Shhhh...

carreddy · #1 02-08-2009, 06:26 PM

Banner Apoorva Chitra
Production Hari Charan Prasad & Sukanya
Screenplay, direction Hari Charan Prasad
Cast Shafi, Mithuna, Rallapalli, Sivakrishna, Rupa Devi, Madhavilatha & Likhitakshari
Music Sri Vasanth
Cinematography Muralimohana Reddy
Art Madhu Rebba
Editing Ravindra Babu
Release date 23 January 2009

After producing the award-winning Kamli, Sukanya and Hari Charan Prasad are producing Shh... under Apoorva Chitra banner with the tagline 'Idi Chaala Manchi Ooru', starring Shafi and Mithuna.

The plot is based on an American novel 'Stir of Echoes' (1958) by Richard Matheson, which was made as a Hollywood film in 1999. Richard Matheson has written novels like I am Legend, (the Will Smith starrer of 2007) and 'The legend of a hell house'. Matheson specialized in the supernatural and other-worldly genre of science fiction and what should have been a fine psychological/ supernatural drama has been diluted into just a 'horror' movie.

Dr. Anand (Shafi), his wife Sunita (Mithuna) and Apoorva (Likhitakshari) move to a village from the big city as Anand wants to work among the rural poor. After settling there, they go to the village Goddess' temple where a priest applies some kumkum on Anand. Thereafter, Anand gets the 'gift' of premonitions. He sees things before they happen and even gets hysterical spells which he can't remember later.

Sunita takes him to a neurologist who examines Anand and pronounces that he is of stable mind and body. Anand thinks he can see a girl and even Apoorva can see her. Anand's life is being taken over by his 'hallucinations'; at this juncture, a middle-aged woman tells Anand that a girl had been murdered and buried in his house. Anand digs up the backyard in search of the girl's skeleton. But Sunita, unable to stand her husband's erratic behaviour, takes Apoorva and leaves for her parents' place.

From here on, Anand's quest for answers puts him in danger. How he finds the answers is psychologically thrilling.

Telugu cinema is coming of age with psychological thrillers and suspense film genres. But it still has a long way to go before meeting the standards set by such greats as Alfred Hitchcock. There are many thrilling moments in the film: such as the black magic woman offering to help the doctor and the daughter getting a glimpse of the spirit, but the director hasn't been able to draw all these threads together and tie them effectively. What should have been a highly sophisticated psychological drama is just a simple horror/ murder mystery filled with 'black magic'.

Shafi has given a good performance as the doctor caught up in events much beyond his experience. Mithuna is pretty and has done a decent job in her debut film. Madhavilatha, in her one item song, is very glamorous. Rallapalli, Sivakrishna, Rupa Devi have give average performances. The husband-wife relationship is captured in a very natural way without any overacting.

The screenplay could have been much tighter and the focus could have been on the doctor's mental stress since the audience already has an idea of what the mystery is all about. The film will have a decent run, but could have done better if the actors were more popular faces.

A novel idea for a culture steeped in rationalization, it is just one more occult story in India. The producer-director could have taken the basic plot line and given it a very Indian twist to make a more successful film.

Shh... is a must-watch for those who love murder mysteries and ghost stories.

wwwwww717 · 02-16-2009, 01:36 PM #2

idiotic picture