Shivam Bhaje

Abdul Apsar Hussain’s Shivam Bhaje is an ambitious attempt to push between the worlds of supernatural suspense and contemporary Telugu drama. The story starts with a young man who comes across some weird mysterious deaths, related to a powerful corporation, for which the film starring Ashwin Babu and Digangana Suryavanshi released in theatres on 1st August 2024. But using a genre that runs on suspense and a promising premise, the movie has fetched mixed responses from audiences as well as critics alike. An in-depth review of the film.

Plot

Chandu (Ashwin Babu) is a loan recovery agent, who develops feelings for Sailaja (Digangana Suryavanshi) in Shivam Bhaje. But after an unwelcome accident, he loses sight temporarily. After Chandu suffers successful surgery to restore his vision he begins to witness some most unusual and uncomfortable occurrences which are solely linked to a company named Binary Chemical Pvt Ltd who are responsible for some of the murders.

But as he unravels the mystery he notices that this may have something to do with larger geopolitical forces between Pakistan and China. It covers Chandu’s search for the answers, the people who killed him, and the sinister motives behind the killings!

Performance

After his successful outing as Hidimba, Ashwin Babu strikes another home run as the protagonist, Chandu, his struggle, frustration, and determination are all captured live on screen. Sailaja’s role played by Digangana Suryavanshi perfectly complements Babu’s character and gives an emotional weight to the storyline.

Hyper Aadi briefs you with moments of comic relief, while Arbaaz Khan gives you the stout presence of a police officer as he treads the film’s bit serious tone. Things, though, are enhanced by the rest of the cast, namely, Tanikella Bharani and Murali Sharma who offer credible performances in their supporting roles, but whose characters are quite limited. Much of the appeal of this film is based on the performances, each of which has a slightly different touch.

Direction and Screenplay

Vision for Shivam Bhaje: We wanted to make a supernatural thriller with a lot of suspenseful twists: Abdul Apsar Hussain On the face of it, the idea is a good one, but it doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Far more often in the screenplay, the scenes feel unconnected and don’t create the desired suspense. The plot is often lost amidst the narrative so the viewer struggles to find their way back into the story line. Some scenes are supposed to create a feeling of mystery, but they never reach far enough to be effective.

Music

The film requires a supernatural theme, and the music fits with the film, actually written by Vikas Badisa. Badisa‘s score serves only to further the already creepy and mysterious atmosphere and heightens tension. The soundtrack doesn’t entirely make up for the screenplay’s pacing issues, but it hasn’t done much for the film having narrative gaps that hold it back.

Theme

Shivam Bhaje explores the meeting points of the supernatural and of the modern world, dealing with corruption, manipulation, and the effects of international and corporate forces on daily life. The film through Chandu’s journey talks of the idea of the unseen forces at work behind an average person facing a larger system. What (very) interesting themes, but not fully developed due to the bounds of the story and pacing.

Conclusion

Shivam Bhaje is a potential thriller but ends up being a bit bland, due to an uninspiring plot and a fairly inconsistent way of telling the story. The fact that Ashwin Babu and Arbaaz Khan do an adequate job shouldn’t take away from the sad truth that the film’s storytelling problems prevent it from being a person great supernatural suspension film experience. But Shivam Bhaje may not delight a looking for a gripping thriller. It’s slow-paced and has a poorly developed story, and it’s probably best suited of ibomma movies for a casual viewing than an intense thriller experience.