Debutant director Neeraj Pandey’s A Wednesday is about the aam junta who is trapped in mundane realities of eking out a survival in Mumbai (and now anywhere in India).
A Wednesday – movie review
The common man has almost got used to the idea that fundamentalism and terrorism is a way of life. But now he has finally been pushed over the edge. He is hurt and no longer willing to be the quiet victim. He has had enough!
Mumbai, the financial capital of India, the city that never sleeps, the city of dreams, fast paced and ever changing, home to Bollywood! A city of beauty but also a city that got scarred! A city whose foundation is slowly crumbling beneath its facade of invincibility.
A Wednestay tells the story of certain events that unfold between 2 and 6 pm on a particular Wednesday in this city. Events which do not exist in any record but which deeply affect the lives of those involved.
Prakash Rathod, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai (Anupam Kher), a man with an impossible sense of Integrity and Responsibility, gets a call demanding the release of four extremely dangerous militants within the next four hours. If it doesn’t happen, several bombs planted across the city would blow up. He has to make a choice between releasing the militants, who are responsible for the unaccountable damage to civilian lives and property and might even cause further irreparable damage or let Mumbai be ripped apart by blasts again.
Prakash Rathod is not a man who would give up easily. He leaves no stone unturned in order to track down the man who’s held the city at ransom. He gets a team of his best men together and taps all his resources. He steps up security in all public places – airport, stations, malls and multiplexes. A hacker is brought in to trace the calls and the location of the man, but they are always a step behind.
The Commissisoner decides that he cannot put innumerable lives at stake and thus hand picks two of his best officers ATS Officer Arik Khan (Jimmy Shergill) and Jai Pratap Singh PI (Aamir Bashir) to do the handover of the militants. It is then that events take a wild turn. Prakash Rathod and his team are confronted with an unimaginable and impossible situation.
The caller selects the newcomer Television Journalist Naina Roy (Deepal Shaw) to get credit for ‘Breaking News’. He informs her right from the beginning about the bomb planted at the Police Station and then onwards feeds her information about developments.
It is this turn of events that leaves behind an unforgettable memory! There is a reason why it has been kept a closely guarded secret! There is a reason why this case has no written evidence!
It is a no non-sense movie which unfolds just in 100 minutes. Each scene adds value to fast moving story line. Nice work by the cameraman who has captured the high rises of Mumbai.
A Wednesday has superlative performances from Naseer and Anupam Kher. Jimmy Shergil, as a super-cop whose fists talk faster than his mind thinks, Aamir Bashir, as a responsible cop and a loving family man, Deepal Shaw as an ambitious reporter hoping to get a name by breaking news.
Naseeruddin Shah can go from the obedient husband to a menacing terrorist to an angry civilian seamlessly. He is very natural and it is the most impressive performance by him.
The flick has a relevant theme, taut editing and well etched out characters, each comes with terrific performances. The screenplay is crisp and as a narrative, this is a well-orchestrated effort.
It is a thriller! A must see film for every Indian.
Cast of A Wednesday:
Anonymous Caller – Naseeruddin Shah
Prakash Rathod – Commissioner of Police – Anupam Kher
Arif Khan – ATS Officer – Jimmy Shergill
Jai Pratap Singh – PI Aamir Bashir
Naina Roy – Television Journalist – Deepal Shaw
Mohd. Zaheer, Rajendra Chawla, Snehal Dabi, Rohitash Gaud, Gaurav Kapoor, Aayam Mehta, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, Alok Narula, Parth, Veerendra Saxena, Parag Tyagi, Aakash Wadhkar
Crew of A Wednesday:
Story, Script & Direction – Neeraj Pandey
Directed by Neeraj Pandey
Produced by – Ronnie Screwvala, Shital Bhatia, Anjum Rizvi
Co-Producers – Zarina Mehta, Deven Khote, Siddharth Roy Kapur
Action – Sham Kaushal
Sound Designer – Rakesh Ranjan
Cinematographer – Fuwad Khan
Background Score – Sanjoy Chowdhury
Editor – Shree Narayan Singh
Associate Producers – Alpana Mishra, Usha Balram
Executive Producer – B L Gautam
Line Producer – Rajesh Ganguly
Art Director – Sunil Nigvekar
Publicity Design – Glimpse
Publicity Stills – Chandan Kachchawa
Costumes – Riyaz, Ali R Merchant
Make Up – Pappu Gondane
Production Controller – Chintu Shrivastava
A Wednesday, movie review
