#Sabdham Review

#Sabdham

2025- Tamil

Starring : Aadhi , Lakshmi Menon , Simran, Rajiv Menon , Redin Kingsley and Laila

Directed by Arivazhagan 


Plot : When two mysterious deaths shake a college in Munnar, paranormal investigator Rooban is called in. He soon discovers a chilling pattern—the spirits use sound as their medium. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a link between the deaths, the college's old library, and the chairman’s ex-wife. With time running out, Rooban must unravel the mystery and stop the deaths before it's too late.


Performance wise , Aadhi as Rooban is a good fit. There are no heroism scenes or over the top scenes , the character was written in a fantastic manner and Aadhi carried it well. Lakshmi Menon does a good job in a complex role. Definitely a good performance from her after a long time. Redin Kingsley in typical comedy sidekick role tries his best but only makes us laugh at places. Simran gets a meaty role and does well. Other than that Rajiv Menon , Laila and M.S.Bhaskar appear for few minutes but unfortunately fail to create any impact. Laila's Character which was meant to be important unfortunately is rushed . 


Technically, the film is brilliant. First and Foremost, The Sound Department is the main hero of this film. Special Appreciation to Sync Cinema Team who have done the Fantastic Sound Design for this film. Cinematography by Arun was fantastic as he gracefully captures the mysterious tone of the movie brilliantly. Music by Thaman was pretty good , since all of the songs were Montages nothing really sticks in our mind except the Piano Tune Song. BGMs were really good. Average VFX that doesn't come out too bad, neither too great.


The Film opens with the mysterious deaths that create panic in an Hospital in Munnar. Slowly the film shifts to Rooban, The Protagonist. While the Initial Hour moves at a very nominal pace , it does give us interesting hints here and there but doesn't outrightly give off anything . While there is a small love track portion between Aadhi & Lakshmi, it doesn't come out as distracting and is cleverly used as a tool to take the story forward. While the first half doesn't majorly bore you anywhere , it the Pre Interval portion that rakes up the curiosity that leads to a bang on interval block.


Post this , The Second Half opens on an interesting note with few interesting revelations here and there but due to some reason it doesn't land the necessary emotional impact it intended to give. While the Flashback is propelled forward by an Earnest Simran , it feels needlessly stretched . And beyond a point , the film turns way too complex and the climax revelation and character introduction feels rushed. Due to this , the much awaited climax also feels a bit chaotic and rushed.


Talking about the Negatives of the film , the film kind of starts to lag in the second half because of the dull Flashback. While the flashback was different and not cliched, it was told in an haphazard manner which diluted the impact it wanted to give. Due to this, introduction of characters like Rajiv Menon and Laila felt rushed without proper introduction or character arc. Also the film tries to talk about so many things but beyond a point it feels over dumped. And some sequences have Bad VFX that reduce the impact of the scene.


Writer - Director Arivazhagan who has given a memorable Horror Thriller like Eeram once again joined with Aadhi for a Sound based Horror Thriller and the expectations were high. It is safe to say yes , it did meet the expectations but partially. Yes the film had an interesting premise and wonderful setup, the pay offs don't land properly. Special Appreciation for the imppecable reaearch that Arivazhagan has done for each and every minute details. A Tighter Second Half and a proper conclusion would've made this film a Benchmark Experimental horror film , but due to some shortcomings it lands a Pretty good horror thriller.


Highlights: 

1) Aadhi's Subtle Performance.

2) Terrific Sound Design 

3) Wonderfully staged Pre Interval portion

4) Thaman's Haunting Background Music



Overall: Sabdham is a Pretty Good Experimental Horror thriller that talks about a very interesting plot point of Noise vs Music that is further more elevated by an Sincere Aadhi and Lakshmi Menon. Barring a few shortcomings, this Technically sleek Horror Thriller is worth experiencing in a theatre that has proper audio systems to give an immersive experience.


Rating: 3.25-3.5/5



Digital Rights: Unsold 

Television Rights: Unsold

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