Shabd is a difficult film, not merely in terms of story line but execution as well. The premise is such that it extends beyond normal Hindi film parameters and whilst many are trying to do just that, extend these parameters, you have to do this within the context of what is believable. I deliberately avoid the word “realistic” as what is “real” and what is “fictional” plays a role in Shabd although the meaning of this all gets lost by inept handling on the part of Yadav.

SHABD opens with great laurels being bestowed on Shaukat Vashsist [Sanjay Dutt] upon his booker prize-winning novel, only to be thrown into the dark with the critical failure of his next novel. Married to Antara [Aishwarya Rai], a younger and very beautiful woman over whom Shaukat commands a certain power, be it the age factor of simply his overbearing personality. Seemingly content, Shaukat is however suffering a huge crisis because of his writer's block.

Shaukat decides to incorporate “real life” into his fictional novel and bases his main character of Tamanna on his wife, Antara. But the novel is going no where and he cannot seem to get his creative juices going until one day, Antara tells him of the new recruit to the college where she teaches fashion design. Yash [Zayed Khan] is a photography professor who barely looks like he is out of his nappies and who immediately takes a shine to Antara. However, Shaukat tells Antara to “let go”, free herself from the shackles and commitments that she has due to marriage and to “indulge” Yash for the sake of his story. The reasoning for this is his own security that even if she was to let herself go, she would return to him but that she should prove this to herself as well.

A friendship of sorts develops between Yash and Antara, which is being controlled as such by Shaukat, who has told Antara not to tell Yash that she is married. This carries on until Yash needs a climax for his book and Antara is placed in a position where a choice is to be made.

The greatest folly in Shabd is the story itself. Here we have a husband who wants to use his wife to get his creative juices flowing again. But the film is based on two characters within a marriage who seem contented with each other and despite the frustrations of Shaukat, Antara seems contented at home. There is no distance as such, in fact the two of them appear to be good friends as well. If Yadav then feels that this would be the reasoning behind Antara going along with her husband's bizarre request, then this does not pass the test. In fact, it is quite unbelievable as the wife decides to carry on with her charade with Yash to please her husband, but ostensibly under some kind of emotional duress. It fails to make any sense and whilst she does not seem to enjoy the deception, her eventual guilt does not come across later either. Yadav is also caught in trying to provide Antara with a dilemma. Does she fall for Yash or is it just a game? Could it have been more than just a game? Feelings you can develop even for a dog but does Antara feel that she is actually in a position where she has to question her “feelings” having “let go”. This is never apparent and Antara seems to stay unquestioningly loyal to her “dysfunctional” husband. So Shabd falters and continues to race down a wholly incongruous and unrealistic path. There is a point when Shaukat breaks down , feeling that his characters are not being controlled the way he wanted them to be but at the same time, the dilemma of his own situation does not appear to be strongly put across. In fact, it's very confusing and the impact of his dilemma is lost in a blur of what follows. Antara rightfully asks him “why it is that her coming home at 4.30am should not bother him”. But there are no answers really. It does bother him but what more is trying to prove? His response that she should come back for him and not for the fact that she is married, is trying to stretch the game a little too much.

His further justification as to her calling him “tum” and not “aap” being a progression of her own identity, so as to speak, also fails to make a mark because in fact, within the first scene itself, you have Antara refer to him as “tum” when in a fit, he empties out his cupboard. Rather perfunctory really.

Yadav also fails to perhaps see that this is something which is going to be unpalatable to Indian audiences. No one is going to readily accept the premise of her plot and indeed, what follows. However, she tries to dress it up in bollywood style with the character of Yash, a dreadfully miscast and inept Zayed Khan. The whole romance (?) between Antara and Yash is clichéd and tritely done. You therefore dillydally in what could have been made into a dark and deeper tale of obsession, of what is real and what is not and the usual love triangle.

You are also not really convinced by Shaukat's reasoning. Is this a man's descent into madness, where he blurs reality and fiction? That link is made but never really put across strongly. Its almost as if the ideas are all there on paper but execution of what are essentially, obtuse and abstract ideas, simply fails to take place. Instead, you end up with a collage of images, primarily of letters, the thumping of a typewriter and the beauty of Antara. Certainly, potentially, this could have made for an interesting film but sadly it falters almost before it actually gets started. This is a huge shame because you have to give Yadav credit for trying to be different. Yadav is also seemingly more concerned with style over content. Please enlighten me as to which writer or author today, still uses a type-writer and not a computer? Visions of Dutt bashing away at the type-writer conjured images of Cronenberg's “the Naked Lunch” which also dealt with reality and fiction but due to very different reasons.

It is refreshing to see Sanjay Dutt in a role which takes him away from his gangster flicks and he is effective as Shaukat. Aishwarya Rai looks ethereal and gives a good performance which shows that she needs to be directed well.

Zayed Khan is completely at sea, looking like a teenybopper who has stepped out of the Main hoon na sets. It is simply baffling how Yadav could have written this character the way she did. Given that she was perhaps looking for two extremes in ages, the whole feel of the character is wrong. Khan simply cannot rise above this and simply tries to project a charming if rather infantile man in love. The photography is stunning as is the setting of the film. Musically, a couple of songs are interesting but almost seem to impede the rather slow proceedings.

On the whole, Shabd is a letdown, sadly and one promises much more than it delivers.