Loudspeaker Review: A refreshing take on an age-old debate about modern communication

Are mobile phones a boon or a bane? In Loudspeaker, director Shiva Tejas takes a look at this more than a decade old debate. But he gives it a refreshing and realistic take. The story, written by Abhishek, revolves around how the entire world is taking advantage of technology. The film comes with a simple story that revolves around a dangerous game, and in the end, a life lesson. 

Director: Shvia Tejas
Cast: Abhishek Jain, Kavya Shah, Sumanth Bhat, Anusha Rodrigues, Bhaskar Ninasam

A few friends along with their spouses gather for a weekend dinner, and decide to play a ‘Simple’ game, wherein every time any of them receives a call, it must be answered on speaker mode. In addition, every message or e-mail conversation has to be shared with all those present. This leads to some hilarious moments and uncomfortable situations with each one getting to know their spouse’s inner secrets, which might not have been revealed otherwise. The twist comes when Kavya (Kavya Sha) gets to know about her husband’s extramarital affairs, and subsequently, goes missing from the house party. The group panics and lands up at the police station. Why does Kavya go missing? Will they find her? What will be the aftermath of the game? The rest of the film answers these questions in a relatable manner.  

Director Shiva Tejas gives the film a realistic touch. Without getting preachy, he throws light on how social media has changed the nature of human communication. There are times in the film when we sit up and think about how mobile phones and various social network platforms have both empowered us and made us so dependent on them. Whether the film will change the way people perceive and use technology remains to be seen. 

A shout-out to dialogue-writer, Vijay Eshwar, whose lines are thought-provoking but also manage to bring out a smile or a laugh when needed. The film's lead cast manages to evoke the right responses and reactions, with good support from senior actor Ragayana Raghu. All the actors are relatable, especially in the way they communicate with each other and the way they seem to prefer virtual conversations to real ones.

The writer seems to have been inspired by international films, but has written the script to suit Indian sensibilities. Getting rid of unnecessary songs is a bold move. The film raises a lot of questions such as: Are social networking sites a potent weapon? Are they destroying human values? For the answers, we may need to look inwards. But by virtue of giving us much to think about, this film succeeds in what it sets out to do.