agree on the films they’d want to do.
The idea that it takes two to tango, that an actor is a composite of parts, that he or she is dependent on various factors to excel and not just talent is great. And occasionally Balki offers some well-crafted moments exploring the idea especially in Amitabh’s inebriated monologues and soliloquies about being an artist and not just a tool.
Both Dhanish and Amitabh are incomplete without each other and it takes them a while to set their pride aside and acknowledge that they are more formidable as a team than alone.
Rohit Khilnani’s review:
Balki is better at selling human emotions than he is at technology or medicine. Nonetheless he is able to show the limitations of the technology. It results in amusing situations in which Amitabh irks Dhanish with his silence and his tantrums.
The film’s most quotable lines obviously belong to Bachchan who delivers them with swagger. “Yeh awaaz ek kutte ke moo se bhi achchi lagegi” drew a loud applause and also had us wishing for a Disney Pixar film with Bachchan in the lead voicing a bulldog.
Balki uses Amitabh to take subtle digs at the industry such as “Talent ke bharose rehta toh sapna hi dekhta rehta”. Shamitabh gives its three leads plenty of opportunities to shine and the actors don’t disappoint with Bachchan particularly having a splendid time playing an egotistical drunk.
Bachchan is in his comfort zone, relishing replaying the act which made him a star in films such as Amar Akbar Anthony, Satte Pe Satta and Sharaabi. Only there is serious pathos driving him to hit the bottle.
Deprived of verbal skills, Dhanush is able to hold his own in front of the mighty Bachchan, demonstrating the zeal and ambition of an individual who doesn’t let his disability get in the way of his dreams. Dhanush never goes over the top with his gestures and instead gives a balanced performance.
Sandwiched between a Hindi film legend and a South superstar, Akshara Haasan makes her presence felt and it is not just because of her stylish haircut. Balki allows her to be comfortable in her skin and demonstrate her ability to let loose of her emotions.
Watch out for Rekha’s spot-on cameo, which rivals Bachchan’s in Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish, as fantastic. But fine performances alone cannot drive a movie and a handful of great moments don’t make the film memorable. Inching towards the finale, the film seems desperate to draw applause and also tears.
But they never come. The parodies on the current trends in Hindi cinema are bizarre and unfunny. For an adman, Balki could have done a better job with the many product placements as much as we like Phantom Cigarettes getting some screen time and the Lifebouy superhero idea.
Shamitabh at best is a film with great performances and ideas but flawed in its execution. Making it worth a watch are its two dynamics leads, Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush, whose rivalry livens up the screen.
-INDIA TODAY
