Wazir

With its IMDb page created 14 years ago before the film finally released, the makers' attempt at checkmating their audience with their crime drama only results in a stalemate where the game is mostly declared a draw.

The story starts with a death, as dutiful and physically fit anti-terrorist operations officer Daanish (Akhtar) regrets his decision of impulsively going behind a known terrorist when he is out with his family. Seeking vengeance, he goes on a rampage and gets himself suspended, only to meet Dhar (Bachchan), a widowed and physically disabled chess enthusiast, who is fighting his own devils after his teen daughter was killed in a mysterious accident. They become friends, and so starts a game of chess as Daanish becomes a friendly yet courageous horse for Dhar to find his daughter's killer.

Slow motion and suspended audio hook effects in the initial sequences marvelously entices its audience's attention, and it stays that way through the first act. However, Hydari's character evokes a sort of necessary but terse drama into the narrative which continues to happen throughout the movie. With good dialogs and a well-written screenplay, stylistic antagonists appear and drive the story forward. Mukesh's aura is appreciably different for what he's worth, and Nambiar fancily uses his charm to herald a new type of villain into Bollywood that is away from the deadpan elements we have been seeing in celluloid these past years.

However, the story has one too many flaws. Minor ones like Dhar driving a vehicle without his limbs in place can be forgiven, but if one digs deeper into the story that lays itself out in the second act, one will realize that the game which started with 8 ferocious pawns only has one pawn left and it is up to this pawn to take the film forward to a conclusive end. Of course it does, and it does beautifully, but the speed of this transition of a humdrum crime case turning into a thriller is too fast. Flip flops between the drama and the case affects the narrative, only to create an unrest in the audience.

So, as the pawn sets out to find the mysterious wazir, queen dies, and the king is high on vodka. Since the queen is dead, the game is more or less over. The wonderful climax is all that saves the pawn from going out on a limb, and manages to salvage the whole game.

Cast is brilliant; Akhtar and Bachchan are both good, but one will find the latter more believable in his character. Hydari just mops and sobs, while Mukesh does better acting in his 60-second space than in all his rest of the filmography combined. All said and done, Nambiar's attempt thankfully does not get convoluted, and is read out clearly in its 100 minute running time, but still the story has its flaws and the gist of it is nothing new that our palettes haven't tasted before.

BOTTOM LINE: Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir is an inventive thriller whose base story may be ordinary, but watch out for the titular character, for he may impress you with his faith and power and sheer thirst for retribution.

GRADE: C+

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Had been waiting for this release ever since I watched the first trailer. It was a pleasure watching Farhan in his role as an ATS officer; he did full justice to it. Big B's performance too was mind-blowing as usual. The supporting actors too made the plot more gripping with their convincing performances. Due to my love for literature, I personally thoroughly enjoyed the chess metaphors used in the movie; unlike others, it wasn't just a pointless thriller. Despite some little flaws here and there, I absolutely loved the movie. My first movie of the year was totally worth it and I really hope Bollywood doesn't disappoint the viewers with mindless drama in the days to follow. Cheers to a new year ahead!

I'm a chess fan (not a good player however).

One day, while I was playing chess, a thought came into my mind, "What if the game I'm playing is happening for real somewhere?" Then it was obvious, I searched for the movies with similar theme but couldn't get one. The best I could find was "The Seventh Seal" by Ingmar Bergman which was nowhere near to the one in my mind.

I knew nothing about 'WAZIR' before watching, except it was a chess movie. I'm a chess fan, so, I would have never missed this movie no matter good or bad. I wasn't expecting more either. But, after watching it, my mind was completely blown away. My long wait has been fulfilled. THIS is the best chess movie I've ever seen.

At some points, I felt errors in storytelling (wished they hadn't done it this way). But those were nothing compared to the whole package. The performances were good. The whole script is excellent. Technically, it felt real, which is also a good thing. I'm sure this movie will leave a mark in Bollywood, with its significance growing over time.

This movie came as a surprise which made me experience that, if a movie comes as a surprise, that movie is going to be in your best movies list.

Thanks for the whole team of WAZIR for delivering us this movie. Much appreciated.

'Wazir' showcases a beautiful analogy between the life of a chess player and the game of chess.

A wheelchair-bound chess grandmaster/Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan) befriends a traumatized ATS officer Daanish (Farhan Akhtar). Daanish's life is falling apart after the death of his daughter and the subsequent separation from his wife. Panditji is himself grieving the loss of his daughter who died in a mysterious accident. Panditji believes the Welfare Minister has murdered his daughter. As Wazir enters the game to eliminate Panditji, Daanish fights to protect him.

The plot's central focus is on the battle of the weak pawn, Panditji, with the mighty king, the Welfare Minister. The pawn seeks the help of the rook to defeat the king. The story takes twists and turns as the battle for justice transforms into the hunt of Wazir.

The friendship between the Panditji and Daanish, and the emotional state of a grieving father are the highlights of this movie.

Watch this movie for the climax.

Bejoy Nambiar made waves when he directed Shaitan. A refreshing thriller with an amazing soundtrack and witty dialogues.

This time he's playing with the big boys. Amitab and Farhan, two of the best brains in bolly meet together for this intriguing game of chess, which is laden with twists and turns and takes you through an overall thrilling ride. Neil Nitin Mukesh is probably at his best again after Johnny Gaddar, but remember it was prem ratan dhan paayo, that got him the role in GoT. Aditi Rao Hydari is decent and carries off her character effortlessly like always. :D

But overall I feel this is a positive step for Bollywood. Kudos!