Sabdham Movie Review

Director Arivazhagan’s films have always offered something different, as they have come with unique genres to their name. Bringing back the Eeram combination with Aadhi and Thaman, the director has arrived with his next film Sabdham, which is a ‘sound’ thriller that focuses on its theme of having sounds and music coming as the core connect for the film.

Sabdham starts off by introducing the horror of how eerie sounds and unusual hearings can lead a person to death, and Aadhi comes in as Ruben, a paranormal investigator who solves the case. The first half of the film is narrated as a crime thriller where the focus is on how the murders took place and how it all culminates into the possession and action of the ghostly forces. The interval block, which is the best sequence in the film, is carried out superbly, with some never seen before ideas and is executed with sound, visuals and camera work on point. In the second half, the film moves deeper into its storyline and we get to know the character of Simran and how she is embedded into the proceedings. The film lands some emotional instances here and though we are not entirely invested in it, the narrative is pretty neat. Except for the climax which is all over the place, Sabdham is a neat film that is technically solid in every department.

Aadhi does a great job of maintaining the seriousness of the character, and he also holds his mannerisms and accent very well. The film has good performances from Simran and Lakshmi Menon, but Laila is a complete misfit.

Thaman has done an excellent job with the music, which is in stark contrast to his other films. The cinematography by Arun also deserves big praise.

On the whole, Sabdham is a good thriller that will satisfy fans of the genre, but it could have been even more if Arivazhagan did not force one too many elements into the screenplay.

Sabdham Movie Rating: 3.25/5