<i>Shabd</i> defies the stereotype : Bollywood News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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Shabd defies the stereotype
04th Feb 2005 23.01 IST
By Nitika Desai

Leena Yadav’s directorial debut Shabd defies the Bollywood stereotype by telling an unconventional tale of an author who prods his wife to have an affair with another man.

Starring Sanjay Dutt , Aishwarya Rai and Zayed Khan , Shabd is very much unlike the umpteen love triangle stories we have seen. It tells the story of a writer who is coming to terms with the failure of his previous book.

Seeking inspiration for the story of his next book, he encourages his wife to have an extra-marital affair with her college colleague. He wants to use real characters for his story. 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).

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.

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. Although Ash’s beauty is unquestionable, she looks noticeably elder to him.

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.