Movie Name : Sabdham
Release Date : February 28, 2025
Cast : Aadhi, Lakshmi Menon,Simran, Laila, Redin Kingsley, MS Baskar, Rajiv Menon, Vivek Prasanna etc.
Director : Arivazhagan Venkatachalam
Music Director : Thaman S
Andhrawatch.com Rating : 2.5/5
Story:
In a prestigious medical college, two mysterious deaths occur back-to-back, sparking fear and rumors of paranormal activity. To avoid media attention and protect the institution’s reputation, the management enlists the help of Vyuma Vaidyalingam (Aadhi), a paranormal investigator known for solving cases by detecting unheard sounds and communicating with spirits.
As Vyuma begins his investigation, suspicion falls on Avantika (Lakshmi Menon), a student working at the college. Just when he starts piecing the puzzle together, another girl is found dead, deepening the mystery.
While uncovering eerie connections between the deaths, Vyuma makes a shocking discovery—the presence of 42 spirits haunting the college! But who are they? How are they linked to the victims? And what is Avantika’s true connection to these tragedies?
Review:
Aadhi Pinisetty is intense in his performance, having no problem bringing together fear, determination, and emotional turmoil. His performance of Vyuma, a ghost detective who unravels spooky secrets, is credible and interesting. The movie is also the return of Simran and Laila, with their characters developed to depth. Lakshmi Menon as the female lead is well-entrenched into her character, while supporting players such as Abhinaya, Redin Kingsley, and Rajiv Menon contribute significantly to the storyline.
The first half of Sabdham is intense, filled with spine-chilling horror scenes and nail-biting moments. The second half loses pace, getting into a predictable routine with a standard flashback to account for the supernatural occurrences. Though horror movies live on imagination, Sabdham cannot keep up its curiosity, and some of the moments seem repetitive.
Though its storytelling is flawed, Sabdham is strong in presenting horror through its distinctive sound design and haunting visuals. The score by Thaman adds to the spooky environment, engaging the audience. Pacing problems and the absence of new turns in the second half weaken the impact, and the climax is less effective than anticipated.
With its crisp production standards, strong performances and good execution of horror scenes, Sabdham provides a spine-chilling experience.
But, despite the uneven script and tedium in the second half, it falls short of being a high-grade horror thriller. Although die-hard horror enthusiasts may appreciate the creepy scenes, general audiences may find it interest only in patches.