The producers of films such as ?Jhankaar Beats? and ?Chameli? are back after the failure of their last productions,?Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jaao?.This time around they have roped in Sanjay Dutt,Aishwarya Rai and Zayed Khan,for their latest film,?Shabd?.The trailors of this film looked very attractive.One would have definitely expected the film to have a brilliant story after watching the trailors,but after watching the film,one can only be disappointed.
Pritish Nandy Communications.?Shabd?,directed by Leena Yadav,stars Sanjay Dutt,Aishwarya Rai and Zayed Khan.It was being said that Ash was to play a seductress in this movie,but what happens is that this act of hers,bores us to death.
The film revolves around Shaukat Vashisht (Sanjay Dutt),an obsessive,crazy and a hyper writer who loves writing novels.He believes that he writes to live,but since two years his magic seems to be faded and he receives lots of criticism from the critics.After two years,he finally decides to write a story on the life of a girl,Tamanna.
He sees his wife,Antara (Aishwarya Rai) ,as Tamanna,and thus he starts finding the story of his book in his own life.
He wants Tamanna,the main character of his story,to be with someone and to love someone.Antara is a college professor,where she meets another college professor,Yash (Zayed Khan),who starts liking her and tries to flirt with her,but Antara knows that it is wrong as she is already married and also loves her husband.
When Antara tells this thing to her husband,he encourages her to make friendship with Yash.He wants her to get close to Yash,so that his story can get further.Slowly and gradually,Antara gets attracted to Yash,and both of them,by now are in love.
Looking at them in love,Shaukat starts getting jealous and now wants Antara to leave Yash,which would completely bring a new twist in his story,but it is too difficult for Shaukat to do so.Antara cannot change her feelings for Yash and if Shaukat`s story changes then what change will he bring to the story,which was until now,moving so smoothly.
In this confusion,Shaukat lands up in mental asylum as his personal and professional life both get completely out of control.
Sanjay Dutt is not playing a don or a bhai this time,and it is a welcome change,to see him wearing suits and glasses,but I couldn`t even imagine that the character which he would be playing in this film,would be so poorly sketched.The actor does his role,convincingly but that cannot save the film.One cannot relate with the character that he is playing,and that is why his otherwise good performance,will go completely unnoticed.
Aishwarya Rai,has really matured up as an actress.She is no more the kind of an actress that she was in films like ?Dil Ka Rishta? or ?Kyun!?Ho Gaya Na?.After an award winning performance in ?Raincoat?,this is another brilliant performance from her.She performs very well,especially in the second half,when she tries to explain her feelings to her husband,who is jealous of her relationship with Yash.
Zayed Khan does not look the part that he is playing.I mean,him playing a college professor???We still have not been able to get out of his image as a college student,in ?Main Hoon Na?.Seriously,he lacks the on-screen chemistry with Aishwarya Rai,and the romance between them is completely lost as they both look that they are joking.It is difficult to digest Zayed playing such a mature role.
From the supporting cast,it is only Sadia Siddiqui who leaves an impression,as Shaukat`s defiant maid,Rajni.
Leena Yadav`s direction is terrible.Yes,she has extracted good performances from Sanju and Ash,but she has not been able to handle the movie.She has not been able to grip the viewers` attention.Some scenes are terribly handled.Like the one,which comes in the start,when Antara tells Shaukat that he is going to write after two years and after that Shaukat gets so angry that he starts throwing all the things which are in the room.Why?What happens to him?Then,in the second half,it gets torturous to see Shaukat`s madness.What you get to see,is Shaukat crying or getting mad,which results in complete boredom.
Screenplay is terrible.First of all,what kind of a husband would want his wife to romance with someone else?Here,Shaukat asks his wife,and that also a beautiful one,to get friendly to Yash,who flirts with her.Agreed,that he tries to do this for his story,but couldn`t he make his wife fall in love with him and then,he could have completed his story.After all,he was also a man,wasn`t he?Then,Shaukat`s change of mind in the second half is not convincing at all.You cannot understand why his feelings change so suddenly?Even,Antara seems to be very confused.She says that she loves her husband Shaukat,but at the same time also starts romancing with Yash?HELLO???
Leena Yadav`s script is also very poorly written.The film does not even have a single moment to captivate your attention.There is just no drama in the film.The film looks totally werid and in the second half,the film gets so terrible that you can`t believe what you are watching.
Aseem Bajaj`s cinematography is so good,that you can`t describe it in ?shabd? (words).That is the only good thing about this film,after Sanju`s and Ash`s performance.The film is beautiful in its look,and the scenes in which Shaukat imagines Tamanna,and alphabets are rolling down,are sht beautifully.
Vishal-Shekhar`s music is good,but quite forgettable.?Chaahaton Ka Silsila?,is very sexy but not at all vulgar and is very well picturised on Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai.?Khoya Khoya Tha?,picturised on Zayed Khan and Aishwarya Rai is nicely picturised.?Bolo To? is also a good song.?Sholon Si? picturised on Sanju and Ash is terribly misplaced in the film,and acts as a speed-breaker in the going-ons.
All in all,?Shabd?,is going to be a lackluster on the box-office,as it does not have the strength to get enough audience to due to a poor script and a terrible direction.Also,it will also have to face a tough competition from another biggie,?Black?,which has released this week.Avoid this movie.
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