A Wednesday

A Wednesday, are among the best - and bravest - films to come out in 2008. Only one word to describe it: remarkable! A Wednesday tells the story of certain events that take place between 2 and 6 pm on a Wednesday in Mumbai. Events that are not on any record.

'A Wednesday,' questions the injustice done to the common man, when innocents meet their end, following bomb blasts. The story rests on the shoulders of two stalwarts, Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah supported ably by Jimmy Shergill and Aamir Bashir. As the city police commissioner, Anupam lends the role dignity and he has executed it brilliantly.

Naseeruddin Shah steals the show with his character. Jimmy Shergill is every inch the cool guy. Aamir Bashir leaves a mark too. Even the characters of the four militants has been portrayed well, especially Kali Prasad Mukherjee, the main terrorist

There is a reason that has been kept a closely guarded secret! There is a reason why this case has no written proof! There is a reason ..... for everything!

IT IS TRUE WHAT THEY SAY about greatness. It is always meant to be. No amount of planning or foresight or pundits with beards longer than their hands can ever truly make someone something one is not. If one is destined to be great – one is. Most times one wonders how much more one has to shout and scream so that people can take notice while other times…well, other times silences creep in so beautifully that we hardly recognize them and something breathe taking has already been created.

Before, dear reader, the assumption is made that I am off on a track quite abstract to the common man – ah, that word suddenly sounds so powerful – let me underline the topic I have chosen. I was browsing through my usual collection of review websites when I happened to get a glimpse of one interesting review. It was for a movie I had never heard of. Neither had I ever seen any publicity posters of it nor had I guessed it would feature two of my all time favorites – Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. The fact that no one else, except maybe the highly underestimated Jimmy Shergill, was even remotely recognizable on the credit list apart from these three did not deter me from giving it a shot. Bollywood these days is being showered with 'alternate' cinema that runs a delicate line between commercial masala-fundas and the documentary type approaches. In such a rain it is easy to miss some true refreshingly different rain drops. Having shied away from such features for a while, I decided to give this a look-see since I knew Naseer and Anupam would definitely make it worth my time. With that random assumption, I began watching 'A Wednesday'.

Two hours later…I was going through a very rare feeling. I did not understand it initially since it had been such a long time but then, I knew. It was the same bunch of emotions I had felt when I had seen the climax of 'The Sixth Sense'. It was the same 'Oh wow!' feeling that had pierced my veins as the final few minutes of 'The Usual Suspects' drowned in my eyes. It was the very unique gut sense of genuine enthusiasm I had felt when I finally understood 'Momento' in its last frame.

But, this time it was different. I had never felt such a tingle in my heart for a Hindi movie in many years. Sure, I have had my share of laughs and appreciation for some decent Indian cinema over the years, but there was never anything in them that made me say to myself '…he is so right…this could happen to me too…today…tomorrow…any day…' since there was never any context. What 'A Wednesday' successfully did was pick me up from my starry eyed slumber and slap a 'REALITY CHECK' sticker on my face. It reminded me of the times we are part of. It made me wonder about my own life and how unsure things are in the world we live in. It, if not anything else, made me think.

I am sure people often sigh and yawn about movies that make them 'think' since it is exactly the opposite reason of why one would watch a movie. No one wants to see relevant issues these days. There is a huge fan following for the larger than life, escapist features which come and go every week. We Indians, the world's best consumers, lap it up in all our glee not caring about if it had anything to do with our life. Why? Since it does not matter. It never does, does it? But then how long can we keep doing this? Once in a while we do need that refreshing slap on the face that makes us realize who we really are. And what a wonderful slap this was! No better way to bring me back to reality than a movie like this one. I was applauding myself for having taken a chance and seen one of the most relevant movies of our times. A silent yet beautiful effort at capturing human emotion on the screen. To summarize in one word – great.

Do yourself a favor – watch 'A Wednesday'. A must see for every Indian according to me. If not anything else it will definitely catch you by surprise! I strongly recommend this movie to everyone who has ever sat back and said 'I wish things were different…'

Great Movie, Good thriller and always maintains the intensity. There is no part in the movie which gets you bored. Its full time Entertainment. The movie is short but up to the point. This is a movie where Naseerudin Shah is like a One Man Army who takes over the whole of Bombay police. I really enjoyed it. We need more movies like this. Very Creative.

Technically very correct and the movie has a lot of logic. The Direction is superb. Unlike other movies, there are no songs in the movie. The movie can be viewed by family and even teens and I think its for all type of age groups. The whole movie is like the game of chess. Its a puzzle till the end which bursts out at last releasing a shock wave across the movie theatre.

A Wednesday' is a brave attempt which makes a commentary about the social and political fabric of India. In the recent past, many Hindi movies have treaded along this path and sought to bring in a revolution in at least the way people think about issues. 'A Wednesday' is a welcome addition to that league.

It mocks the government, reminding it of the duties it ought to be performing as the caretaker of the common people. Another thumbs up for showing the power of the common man and stating in no uncertain terms that religion is secondary to nationality.

And the best part is that all this social commentary isn't preachy so to speak. All this is a byproduct of an engrossing edge of the seat thriller with great performances by veterans - Nasseruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. Even the lesser knowns - Jimmy Shergill, Aamir Bashir and Deepal Shaw shine in impactful roles.

A well scripted affair; it has some masala and cheesy lines which has enough juice to get the sub-urban masses whistling.

It caters to every Indian -- Niche or Urban and should not be missed.

There are a few movies that entertain, there are a few movies that give message and then there are a few movies that you can relate to. A Wednesday is definitely one such movie.

The story revolves around an anonymous man (Shah) who calls up the commissioner of police (Kher) and informs him about the bombs that he has placed. Bomb blast is something that I personally am scared of. It had ripped Mumbai in 1993 and then in local train and bus. Only people stood by each other. It followed thru out the country. And what can one common man do? .

The story line is fantastic. Its hard to believe that this is Neeraj Pandey's first movie and he has taken a gigantic leap without including any songs. The movie itself is only one and a half hours - half of what Bollywood movies usually are. Then he has not shown the police administration either as corrupt or the bookish kind of honest. He has probably taken the real view of police department And then the cast. Naseerudding Shah is one actor who can crawl under the skin of any character. Be it the coach in Iqbal or the pirate in The League of Extra-ordinary gentlemen. Then there is Anupam Kher whose acting abilities are still not tapped to the best by any director. These two stalwarts make-up this movie. And this movie does not have him in a stereo typical dads role. Aamir Bashir as Jay and Jimmy Shergill as Arif are just outstanding. Nothing in the movie is out of context. Well-acted, well-directed, well-scripted, well-executed.