A Wednesday

I cannot explain in words the way Indian cinema has matured over the years. I remember Nagesh Kukunoor’s comment while accepting the award for Best Story for Dor at an award function – ‘we all have stories to tell and I encourage our film makers to do so’. A Wednesday is a good story with above average screenplay, very good direction and stellar performances. It may not be as well shot as Aamir or have the emotions of Mumbai Meri Jaan, but I rate it higher than both these movies and put it in the category of Rang De (top notch) – just for being a complete in all aspects

They say ‘all’s well that ends well’ and I believe for a movie a powerful, meaningful end is what can distinguish it from being average as against very good. And Naseeruddin Shah’s monologue in the last 15 minutes of the movie and the last shot of the movie distinguish A Wednesday into an above average movie. Naseeruddin Shah and Anupan Kher, acting in one movie after a long gap (I read that the last they were seen together were in China Gate in 1999), prove that they are one of the finest actors in the industry. My philosophy of the writer and director of the movie being same is again proved with debutant director Neeraj Pandey who has not only written the story and directed the movie but also written the screenplay. I am guessing he knew exactly how he was going to narrate it and hence the direction of the movie also seems flawless – so much so that he even explains why he has called the movie ‘A Wednesday’

Some of the finer details in the story, screenplay and direction which I liked were –
The last shot where Anupam Kher does not tell us the name of the protagonist (Naseer) because one would link the name to a religion,

The shots during the titles of the movies where they have shown the protagonist walk into a train station with a bag and leave without one creating suspicion in the mind of the viewer as to his intentions,

The partial face shots of ‘the man behind all the terrorist attacks’ while one of the inspectors is introducing the four terrorists and those being mixed with shots of Naseer on the top of the building,

When the protagonist is asked if he lost someone dear, he narrating the story of a boy who traveled with him in the train adds a lot of the strength to the character of Naseer and also adds strength to the ‘common man’ suggesting that you don’t have to lose a family member to do such an act and it could be just because you felt for an acquaintance and the loss of his family members

The movie starts off well introducing all the characters and moves along at a gripping pace. Though the story on the whole may seems a little far fetched, Neeraj Pandey has covered every detail to ensure the genuineness of it. I didn’t feel any shot in the movie was unnecessary and each one was building a character or the story. Even until the last shot of the movie we are not sure about Anupam Kher’s intentions and at one point it seemed like his ego was going to make him arrest / kill the protagonist. Even though the movie had a message, the monologue by Naseer did not seem like he was preaching.

Overall a MUST WATCH… especially for every Bombayaite who has witnessed how Bombay has always been a terrorist target – be it the riots of 1992, blasts of 1993 and 2006 blasts.