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Shabd
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'Shabd' Good story told shoddily

By Nitika Desai
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Bollywood is presently going through the ‘teething’ phase of an industry gradually evolving. New themes and different genres are being tried. Leena Yadav’s directorial debut Shabd is one such film that defies the stereotype. But it is also not without the ‘teething’ faults.

The movie is based on an unconventional story of an author who prods his wife into having an affair with another man to seek inspiration for a story for his book. Little does he know that the stories in real life take unexpected course and have jagged ends. That is what happens to Shabd, and to its protagonist Shaukat (Dutt).

Leena

Yadav has made a promising debut but she has dabbled a little more than needed in abstraction and kept many things open-ended in her story, leaving it to the subjective interpretation of the viewers. Leena’s effort is worth mentioning, but it will take her some experience to become naturally deft at her craft.

Aishwarya Rai looks beautiful and conveys the inner dilemmas of her character quite well. But her character could have been given more substance by not making her a mere subservient wife.

Zayed Khan is miscast in the role of a photography teacher who is enamored with Ash, not knowing that she is married. Although Ash’s beauty is unquestionable, she looks noticeably elder to him.

It is Sanjay Dutt who impresses in the movie with his meticulous and credible portrayal of an author, a ‘votary of the muse’ for whom nothing is important than his book. Dutt’s performance is intense and, at the same time, well controlled.

All in all, Shabd makes for an interesting watch because of its bold and unusual story. The portions between Dutt and Ash are the highpoints of the movie. The cinematic presentation of the story is stylish but the songs are mediocre. And the much talked-about ‘exposure’ by Ash in the movie is decent and aesthetic.

Worth a watch

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