Shamitabh

Danish (Dhanush), born mute in rural Igatpuri, loves films. He acts out scenes before his class, amazing his peers and teacher, and spends all his time in the local Paradise theatre. He even tries to board a Mumbai bus to go become a film star but is pulled off by his mothers friends. When he grows up, Daanish brings pakodas to the local video-store owner and watches films every day. His mother feigns illness and keeps him from going to Mumbai but when she dies, Daanish leaves for Mumbai.

Daanish gets into Film City past its guards and finds shelter in an actors vanity van, hiding under the sofa. Travelling around in the empty van, Daanish desperately tries to meet directors but cannot. He meets assistant director Akshara Pandey (Akshara Haasan) who is impressed by his talent. She shows his video, shot on her phone, to a director but he rejects casting a mute hero. Aksharas father, a doctor, treats Daanish after he gets into a fight with security guards.

On his recommendation, Daanish and Akshara arrive at Finland to meet his friend who shows Daanish their new Live Voice Transfer Technology, that uses embedded micro-recorders and ear-pieces and enables mute people to communicate via a borrowed voice.Akshara and Daanish return to Mumbai with the equipment and find Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan), a failed actor and drunkard. Although he was rejected because of his deep baritone, the duo are actually impressed with the same baritone and ask him to lend his voice to Daanish; he accepts, and signs an agreement not to disclose himself as Daanishs voice. Their first project becomes a major success and numerous film offers come for Daanish, now named Shamitabh (a portmanteau of Daanish and Amitabh).Amitabh, who is officially Daanishs valet, also wants a role in accepting or rejecting scripts.

He tells Daanish his voice is as big  if not bigger  a star than Daanishs talent. The friction between them grows. Amitabh gets fever and Daanish makes him take an injection. In retaliation, Amitabh makes Daanish accepts singing a song in his new film. Amitabh sings the song Piddly, but is horrified by its picturisation of toilets across snowy peaks, suggested by Daanish to tease him.

Daanish arrives at London to deliver a speech which Amitabh voices for him, but Daanish treats him like a servant. Amitabh later becomes inebriated and attacks a police officer, leading to his arrest, but Daanish bails him out.When the duo return to Mumbai, journalists ask Daanish if he is apologetic about the incident. Amitabh mischievously makes him reply in negative, much to Daanishs fury. The duo parts ways; Daanish plays a mute person in his next film, while Amitabh dubs for another actor in a different film.

Both films fail.Meanwhile, Akshara, who had gone to Sikkim to write a script for Daanish, returns but berates Daanish when he refuses to apologise to Amitabh. She forces Amitabh and Daanish to reconcile.A media reporter, having discovered the secret that Daanish was born mute, threatens to expose the duo but they decide to tell the truth and surprise the world. Daanish and Amitabh accept to work in Aksharas debut film, and Daanish tells Akshara that he loves her.

While Daanish and Amitabh are on the way to Aksharas film ceremony, they have a car accident; Daanish is killed while Amitabhs larynx is damaged, making him mute.Some time later, Amitabh paces around Daanishs grave with Aksharas script, imagining that Daanish is still alive and practicing his lines for the film.Srijana Mitra Das of Times of India gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated, Shamitabh has a doubly dramatic act - but less emotion. Indian Express gave the movie 2 stars.

Rajeev Masand of IBNLIVe gave the movie 2.5 stars stating The promising film comes undone by the curse of the second half. The Guardian gave average reviews describing the movie Amitabh Bachchan in affectionate but incoherent satire.