Nishabd Hindi Movie
Nishabd means wordless. But the film gets as verbose as possible. In fact it's difficult to believe that Nishabd is directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The filmmaker known for his hard-hitting realistic antics, ventures into Bhansali's sublime romantic territory with his not so conventional pairing.
He is 60. She is 18. Reminds of the Zandu Kesari Jeevan advertisement. 60 saal ke budhe ya saath saal ke jawan. Ok, sad jokes apart (the film has plenty of them in the initial reels) it's a love story between the two and how his family reacts to it. That sums up for the synopsis of the entire film. Ramu goes much beyond the screenplay and interprets each of the scenes with a lot of passion. And passion here doesn't imply some sizzling chemistry between Bachchan and Jiah Khan, but Ramu's obsession with the art.
In fact Ramu who usually uses a lot of brains in his films, puts in a lot of heart this time. Nishabd makes it apparent that Ramu hasn't made this film with any pre-defined box office considerations but just out of his desire to narrate a story through his fervent vision. A vision that might not be approved or acknowledged by many! But then Varma doesn't show any regards for a particular target audience in this film. The last time he did this was for Naach, a film he confesses he made for himself. In fact in one of the dialogues of Nishabd, Bachchan says, "Whether its photography or poetry – we should only be concerned with those who understand us". Perhaps RGV was trying to convey his mind through that dialogue of being concerned with only those who can apprehend his vision.
In fact Nishabd is an amalgamation of photography and poetry. Amitabh clicks pictures. Jiah writes poems. Ram Gopal Varma does both. He captures each moment of the film in a lyrical manner. It's not about 'what' will happen next in the film. That is predictable. But 'how' will it happen isn't obvious. Each scene is beautifully shot by the gyrating camera and slickly cut in the RGV School of editing. Add to it a riveting background score that elevates the experience. The director exploits silent moments to the optimum using the piercing intensity of the eyes of the characters.
Of course the pace is justifiably slow but with just six characters in the film and the entire setting not moving beyond the tea field estate, the visuals tends to get monotonous and repetitive after a point of time. And expectedly, like any other Ram Gopal Varma film that starts on a promising note but falters due to a weak climax, Nishabd too makes a capable start but ends up even before a climax. In fact the film essentially lacks a climax. The ending is simply unanticipated.
In the last line of the film Bachchan exclaims, "Aisa nahi ke main marne se darr gaya, parr socha ke uske yaadon ke saath kuch din aur jee lu" (Not that I am scared of dying, but then I thought I could live a little more with her memories). Same applies to the film. While on one hand it gets predictable and makes you lose interest, on the other hand you want to stay back just to get a little more of Amitabh Bachchan, can't get enough of him.
Nishabd is a film where the script demands characters. You can't get a sexy sexagenarian than Bachchan with whom a teenager can convincingly fall in love. The scene wherein he sings Jiah Jale Jaan Jale and another one where he cannot control his laughter even in mid-night are so unconventional yet so slice-of-life scenes. A case of fine writing and finer acting! In fact Bachchan raise much above the script to add life to his character of Vijay. We have known him as the angry young Vijay but here he is the sexy old one.
And all those who are of the opinion that Jiah will only add to the glamour quotient of the film; well she knows the grammar of performing as well. She is not just a seductress but a promising actress as well. The debutante girl commands a towering screen presence even in front of Amitabh Bachchan and exudes some<
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