Nishabdham Review in Short: It’s dull, unimaginative movie. We had big expectations with the excellent star cast – Madhavan and Anushka Shetty. What surprised us is why they choose to act in this movie. After having seen Madhavan in Breathe, this is a big let down. And, Anushka after Baabhubali, we expected to see her in a far more entertaining role.
Synopsis: The 2 hour film revolves around an artist with hearing and speech disabilities is the only witness to a gruesome killing, believed to have been executed by a supernatural force. But there’s more to it than what meets the eye. While Anushka has done her part well, the script and the narrative is a big letdown. She tries to salvage her presecne with her acting skills looks good in trendy casuals. She does not have any dialogues but her arresting screen presence is enough for us to stay with her character, Sakshi.
Nishabdham Review in Short ; Its dull, but for Madhavan and Anushka
Director Hemanth Madhukar’s ambitious screenplay on Amazon Prime Video ties together a haunted villa, the case of a missing woman, and the murder of a reputed musician, described as one of America’s biggest entertainers. Anthony (R Madhavan) and Sakshi (Anushka Shetty) appear to be the picture of bliss – until the day the deaf-and-mute Sakshi insists on dragging Anthony to an unoccupied house that is rumoured to be haunted by the owner’s ghost.
For a brief moment, your expectation from the film is heighted, but its soon fades away. The weird camera angles and the background score does create an ambience of horror where a painting is supposed to be the source of cruelty. Our inquisitiveness is up when Sakshi and her fiancé end up in this haunted house. You are drawn to know what will happen to them and why.
The accent is off and the necessity to keep the language to Telugu for the sake of the audience leads to some awkwardly constructed scenes. For instance, Sakshi loses her father early and grows up in an American orphanage. Yet, she speaks fluent Telugu and needs two interpreters – one who knows sign language and another who can translate from Telugu to English – when she’s being interrogated by Maha, a cop who cannot stand the sight of blood and gets excited when she meets people from her hometown in India though both of them know English!
Anushka Shetty and R Madhavan too wind their way through the preposterous plot without causing much damage. Subbaraju plays Sakshi’s hunky photographer friend, who is conveniently Telugu-speaking and knows sign language too.
Madhavan is dapper in his role of Antony Gonsalves, a half Goan-half Guntur cello player who is something of a celebrity musician. The plot revolves around the relationship between Sakshi and Antony, and the scenes are believable as long as we’re watching their romance bloom slowly. However, as a police procedural, the film leaves much to be desired, with the writing falling back on tired cliches in Indian thrillers such as a random remark leading to a ‘brainwave’ in the detective.
What lets down the film is the lack of research leading to gaping loopholes in the plot, making the motives of the characters rather flat.
Shalini Pandey is a surprise as the possessive Sonali. She’s meant to be annoying yet likable. A tough ask, but Shalini pulls it off. Michael Madsen as police chief Richard Dickens deserved more to his character. With a limp and a swagger, he does his best with what he’s given.
Wish the movie was made in India rather than in the settings of Seatle. The suspense evaporates sooner than your wished, Michael Madsen appears time to time to provide some comic relief, makes you think is it necessary, as you get distracted from what the movie wants you to view and understand. The movie is could have been without him.
Nishabdham is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Watch the trailer here
Overall the movie is only for Madhavan and Anushka Shetty fans. The script and the movie otherwise is as good as Nishabdham.