Rating: 3/5
ZEE5’s thrilling whodunnit, Silence… Can You Hear It? maintains enough suspense that manages to hold its ground. With superb performances, this film is a welcome refreshment in the genre.
Story
A retired judge, Justice Chaudhary, is faced with a nightmarish situation when his daughter, Pooja (Barkha Singh), is found brutally murdered on a hiking trail by trekkers. The matter soon catapults to priority number one and ACP Avinash Verma (Manoj Bajpayee) is roped in to catch the culprit.
A reputation of rule breaking and unconventional methods precedes Verma, and he uses his unique abilities to try and get quick results. A set of three officers — Sanjana Bhatia (Prachi Desai), Amit Chauhan (Sahil Vaid), and Raj Gupta (Vaquar Sheikh) join the restless ACP as his investigations lead him to suspect a politician, Ravi Khanna (Arjun Mathur).
Pooja was last seen with the prime suspect and was also his hospitalised wife’s best friend. The seemingly open and shut case however, has numerous aces up its sleeve and Verma will stop at nothing to unfurl them.
Performances
Manoj Bajpayee’s role in Silence… Can You Hear It? is its biggest strength. The actor does enough to separate his character from The Family Man, but still features his signature one liners and dark humour. His quirks are an added bonus as is his eccentric personality, which eventually ends up being the building block of this narrative.
Prachi Desai and Arjun Mathur shine as their respective characters. It is probably the first time Desai gets into the skin of a character that is anything but subtle and sweet. Mathur too showcases immense range with the layers his character is exacted to portray.
The rest of the cast do not get much screen time but put their best foot forward with what they’ve got to work with.
Positives
Aside from the performances, Silence… Can You Hear It? is blessed with a good premise and enough justice is done to it, thanks to director Aban Bharucha Deohans.
The entire investigation process is engaging and keeps you hooked. The identity of the killer might end up being a controversial topic but the build-up to it is not disappointing.
The cinematography is gritty and intense, and the background music adds to the thrill, preventing the plot from falling flat.
Negatives
The prime negative aspect of the film is probably its predictability factor. The screenplay let’s this potentially great murder mystery down as, despite the red herrings, it is fairly simple to deduce the identity of the killer.
Furthermore, the editing is soggy at some points, however, the film barely escapes becoming a drag at those moments, owing to Bajpayee’s presence that prevents the narrative from dipping.
To nit-pick further, there are certain whodunnit clichés that are not lost on Silence… Can You Hear It? From a troubled and offbeat protagonist to a predictable motive for murder, these tropes are hard to miss.
Worth it?
Silence… Can You Hear It? may not be perfect but holds enough ground to end up being an entertaining watch. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, Bajpayee’s performance calls for giving this murder mystery a chance.
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