Shamitabh(2015)

U/A2h 36m6 February 2015hindiDrama

Storyline

The mute boy Daanish comes to Mumbai with the desire to become a Bollywod star where he meets a kind Assistant Director Akshara who decides to help him achieve his dream. They somehow convince an old, frustrated, alcoholic Amitabh Sinha with a powerful voice to become the voice of Daanish. The story is about two egos and their fight for superiority.

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Videos & Trailer(15)

The Dialogue Promo IX from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo VIII from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo VII from 'Shamitabh'

The Song 'Sha Sha Sha Mi Mi Mi' from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo VI from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo V from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo IV from 'Shamitabh'

The Song 'Stereophonic Sannata' from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo III from 'Shamitabh'

The Dialogue Promo II from 'Shamitabh'

Plot

Daanish (Dhanush) is a mute boy from the small town with big dreams of becoming a Bollywood star. He comes to Mumbai to achieve fame and success but is rejected from every door. While his struggle he meets a kind hearted Assistant Director Akshara (Akshara Haasan) who gets impressed by his passion and acting talent and decides to help him. Then enters Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) an old, frustrated alcoholic with a powerful voice who lives in a 500 rupee rented hut. Daanish and Akshara convince him to become the voice of the mute Daanish.

The plot proceeds as Daanish achieve success from his first film and then begin the ego clash of the two personalities. The two leads - Daanish and Amitabh try to prove themselves superior to one another while Akshara acts as the mediator between them trying to settle the two distinct egos. The story is about the fight between two egos and their hunger for superiority. The unpredictable climax will definitely move the audience at least for a brief period.

Stills(13)

Box Office CollectionFlop

Opening Day

₹03.50 Cr

Opening Weekend

₹13.25 Cr

First Week

₹19.00 Cr

Lifetime (India)

₹22.45 Cr

Critic Reviews

B
BMDB CriticFeb 6, 2015
Critic's Rating
7/10

One line Review: Powerful performances', striking plot and classic direction makes this movie earn a loud applause. Positive Points: Startling and power pact performances by the actors, R. Balki's direction, fresh storyline and impeccable execution and ideation of the plot. The astonishing climax enlivens the story and leaves you spellbound. Negative Points: Some unnecessary sequences dragged in the second half create a few dull moments. The bar is quiet raised by the quirky first half which unfortunately sees a downfall later the interval. Plot: 'Shamitabh' rides on a unique and fresh script where Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's voice powers the entire movie. The story is about a mute boy Daanish (Dhanush) who desires fame and wishes to become a Bollywood star and is completely mad about films and acting. He reaches Mumbai leaving his poor background behind to pave his way to stardom but is rejected from every door. While his struggle he meets an intelligent and kind Assistant Director Akshara (Akshara Haasan) who decides to help him seeing his passion and acting talent. Then comes Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan), an old alcoholic with an impactful voice who becomes the voice of the mute Daanish. The story moves forward as the two leads take on each other, trying to prove themselves superior to one another and in the course of which the plot proceeds. Akshara Haasan acts as the mediator between the two and tries to settle the two strong egos that refuse to bow or take a back seat even for a minute. Where this clash takes them and will this team of Amitabh's voice and Daanish's performance win or drifts apart is a further watch. Direction and other Technical Aspects: Taking up this exceptional concept, director R. Balki has once again proven his worth. Though there was a downfall in the script and execution in the second half, the overall movie is utterly impactful. The plot is rightly built by the director along with highly appreciable, strong, witty and sometimes sarcastic dialogues of the film. Performances: The film is a pleasure to watch mainly because of the flawless and remarkable performances by the actors. Not any surprise, Amitabh Bachchan is extremely terrific in the role of a frustrated drunkard and with the conviction and fineness the legend performs is truly a delight. Dhanush has once again charmed every one with his startling acting ability. In spite of playing the role of a mute, the actor expresses himself thoroughly in every frame. The actor pulled off the powerful voice of Mr. Bachchan and gave an impressive performance all the way through. The newbee Akshara Haasan essayed the role of an A.D. with full conviction, smartness and sincerity. Her cute looks had a sparkling shine and can be a promising face in Bollywood in the long run. She truly made a remarkable start to her career. Music: The most interesting song of the film is 'Piddly' sung by Big B himself. The song's visual execution is hilarious and quite entertaining. The two other melodies - 'Lifeboy' and 'Thappad' are sung by Suraj Jagan. The songs 'Sha sha sha mi mi mi' by Caralisa Monteiro and 'Sterophonic Sanata' are precisely used ones. Final Verdict: The film 'Shamitabh' is a complete must watch for its fresh concept and unique storyline. It is not a typical Bollywood masala movie but a thought provoking one. The film will be a complete delight for the fans of Dhanush and Big B. One must go for this movie to witness some brilliant performances by the all the three leads.

External Reviews

F
FilmFareBy Rachit GuptaFeb 6, 2015
Rating
3

There is only one Amitabh Bachhan. And all he needs to prove his greatness are 10 minutes right at the end of a film. He doesn't even need to speak to sway his audience. And yet he's gifted with a voice that's beyond compare. In essence, Shamitabh is a homage to his persona. And yet R Balki's film is so much more. Its a sublime satire on the movie world. Its a poignant reflection on the price of stardom. This is easily one of the best movies of 2015.

K
koimoi.comBy Surabhi RedkarFeb 6, 2015
Rating
3

Shamitabh is a novel idea and needs to be credited for its out of the box idea and presentation. If marveling an interesting plot was any less, Shamitabh raises the bar even higher with stellar performances from Dhanush and Amitabh Bachchan. The film comes with a much-needed fresh script in times of cheap South-Indian masala remakes, once again bringing back our faith in honest and thoughtful writing.

I
intoday.inBy Rohit KhilnaniFeb 6, 2015
Rating
3.5

Trust filmmaker R Balki (of Cheeni Kum and Paa fame) to attempt something different each time he is behind the camera. Shamitabh comes from his wild imagination; it's a story made out of Bachchan's popular voice and Dhanush's unconventional looks, both clubbed together in Shamitabh.

R
rediff.comBy Raja SenFeb 6, 2015
Rating
1.5

This just in: Amitabh Bachchan, an actor some of you might have heard of, has a pretty good voice. What? Not exactly breaking news? Yet director R Balki seems newly aware of that revelation, and, it appears, believes that mere worship of the Big B-aritone is enough to make for a fine film.

F
firstpost.comBy Deepanjana PalFeb 6, 2015

Somewhere near the middle of R Balki's new film, the hero Shamitabh (Dhanush) attends a film awards ceremony. When he wins Best Actor, he goes on stage and the award is presented to him by Rekha, playing herself. The applause is rousing, Shamitabh is clearly overwhelmed. He takes the microphone and after a beat of silence says, "Thank you" in that rich, distinctive baritone that is unmistakably Amitabh Bachchan's.

B
bollywoodlife.comBy Subramanian HarikumarFeb 6, 2015
Rating
4

After giving us heart stirring films like Cheeni Kum and Paa, director R Balki is back with yet another endearing film with an unlikely combination of Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush. Though Balki and his team did their best to keep the story under wraps, there were multiple rumours in the market about Shamitabh's plot. Being a Dhanush fan, I was eager to see how does he pull off a role that was first offered to Shah Rukh Khan. And more importantly, leaving the guessing games and rumours aside, I was really intrigued to find out what Shamitabh was all about.

N
ndtv.comBy Saibal ChatterjeeFeb 6, 2015
Rating
2.5

An unusual plot premise is coupled with a writer-director's self-confessed Big B-fixation in Shamitabh. Dollops of stylistic flourishes and narrative sleights are added to the mix and stirred with utmost vigour. The result of the exercise is too uneven to be consistently enjoyable. Parts of the engaging, if over-indulgent drama,are an ode to the romance of Hindi cinema. Shamitabh thrives on the infectious energy that the two lead actors - Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush - generate when they are set off against each other, which is almost always in this 153-minute film.

B
BollywoodHungama.comBy Bollywood HungamaFeb 6, 2015
Rating
2.5

Bollywood is one place which is always open to any kind of permutations and combinations. Be it the casting in the films or even the selection of the film's titles, Bollywood has seen it all happen! This week's release goes by the name of SHAMITABH, which when decoded, is the combination of Dhanu'sh' and 'Amitabh', who also happen to be the lead stars in the film, which is directed by R. Balki. Does the film live up to the hype?

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