"A Wednesday" - Review and Reflections...

"On the whole, A Wednesday is cinema at its best" - SantaBanta.com

“A Wednesday is an intelligent diatribe against terrorism, refreshingly packaged as a racy thriller, reminiscent of the Diehard series. One of the most original dramas on aaj ka burning issue” – TOI

“In short, A Wednesday is amongst the finest -- and bravest -- films to come out in 2008. Just one word to describe it: Remarkable!” – OneIndia.com

“Unlike many typical Bollywood films, A Wednesday gives you the opportunity to reflect and be your own judge when it comes to terrorism” – Deccan Herald

Need I say more? If you think so then read on…

Hi friends

This review may be a spoiler to those who did not see the movie. So do read at your own risk. I assure you though, do come and read it after you have seen the film because you will be able to put the bits and pieces together much better.

The movie:

The Mumbai Police Commissioner receives a phone call about a bomb threat. After actually finding one of the bombs, the Police become serious and give in to the caller’s demands of the release of 4 terrorists in exchange of the location of the remaining bombs. But the story makes a dramatic U-turn in the last 20 minutes when the audience realizes what is it that the caller wants to achieve through this act of his.

The main cast:

Naseeruddin Shah plays the role of the caller. This is perhaps his best role ever in a movie dominated by two actors who are considered the best in their league – himself and Anupam Kher. His emotions at the ending certainly moved the audiences and gave them something to think about. His role as an “aam aadmi” and as a “dangerous terrorist” really demands perfection and he was perfect!

Anupam Kher plays the role of the Commissioner of Police. He shows the pressures associated with the job and how every small minor thing has to be taken into consideration before making a decision. Sharing the screen-space with Shah was never going to be easy, but he made sure that both of them make the movie the one to must-watch. This has got to be one of the best roles he has played yet.

Aamir Bashir plays the role of one of the two main cops involved with this case. He shows how cops can keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives and how one should keep calm under pressure. Needless to say, his performance was too good. Pity that he doesn’t get too may roles in Bollywood. Well, we are the losers, not him.

Jimmy Shergill played the role of the other cop, who was more like the angry-good cop in the duo. For me, he was the steal of the movie, as he finally showed what role suits him the best. His glare was enough to send shivers down my spine (and even the spine of the toughest goondas in the movie). Finally, I am beginning to appreciate him as an actor. I hope he does similar roles in the future as such roles bring out the best in him.

Deepal Shaw didn’t have much role to play. But as a journalist, she highlighted the fact of how the TV news channels try to sensationalize the news, in the best possible manner. Her role was limited and she played her part well. She still needs to improve on her accent though.

Chetan Pandit plays the role of the CM of Mararashtra. He is effective in portraying the true man behind the cloack of the CM and on how he does care for the public. He also shows that "Anupam Kher may be the Police Commissioner, but he still answers to me." Kali Prasad Mukherjee plays the role of the main terrorist. He showed how terrorists are also humans and that when death stares at them in the face, they try to justify their lives by talking about how important their lives have been so far. His changes of emotions were easily seen and his fears captured well.

The message:

The main message of the movie was clear – Don’t underestimate the power of the “stupid common man” and never take him for granted. He may not be the smartest person in the world, but he certainly has a limit to his patience. “Ek aam aadmi ki hil gayi” – that’s how Jimmy Shergill puts it into perspective.

But the main message is not revealed until the end of the movie. Along the way lots of small and subtle things were highlighted.

1. When the CM himself says “Bhashan dene mein aur negotiation karne mein pharak hota hai Prakash”, he clearly tells us that the CM is a leader, but not always the man to look upto in a tough situation. He had no choice but to give Anupam Kher full power and authority over the situation and trust him fully.

2. “The Electric Baba” scene shows us how the media tries to sensationalize even the silliest of news and chiti ka pahad bahana is what they are really good at.

3. The state of the informer shows that loyalty is not always rewarded in the way one expects to be. The informer had to go through a lot inspite of co-operating with the police.

4. The hacker clearly highlights the need for a more modern and techno-savvy approach of the police.

5. In one of his dialogues, Naseer shows how people tend to misjudge the motives of a person just because of his/her name and refuses to give a name because his being a Hindu/Muslim will stereotype his motives in the eyes of the Commissioner.

6. When Naseer says that "Jab aapke ghar mein cockroach ghusta hai, toh use paalthe nahin hain", he demonstrates that the country is akin to a home for all of us. It is the indivisual who runs the country and not the party or the government. We are all responsible for what is happening around us.

Overall Take:

A must watch movie for one and all. A few expletives in the movie have been covered up, so it’s recommended that even kids be shown this movie to understand the plight of the common man. I saw the movie twice on the same day in the same theatre. I am sure you will agree with me that I was not crazy in doing so.

Rating: 9.5 on 10 or 4.5 stars

Varun Reddy.

Teaser Trailer 1: 30-second clip that makes the viewer want more!

Teaser Trailer 2: Well, it's like the ideal-length skirt - Long enough to cover the main issues and short enough to be interesting!