Movie Review - A Wednesday

Movie: The Wednesday

Cast: Anupam Kher, Aamir Bashir, Deepal Shaw, Gaurav Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah,

Rajpal Yadav, Jimmy Shergill

Director of photography: Fuwad KhanSound

Designer: Rakesh Ranjan

Producer: Anjum Rizvi, Shital Bhatia

Banner: Anjum Rizvi Film Company

Director: Neeraj Pandey

An angry common man wages his war against the system of "A Wednesday.

Now, here's a film that could make your day. Do not go home frolicking with joy and singing sweet songs shot at scenic spots in some distant continent. On Wednesday there is nothing that Bollywood guck and tricks. What it does have is a fascinating story, directed with skill and imagination of the writer and director Neeraj Pandey. And it has wonderful performances by its two leading men, but little charismatic appeal - Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher.

"A Wednesday" is a movie set right in our backyard, in Mumbai. And speaking of terrorism from a new angle. The antagonist in it does not come with a stereotyped religious label. In fact, he does not have a label at all. He is a 'common man' who vents his anguish by taking into the system and try to knock their knees. Only a dogged police commissioner may thwart his mission.

Anupam Kher plays the cop over. In a fateful Wednesday he received a call from a man who claims to have planted bombs in different parts of the city, set to go off at half past six p.m.. The caller (Naseeruddin Shah, the great) describes himself as a "common man" and demands the release of four terrorists, if the impending calamity must be avoided.

The threat sends police into overdrive, as the Commissioner, with the help of an ETA (Jimmy Shergill) and a tough cop (Aamir Bashir) and a journalist (Deepal Shaw), tries to thwart the common man is rare dangerous plan. The highlight of the film keeps you gripped despite opening his letters from the beginning. Yes, he says at the beginning what the end will be. What keeps you hooked is how the plot meanders through many twists and turns before reaching its outcome predictable.

Neeraj Pandey Congratulations and his technical team to build a movie clear, consistent and passionate about a subject that is beginning to function more often in Bollywood films. But hats off to Naseer bhai for another memorable performance. Per inch of your skin every Naseer bhai look is distressed that the antagonist occupies clubs against the system in an extreme way. Anupam Kher manages to strike a balance calculated in calm, in control and panic in performance.

Jimmy Shergill is much better than what we've seen the last of him. Aamir Bashir shows only flashes of a good performance. Deepal Shaw is well.

What is wrong is how little preachy film slips towards the end. After all, the last thing we need at the end of the day is a conference. This and a few quirks aside, "A clock Wednesday paisa vasool ago.

Rating: *** 1 / 2