Nishabd (transl. Speechless) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, starring Amitabh Bachchan and debutant Jiah Khan.[1] The story of the film took inspiration from the 1999 American film American Beauty, and the 1986 Indian film Anokha Rishta.[2]

Nishabd
Movie poster for Nishabd
Directed byRam Gopal Verma
Produced byRam Gopal Verma
StarringAmitabh Bachchan
Jiah Khan
Aftab Shivdasani
Revathi
Shraddha Arya
Rukhsar
CinematographyAmit Roy
Edited byNipun Gupta,
Amit Parmar
Music byVishal Bhardwaj
Amar Mohile
Adnan Sami
Release date
  • 2 March 2007 (2007-03-02)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi

Plot

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The film opens with young Ritu (Shradha Arya) bringing her friend Jia (Jiah Khan) to spend the holidays with her at her home in Kerala. Ritu's parents, Vijay Anand (Amitabh Bachchan) and Amrita (Revathi), have a beautiful home surrounded by picturesque surroundings. Vijay is a photographer, and Amrita is a homemaker.

Jia's mother lives alone in Australia (Jia's parents are divorced), and she studies in India. She is a free-spirited teenager with no attachments and no worries. She professes some affinity to Vijay, but it doesn't go much further than that. But Vijay's world is turned upside down when he takes pictures of Jia watering herself down with the garden hose. Something innocent grows into something bigger, and something bigger grows into something beyond control.

Jia's world collides with Vijay's, causing three casualties. Ritu witnesses Vijay and Jia kissing and tries to get Jia out of the house without revealing the truth to her mother but fails. Around this time, Amrita's brother Shridhar (Nassar) visits them. Through a sequence of events, he uncovers the disturbing truth about Jia and Vijay. Shridhar questions Vijay and realises that things are serious between Jia and him. Vijay confesses his love for Jia to Amrita, leaving her shattered.

Shridhar makes Vijay realise about Jia's vulnerable and naïve age, where even a small helping gesture can seem like love. Vijay understands and orders Jia to leave the house.

Both Ritu and Amrita lose their faith in Vijay. Ritu moves to America, and Vijay meets Shridhar again, the latter realising that Vijay is completely broken inside after his daughter and wife both lose trust in him. Vijay concludes that even though he often tries to commit suicide and is not scared of dying, he doesn't want to do so, as he wants to live a bit more in memories of Jia.

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot in 20 days[3] in Munnar, Kerala.[4] The claim that it was inspired by Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita was denied by Amitabh Bachchan in the CNN IBN TV show Unspoken relationships - Nishabd special (3 March 2007).

Reception

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The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Praise has been given to the performances of the lead actors, however the plot and script have been subject to criticism.

Awards and nominations

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Khan was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in 2007 for her performance in Nishabd.

Soundtrack

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Sl.No. Song Singer(s) Lyricist Composer Length
1 "Rozaana" Amitabh Bachchan Munna Dhiman Vishal Bhardwaj 06:16
2 "Take Lite" Jiah Khan Farhad-Sajid Amar Mohile 04:30
3 "Kabhi Nahi - Remix (from Adnan Sami's Album - Tera Chehra)" Adnan Sami,Feat: Amitabh Bachchan Adnan Sami Adnan Sami 03:39

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jiah Khan: Once Bollywood's brightest young thing - NDTV Movies". 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Have never seen a debutant with more spunk than Jiah". The Indian Express. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. ^ "A blog post by the film's A.D". PassionForCinema.com. 20 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 February 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  4. ^ "Star-struck in Munnar". The Hindu : Metro Plus Kochi. 20 May 2006. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 20 May 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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