Wazir Movie Review: A Twisted Tale

Known for making taut dramatic thrillers (Shaitan and David), Bejoy Nambiar comes up with another treat with Wazir and though we do have issues with the treatment, we cannot dispute the fact that the film is quite a delight for fans of the suspense genre.

When ATS officer Danish (Farhan Akhtar) spots a wanted terrorist while on an outing with his wife and daughter, the cop in him decides to give chase and in the ensuing shootout, his daughter gets killed by a stray bullet, which effectively severs the bond between Danish and his wife (Aditi Rao Hydari).

A dejected and suicidal Danish gets a new lease of life when by pure chance, he runs into Pandit Omkar Nath (Amitabh Bachchan), an amputee chess wizard, who too has lost his daughter in an ostensible accident, though the father suspects foul play.

Danish and Pandit bond over games of chess, vodka and their tragedies and when Pandit's quest for justice pits him against a powerful politician (Manav Kaul), Danish decides to throw in his lot with the wheelchair-bound Pandit.

Pandit complains of violent harassment by a mysterious enforcer named Wazir (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and this further enrages Danish, who decides to go on the offensive when another tragedy strikes home. How Danish goes on to bring justice to Pandit and eliminate his foes forms the rest of the plot.

This is the first time that Farhan has played such a character and the actor impresses the hell out of us. At times, Danish seems invincible and at times, his vulnerability is quite obvious and Farhan makes the character quite real and relatable. However, the same cannot be said for Amitabh Bachchan, who let us down after his endearing performances in films likePaa and Piku. Pandit Omkar Nath comes across as slightly gimmicky and it is tough to connect with the character. Aditi Rao Hydari doesn't get to do much but Neil Nitin Mukesh, who hardly has any scenes, sends a shiver up the spine with his menacing cackle.

Bejoy Nambiar liberally uses chess metaphors and we must say that the way the story unfolds is quite impressive, though at times, the director seems confused about whether he is making a thriller or a drama, because the plot does drag at times and one keeps waiting for the thrills as promised in the trailer. Also, the script does thumb its nose at logic at times (At one point of time, Danish gets suspended from duty but he still seems to have the entire police machinery at his disposal as and when he wants it, for example.)

Also, the director's habit of inserting a background song after almost every second scene might prove to be the film's undoing. Last but not the least, Pandit Omkar Nath explaining the entire sequence of events after the suspense unfolds, is frankly quite condescending to the viewer (as if we were too dumb to figure out how it happened once the suspense was out!)

Do watch Wazir if you enjoy a good whodunit, but do bear in mind that it is not without flaws…