> A Wednesday!

A Wednesday !

Synopsis

Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, Mumbai gets a phone call demanding the release of four militants in lieu of information on bombs that the man has planted in various parts of Mumbai. The anonymous caller just gives four hours for the release of the jailed terrorists or otherwise the bombs will blast.

Prakash suspects it to be another hoax call. Soon, his doubts are dispelled, when he actually finds a bomb planted in the police station right opposite his Police Headquarters.

Prakash Rathod immediately forms a team of his best men together and goes to work to nab the faceless caller. He hires a computer engineer to trace the calls and the location of the anonymous caller. Time passes by, but no concrete results are evident. Finally, Prakash Rathod decides to hand over the militants to the anonymous caller.

From then on, the story moves with the most unexpected turns and twists, concluding with the most unpredictable climax.

Review

A Wednesday caught my attention a week back when I saw its promos on Television. The promos looked interesting but I never had any major expectations from this movie. However I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, when I read its positive reviews. Although online reviews can be deceptive, I decided to give this movie a try and I am happy to inform you that all the online hype surrounding this movie is true , this is indeed a great cinema. Infact it is so far arguably the best film to come out of Bollywood in 2008.


A Fast paced intelligent story is A Wednesday's greatest strength. The Plot line is very simple but yet very effective. On a Wednesday afternoon, the the commissioner of police Prakash Rathod gets a call informing him that the city is sitting on bombs planted at various places by a man and if the police wants to stop the bombs from exploding, they will have to release four militants who are in various cells around Mumbai. Writing any further about the story would be spoiling your Movie experience.


This is not a conventional Bollywood movie because there is no hero. There is only a cast. Neeraj Pandey should be given a pat on his back for a brilliant screenplay. He does not waste any time in building up the well defined no nonsense plot. He does not slow down the tempo of the movie with meaningless songs or long stretched sequences. The movie has a Run time of 95 minutes which is short even by Hollywood standards, the editing of the movie is perfect. What we get in the end is a fast paced thriller with an amazing twist in the end. The Last 30 minutes of the movie are edge of the seat stuff.


As far as the acting is concerned, its flawless. Ofcourse you can't go wrong when the screen is shared by two of the greatest actors of the industry. Anupam Kher is excellent in his role of a Commissioner. Even in the time of crisis, he maintains his cool and does not loose his focus. He gives a very a realistic performance. But once again the Man who stands out is Nasseruddin Shah. He is perhaps the greatest actor bollywood has ever seen. Naseeruddin Shah has delivered several remarkable performances over the decades and his performance in this movie is nothing short of spectacular. The way he delivers his lines, especially towards the climax is commendable. The Rest of the cast is effective in their respective roles.


The whole movie is a satire on the way things work in our system. Its after a long time that I have seen such a meaningful film. This movie should not be missed at any cost. Its a rare treat for movie buffs. The Movie is certainly gonna gain popularity with a great word of mouth. I highly recommend watching this one in a theater.


My Rating : 8.5/10