Sabdham
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''Sabdham'' () is a 2025 Indian
Tamil language Tamil (, , , also written as ''Tamizhil'' according to linguistic pronunciation) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world,. "Tamil is one of ...
horror thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
written and directed by
Arivazhagan Venkatachalam Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is an Indian film director in Tamil cinema known for his 2009 thriller film '' Eeram''. Career Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is a gold medalist from the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. He went on ...
. The film is jointly produced by Siva and S. Banupriya Siva under 7G Films and AAlpha Frames and stars
Aadhi ''Aadhi'' is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal in the title role (in his debut role) and with an ense ...
and Lakshmi Menon. The film was announced in December 2022, along with the title of the film.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced the same month in
Munnar Munnar () is a town located in the Idukki district of the southwestern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. This ancient plantat ...
along with a schedule in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
and later in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
and wrapped by late-September 2023. The film has music composed by
S. Thaman Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Sivakumar (born 16 November 1983), professionally credited as Thaman S, is an Indian composer and playback singer known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is the recipient of the National Film Award f ...
, cinematography handled by Arun Bathmanaban and editing by V. J. Sabu Joseph. Sabdham premiered in theaters on February 28, 2025, garnering positive reviews from critics. The film was lauded for its narration, storytelling, technical brilliance, sound design, and unique approach, which offered a distinct and creative narrative. The acting performances of the cast, including Aadhi, Lakshmi Menon,
Simran Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ, pronunciation: ; ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Hindi and Punjabi word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of the self, ...
and
Laila Leila (, , ) is a feminine given name primarily found in the Middle East, including all Arab countries, as well as Iran, Turkey, and Israel. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, ...
, were also widely praised. Additionally, Thaman's score received significant acclaim, making it a hit at the box office.


Plot

The film revolves around paranormal investigator Ruben from Mumbai and his investigation of the deaths in a medical college in Munnar. His belief system and scientific evidence clash and what happens further forms the reminder of the movie.


Cast


Production


Development

On 14 December 2022,
Arivazhagan Venkatachalam Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is an Indian film director in Tamil cinema known for his 2009 thriller film '' Eeram''. Career Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is a gold medalist from the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. He went on ...
announced that he was collaborating with
Aadhi Pinisetty Aadhi Pinisetty is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil and Telugu films. He is the recipient of a Nandi Award and a SIIMA Award, in addition to two nominations for Filmfare Awards South. Born to film director Ravi Raja Pinisetty, he debuted ...
after ''
Eeram ''Eeram'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language horror thriller film written and directed by Arivazhagan in his directorial debut and produced by S. Shankar. The film stars Aadhi Pinisetty, Nandaa and Sindhu Menon. Saranya Mohan, Srinath, ...
'' (2009) for his next directional. Touted to be in the
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
genre, Venkatachalam stated "After ''Eeram'', I've done films mainly in the
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
and
action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...
genres, and now, with this film, I'm returning to horror." He described that "
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
horror" is more suitable for the film than "
comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...
", " thriller horror" and " romantic horror". Siva of 7G Films and S. Banupriya Siva of AAlpha Frames jointly funded the film. Venkatachalam and Pinisetty would be reuniting with
Thaman S Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Sivakumar (born 16 November 1983), professionally credited as Thaman S, is an Indian composer and playback singer known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is the recipient of the National Film Award f ...
, as he also was part of ''Eeram''. Arun Bathmanaban of '' Magamuni'' (2019) fame was roped in to handle the cinematography, while
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
winner Winner(s) or The Winner(s) may refer to: * Champion, the victor in a game or contest *The successful social class in winner and loser culture Film * ''The Winner'' (1926 film), an American silent film starring Billy Sullivan * ''The Winner'' ...
V. J. Sabu Joseph was crewed to edit the film. Venkatachalam further stated "We will be shooting it in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
, but will simultaneously be releasing a dubbed version in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
", which was also followed for ''Eeram''.


Casting

On 27 February 2023, it was announced that Lakshmi Menon was cast to play the lead actress role in the film, pairing opposite Aadhi for the first time. Venkatachalam stated "All I can reveal is that it er rolewill be a performance-orientated role, something we haven't witnessed before." On 4 March,
Redin Kingsley Redin Kingsley (born 16 April 1977) is an Indian actor and comedian who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for his loud style of speech and comedic expressions in films. Personal life Redin Kingsley married the te ...
was announced to have been cast as a
comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...
in the film. Five days later,
Laila Leila (, , ) is a feminine given name primarily found in the Middle East, including all Arab countries, as well as Iran, Turkey, and Israel. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, ...
was announced to be part of the cast, while
Simran Simran (Gurmukhi: ਸਿਮਰਨ, pronunciation: ; ; from Sanskrit: , ''smaraṇa'', 'to remember, reminisce, recollect'), in spirituality, is a Hindi and Punjabi word referring to the continuous remembrance of the finest aspect of the self, ...
was also announced as other important character as Laila, seven days later. Arivazhagan Venkatachalam described them both as "Very professionals and co-operative." And stated "As performers, they are single-take artistes, who absorb the character's requirements before we shoot and are fully focused during their shots."


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
commenced on 14 December 2022, with the first schedule in
Munnar Munnar () is a town located in the Idukki district of the southwestern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. This ancient plantat ...
. A college set was erected in the schedule, spending around 1 crore for it. The schedule concluded by 14 February 2023. The second schedule in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
began in late-February, with Lakshmi Menon joining the sets by 24 February 2023. Simran and Laila began filming their respective sequences by 18 March 2023. The third schedule, which was filmed in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, concluded by 16 May 2023. On 27 September 2023, principal photography for the film was wrapped.


Music

The songs and background score are composed
Thaman S Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Sivakumar (born 16 November 1983), professionally credited as Thaman S, is an Indian composer and playback singer known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is the recipient of the National Film Award f ...
, in his fourth collaboration with
Arivazhagan Venkatachalam Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is an Indian film director in Tamil cinema known for his 2009 thriller film '' Eeram''. Career Arivazhagan Venkatachalam is a gold medalist from the M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute. He went on ...
after ''
Eeram ''Eeram'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language horror thriller film written and directed by Arivazhagan in his directorial debut and produced by S. Shankar. The film stars Aadhi Pinisetty, Nandaa and Sindhu Menon. Saranya Mohan, Srinath, ...
'' (2009), ''
Vallinam ''Vallinam'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language sports film written and directed by Arivazhagan and produced by Aascar Ravichandran. The film stars Nakul and newcomer Mrudhula Basker, while Atul Kulkarni, Siddharth Jonnalagadda, Anaswara K ...
'' (2014) and ''
Aarathu Sinam ''Aarathu Sinam'' () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by Arivazhagan and produced by Sri Thenandal Films. A remake of Jeethu Joseph's Malayalam film ''Memories'' (2013), the film stars Arulnithi, Aishwar ...
'' (2016); third with Aadhi in a lead role after ''Eeram'' and ''
Ayyanar Aiyanar (, ) is a Village deities of South India, Tamil folk deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst rural Tamils, Tamil people. Some studies suggest that Ayyanar may have also been worshipped in Southeast ...
'' (2010). The first single "Maaya Maaya" released on 13 February 2025. The second single "Grandma Song" released on 23 February 2025.


Release


Theatrical

''Sabdham'' released in theatres on 28 February 2025 in its original Tamil language, and in Telugu. The film was certified U/A 13+ by the
Central Board of Film Certification The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory Motion picture content rating system, film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of ...
.


Reception

A critic of ''
Dinamalar ''Dinamalar'' is an Indian Tamil daily newspaper. It was founded in 1951 by T. V. Ramasubba Iyer. ''Dinamalar'' has an average circulation of 689,773 ( ABC Jan–Jun 2022). History Dinamalar was founded by T. V. Ramasubbaiyer on 6 September ...
'' rated the film 2.75/5 stars and wrote, " Despite having a innovative idea, the film lacks the emotional connection. However praised the cinematography, music and background score. M Suganth of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Sabdham remains intriguing until the first half when along with its protagonist, we, too, remain puzzled about what's happening. ..the post-interval portions soon devolve into something that's fairly generic. The writing doesn't build up on the mysteries and turns very convenient and routine" Anusha Sundar of ''
OTTPlay HT Media is an Indian mass media company based in Delhi. It has holdings in print, electronic and digital media. HT Media's flagship newspaper is the ''Hindustan Times'', the second most widely read English newspaper in India after ''The Times of ...
'' gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Sabdham is a technically strong film which sets a great premise for a horror film. If you go past some cliches, you begin to feel the film is getting somewhere. But falls into the pit of stereotypes with no extraordinary choices, and becomes a regular template-adhering story." Gopinath Rajendran of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote "In an attempt to be safe and sound with its concept, ''Sabdham'' misses the high notes it requires to work, making us a mute spectator of director Arivazhagan’s most underwhelming feature film outing yet." Prashanth Vallavan of ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
'' rated 2/5 and wrote, "Even though the film has a number of interesting ideas, they do not rise up in coherence to create a pleasing symphony. Instead, all we get is a discordant cacophony of several story elements forcefully made to fit together." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of ''
News 18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief, a ...
'' rated 2.5/5 and wrote, "The technical brilliance of Sabdham is resounding. The sound design of the horror sequence reveals immense dedication. The interval sequence is perhaps the boldest and most experimental attempt in Tamil horror and that alone warrants a watch."


References


External links

* {{Arivazhagan Venkatachalam 2020s Indian films 2020s Tamil-language films 2025 films Adventure horror films Films directed by Arivazhagan Venkatachalam Films scored by Thaman S Films set in universities and colleges Films shot in Chennai Films shot in Mumbai Films shot in Munnar Indian comedy horror films Indian horror films Indian horror thriller films Indian romantic horror films Tamil-language Indian films