Story :

Daanish a mute Marathi (Dhanush) falls in love with the movies and dreams of becoming a star. Daanish finally impresses assistant director Akshara (Haasan) but directors reject a mute hero.

Akshara's doctor dad introduces Daanish to technology which, using embedded micro-recorders and ear-pieces, enables a mute person to communicate via a 'borrowed' voice. Daanish and Akshara find the perfect voice in the form of Amitabh Sinha (Bachchan), a failed actor, due to his baritone, who lives in a graveyard, soaked in whisky and cynicism. When Daanish and Akshara approached Amitabh, he thought of giving his voice a life. His rejected voice successful and the 'Shamitabh' team becomes a super-hit. What happened aftermath is a sequel of dramatic performances, which puts audience into a much confused state!

Analysis :

The weakest link in Shamitabh is the brief interlude of science fiction, in which transmitters and speakers are surgically inserted into Daanish. Now, anyone in possession of the headset that matches with those transmitters and speaker can be Daanish's voice.

Balki also comes up with some little details, like Daanish's "five star accommodation" when he first comes to Mumbai, which are delightful.

And yet, for all the intelligence that characterizes Shamitabh, what the film lacks is heart. Perhaps it's the effort of balancing the gentle parody of Bollywood with the sensitive drama of Daanish and Amitabh's struggle for power, but Shamitabh isn't as moving as you'd expect a Balki film to be.

Performance :

Dhanush’s performance is terrific and adorable as a diehard film-fan without saying a word. Amitabh Bachchan has once again proved that he can still make the crowd break out in appreciative whistles and applause with his electrifying performance. Akshara Hassan is good in her debut film.

Balki's hope as a writer and director is that the central idea of two egos wrestling for the upper hand within one persona will make us ignore the unconvincing technology behind Shamitabh, a composite of Amitabh's voice and Daanish's body. To some extent, Balki is successful.

Final Word: Shamitabh's striking story could leave you speechless.