Shamitabh is a film unlike any other. Its themes are dark and deep. Its observations are candid and funny. Like any good film, its a mixture of art and mart. Songs like Piddly si baatein and She sha sha mi mi entertain. And then there are wonderful reflections on the film world. In a scene Dhanush conveys to Akshara that the film they’re making is too arty and not commercial enough. Same goes for Shamitabh. It’s a wonderful idea, straight from the heart. But end of the day its not a crowd pleaser. It is though a moving argument to why we love a phenomenon called Amitabh Bachchan.

Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush leave ‘Shamitabh’ half baked…
They make a great team, no doubt, but Balki’s plot is unable to take it to greater heights

Amitabh Bachchan’s act is classy in this fun yet flawed film…

…despite the flawed writing, Dhanush and Bachchan make Shamitabh a pleasant enough outing to the movies.

Shamitabh is good at the concept level but that’s about all. With a screenplay full of holes and lack of entertainment for the large mass base of audience, it will fail at the ticket windows. Although business in premium multiplexes in a few big cities will be okay, it will be grossly insufficient to cover the heavy investment in the film. Collections in most single-screen cinemas and small centres will be very poor.

Using graveyard as a metaphor, Balki is trying to say life is too short to squabble over ego. But he seems to have forgotten that 153 minutes is too long to stretch an ad length idea to a feature film, particularly when it is not consistently speaking from the gut.

With the scale, budget, resources available at their disposal, Shamitabh makes you wonder: How much time did they spend on the script? Oh well, Piddly.

They just recycled the obvious film clichés. Since R. Balki loves analogies and all things South Indian, Shamitabh tastes like reheated upma made from leftovers idlis.

R Balki has presented the story in a very unconventional way. As the film is set up at the backdrop of film industry, the presence of celebs like Rekha, Anurag Basu, Karan Johar, Raj Kumar Hirani, Mahesh Bhatt, Gauri Shinde and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gave the film a magnificent look.

Shamitabh is a treat to watch owing to the lead actors of the film, Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush. They have made the movie fun and entertaining covering up the film’s weak plot. This movie is a must watch, so book your tickets soon!