Shamitabh Movie Review - The performances drive it through

Ameet Bhuvan

A Balki film almost entirely relies on the acting prowess of Big B and the effortless ease with which serious issues are woven into his stories without heavy handedness. Shamitabh, the director’s third association with Amitabh, lacks the latter while benefiting heavily from Amitabh’s presence. 

Amitabh is a down in the dumps wannabe actor whose only asset is his deep baritone. Drunkard waywardness and utter lack of work relegates him to living in a shanty in a graveyard. Dhanush is a mute small towner who wishes to be an actor. Akshara, an upcoming assistant director merges the two through technology – Dhanush’s face is voiced by Amitabh to give birth to a superstar celebrated by the world. What comes in the way of this near perfect arrangement is an ego clash that threatens to destroy the new found careers of both the face and the voice. 

With weird indulgent sometimes nonsensical plot turns especially in the second half, Balki presents an uncharacteristic lack of control on his craft. Shamitabh, unlike his earlier films, is not engaging through and through, in fact boring and yawn inducing at times. The pacing fluctuates between crisp narratives and dragging extra pieces that add nothing to the story. 

What Balki manages to do once again though is extract brilliant performances from both Amitabh and Dhanush. As the drunkard road life, Amitabh is loveable and cocky. His expressions, his nuances, everything is a master class in acting as we see the super star in a meaty role after long. 

Dhanush on the other hand plays the simpleton good hearted guy with ease, bringing in an endearing charm to his part. New comer Akshara too impresses with her energy and screen presence. 

Melodious music, lovely dialogues, performances pull through this film that otherwise would have sunked without a trace. It definitely is not Balki’s best work, but is a good watch nonetheless. 

Rating: 3/5

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