# Silence... Can You Hear It?
**Silence... Can You Hear It?** is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language murder mystery thriller film written and directed by Aban Bharucha Deohans, produced by [Zee Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/zee-studios) and Candid Creations, and digitally released on the streaming platform ZEE5 on 26 March 2021[1](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/silence-can-you-hear-it-am277027). It stars [Manoj Bajpayee](https://www.edgepedia.org/manoj-bajpayee) as the police officer ACP Avinash Verma, with [Prachi Desai](https://www.edgepedia.org/prachi-desai), Arjun Mathur, Barkha Singh, and Sahil Vaid in supporting roles[2](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/silence-can-you-hear-it/0-0-369273).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 26 March 2021, direct-to-digital on ZEE5 (India)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13698928/) |
| Director and writer | Aban Bharucha Deohans, her feature-film directorial debut after the short film *Teaspoon*[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html) |
| Runtime and language | 2h 16m (136 minutes), Hindi[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13698928/) |
| Lead cast | Manoj Bajpayee (ACP Avinash Verma), Prachi Desai (Inspector Sanjana Bhatia), Arjun Mathur (MLA Ravi Khanna), Barkha Singh (Pooja Choudhary)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_can_you_hear_it/cast-and-crew) |
| Genre | Crime, mystery and thriller[2](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/silence-can-you-hear-it/0-0-369273) |
| IMDb rating | 6.6/10 from about 6.1K votes; 3 award nominations[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13698928/) |
| Sequel | *Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout*, released on ZEE5 on 16 April 2024[6](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/zee5-announces-sequel-to-manoj-bajpayees-2021-thriller-movie-silence/cid/1954809) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The film opens with a group of young trekkers stumbling upon the body of a young woman. The victim is Pooja Chaudhary ([Barkha Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/barkha-singh)), daughter of retired Justice Chaudhary (Shishir Sharma), and the death has no witnesses or proofs[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html). The justice asks the Police Commissioner to assign the case to ACP Avinash Verma (Manoj Bajpayee), described as a hot-headed, impatient officer who has not followed rules in his career[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html).
Verma works with a special team of three officers: Sanjana Bhatia (Prachi Desai), Amit Chauhan (Sahil Vaid), and Raj Gupta (Vaquar Shaikh). The suspicion initially settles on Ravi Khanna ([Arjun Mathur](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-mathur)), a young politician whose comatose wife was Pooja's close friend[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html). The trailer and promotional material marketed the film as a whodunit in which every character hides the truth[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/silence-can-you-hear-it-trailer-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-arjun-mathur-zee5-film-7230794/).
### Sequel
In July 2023, ZEE5 announced a follow-up film, with Deohans returning as director and Bajpayee reprising his role of ACP Avinash Verma, alongside Prachi Desai, Sahil Vaid, and Vaquar Shaikh[6](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/zee5-announces-sequel-to-manoj-bajpayees-2021-thriller-movie-silence/cid/1954809). *[Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout](https://www.edgepedia.org/silence-2-the-night-owl-bar-shootout)* released on ZEE5 on 16 April 2024, placing Verma and his team on a new murder case, the killing of a minister's assistant in a mass shootout[11](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/what-silence-means-to-manoj-prachi/20240403.htm) • [12](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/78245/silence).
## Production and release
Deohans, an advertising filmmaker and author previously known for the short film *Teaspoon*, made this her first feature[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html). Bajpayee said the film was shot during the COVID-19 lockdown, which he described as a difficult and risky time for the crew[8](https://hbnnpress.com/silence/). It was the first film in the whodunit genre for Bajpayee, who had been in the industry for more than 25 years at that point[8](https://hbnnpress.com/silence/).
**Casting notes.** Prachi Desai played a police officer for the first time in this film and said the role made her nervous; her character Sanjana was written, in Deohans' words, to be "womanly" rather than harsh[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/silence-can-you-hear-it-trailer-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-arjun-mathur-zee5-film-7230794/) • [9](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2021/epaper/march/bhubaneswar-english-edition-2021-03-06.pdf). For Desai the film was also an OTT debut and a return to screen after her 2017 film *Carbon*[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/silence-can-you-hear-it-trailer-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-arjun-mathur-zee5-film-7230794/).
## Reception
The film was well received on ZEE5 and appeared on Ormax Stream Track's Top 10 OTT Originals for the week of 26 March to 1 April 2021[8](https://hbnnpress.com/silence/). Its IMDb rating stands at 6.6/10 from about 6.1K votes[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13698928/).
Reviews were mixed to positive. The Filmibeat review rated it 3 out of 5, praising Bajpayee's performance but noting that the screenplay lost grip in places and that the red herrings failed to sustain suspense once the director revealed her cards[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html). A Pioneer review rated it 6.5/10 and highlighted Deohans' movement between past and present along with Bajpayee's performance[10](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2021/epaper/march/lucknow-english-edition-2021-03-28.pdf). Rediff later described the film as a song-less thriller that received good reviews[11](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/what-silence-means-to-manoj-prachi/20240403.htm).
## References
1. [Silence: Can You Hear It (2021) - AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/silence-can-you-hear-it-am277027)
2. [Silence...Can You Hear It? on ZEE5](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/silence-can-you-hear-it/0-0-369273)
3. [Silence: Can You Hear It (2021) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13698928/)
4. [Silence...Can You Hear It? Movie Review - Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2021/silence-can-you-hear-it-movie-review-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-311676.html)
5. [Silence-Can You Hear It? Cast and Crew - Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silence_can_you_hear_it/cast-and-crew)
6. [ZEE5 announces sequel to Manoj Bajpayee's 2021 thriller movie Silence - Telegraph India](https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/zee5-announces-sequel-to-manoj-bajpayees-2021-thriller-movie-silence/cid/1954809)
7. [Silence Can You Hear It trailer - The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/silence-can-you-hear-it-trailer-manoj-bajpayee-prachi-desai-arjun-mathur-zee5-film-7230794/)
8. [Here's what Manoj Bajpayee has to say on the success of ZEE5's Silence…Can You Hear It? - HBNN News](https://hbnnpress.com/silence/)
9. [Daily Pioneer, Bhubaneswar edition, 6 March 2021](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2021/epaper/march/bhubaneswar-english-edition-2021-03-06.pdf)
10. [Daily Pioneer, Lucknow edition, 28 March 2021](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2021/epaper/march/lucknow-english-edition-2021-03-28.pdf)
11. [What Silence Means To Manoj, Prachi - Rediff.com movies](https://www.rediff.com/movies/report/what-silence-means-to-manoj-prachi/20240403.htm)
12. [Silence - TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/78245/silence)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2020s › Hindi films of 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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