Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday is a fast paced thriller, which takes you along with it, from the first scene to the last. It is a taunt film, all of 90 minutes, songless, the likes of which we rarely see among Hindi films. The film has been built up very well and kudos to Pandey for his script and his direction. It opens on a deceptively quiet note before the thrills fall into place. The film is made even more interesting by its cast of players, specially Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. In a long time, the two stalwarts get interesting characters to play, and they essay them with elan and a natural ease which is such a treat to watch. The only problem, if any in the film, is with the identity of the terrorist. Before one is blown apart by the acting of the cast, one has to admit that there are a few problems with the film, on the script level. But what across on the screen is a slick human drama. The twist in the film is done well, but it is still a cliché. But what elevates the final scene, the one time both Kher and Shah come face to face, is the sheer presence of surely two of the most charismatic and talented actors that we have in India. One suspects that somewhere, the thrill of watching the two of them essay intelligent characters in a commercial format almost makes up for the obvious clichéd ending.
The film is about a story told in flashback by a soon to retire Police Commissioner Prakash Rathor (Anupam Kher). A phone call from a mysterious caller about bombs that he has placed in five different places in Mumbai, has the cops scampering to catch the man. The mysterious caller holds the cops to ransom and threatens to blow up the city if five dreaded terrorists are not handed over to him at the prescribed place. Rathor, along with his trusted lieutenants, SI Jai (Aamir Bashir) and Arif (Jimmy Shergill), and the rest of the police force get into action to nail the caller on one hand, while on the other, they try their best to discover his identity and the place where he is holed up. The drama is built up very well by the director and he keeps the audience hooked for the entire duration of the film. It is interesting the manner in which the director reveals the cops' manner of functioning and the impotence of the political heads. It also dwells on how the media is manipulated to get the required coverage in the name of national interest.
The best thing about the film is that the director tells us everything that we know and understand and still manages to be so effective. The film is so slick and the acting is so natural that one doesn't question much of the action as it unfolds. The twist, when it happens, is of course a surprise for the audience as well as the characters in the movie. No where does the director even hint at the twist about to happen. But what jars is the long bhashan type monologue that the mysterious man played by Naseer indulges in, to justify his end. That could have been avoided, or the same point could have been out across differently, one feels. Of course, the fact that Naseer was doing the bhashan bit, lifted it from the trivial and the cliched plane and made it quite memorable.
Naseer and Kher tower over the rest of the cast as they stride across confidently in their screen avatars. Kher is perfect as the Police top honcho, businesslike and efficient. Naseer is perfect as the coldblooded caller. And yet he manages to retain that sense of being an ordinary man, which is so essential to his character. The final scene where the two meet is great because of the lwo key, brief manner in which it is played out. There are no histrionics happening here but yet it has a certain power which touches one. That simple act of the two of them shaking hands manages to transcend all clichés. The rest of the cast does a superb job as well. Jimmy Shergill is very effective as the dangerous, playing by his own rules inspector as is Aamir Bashir as the dutiful but committed cop. All the minor characters are effective and well etched out.
Pandey makes a film, which touches a chord somewhere with all Mumbaiites. Despite its clichéd ending with a long explanation at the end, it still moves and touches one somewhere and raises a question about our lives in these uncertain times of terror. A Wednesday is not a great film, but a good one. The director is very sure about what he wants to say and says it well. His cast and crew support him all the way along. And what we get is a very riveting drama. And Naseer, and Anupam, together.