Now
this
is
a
complete
surprise.
And
an
extremely
pleasant
surprise,
must
add.
Newer
stories
are
slowly
finding
their
way
into
plexes
of
India.
Two
Fridays
ago,
Phoonk
spoke
about
the
power
of
Black
Magic
and
last
Friday,
ROCK
ON!!
encouraged
you
to
chase
your
dreams.
Both
Phoonk
and
Rock
On!!
didn't
boast
of
A-list
actors
to
lure
the
audiences
in
hordes,
but
the
films
let
the
powerful
content
do
the
talking.
It's
a
hat-trick
now.
The
third
Friday
in
succession
witnesses
the
release
of
A
Wednesday.
And
marks
my
words,
it's
the
most
powerful
film
to
come
out
of
Bollywood
in
2008.
Most
promos
mislead
the
viewer
no
end.
They
promise
the
moon,
the
viewer
is
hooked
and
very
often,
they
fail
to
meet
the
expectations.
In
this
case,
the
promos
are
just
the
tip
of
the
iceberg.
This
movie
has
so
much
to
offer
than
a
few
vital
glimpses
highlighted
in
the
promos.
Here's
another
point
that
needs
to
be
clarified.
A
Wednesday
is
not
about
the
train
blasts,
nor
is
it
similar
to
MUMBAI
MERI
JAAN.
Sure,
terrorism
is
the
wallpaper
here,
but
A
Wednesday
talks
about
the
plight
and
power
of
the
common
man,
the
aam
aadmi.
The
year
has
witnessed
some
supremely
talented
storytellers
make
their
debut,
like
Rajkumar
Gupta
[AAMIR],
Kunal
Deshmukh
[JANNAT]
and
Abbas
Tyrewala
[JAANE
TU…
YA
JAANE
NA].
Now
Neeraj
Pandey
joins
the
ranks
of
directors
who,
one
is
confident,
will
be
one
of
those
calling
the
shots
in
the
future.
A
Wednesday
works
like
magic
because
of
its
gripping
plotline.
The
journey,
right
from
start
to
end
on
a
fateful
Wednesday,
keeps
you
on
tenterhooks.
And
the
culmination
to
this
complex
tale
is
what
takes
this
film
to
dizzy
heights.
In
short,
A
Wednesday
is
amongst
the
finest
--
and
bravest
--
films
to
come
out
in
2008.
Just
one
word
to
describe
it:
Remarkable!
Story
A
Wednesday
tells
the
story
of
certain
events
that
unfold
between
2
and
6
p.m.
on
A
Wednesday
in
Mumbai.
Events
that
do
not
exist
in
any
record.
Flashback:
Prakash
Rathod
[Anupam
Kher],
Commissioner
of
Police,
Mumbai
gets
a
call
demanding
the
release
of
four
militants
in
lieu
of
information
on
bombs
that
the
man
has
planted
in
various
parts
of
Mumbai.
At
first,
Prakash
suspects
it
to
be
a
crank
call,
but
his
doubts
are
dispelled
once
he
actually
finds
a
bomb
planted
in
the
police
station
right
opposite
his
Police
Headquarters.
Prakash
Rathod
is
not
the
type
to
give
up
easily.
He
gets
a
team
of
his
best
men
together
and
taps
all
his
resources.
He
even
hires
a
young
hacker
to
help
his
team
trace
the
calls
and
also
the
location
of
the
anonymous
caller.
Time
passes
by,
but
no
concrete
results
are
evident.
Eventually,
Prakash
Rathod
decides
to
hand
over
the
militants
to
the
anonymous
caller.
It
is
then
that
events
take
a
bizarre
turn.
Script
Expect
the
unexpected
in
A
Wednesday.
From
the
writing
point
of
view
to
the
execution
of
the
written
material,
writer-director
Neeraj
Pandey
never
takes
the
been-there-seen-that
route
even
once.
It
does
take
time
to
settle
down
[the
multiple
stories
at
the
start
are
not
too
interesting],
but
once
you
do
get
the
hang
of
things,
A
Wednesday
offers
you
twist
after
twist,
throws
challenge
after
challenge
in
those
1.30
hours
[yes,
it's
a
short
film].
No
sub-plots,
no
songs,
no
unwanted
masala,
no
unnecessary
tracks
--
A
Wednesday
has
a
story
to
tell
and
it
tells
most
effectively.
Camera,
Editing
On
the
execution
front,
the
camera
movement
[Jimmy
Jib],
during
Naseer's
portions
specifically,
demands
your
attention.
Cinematographer
Fuwad
Khan's
output
is
top
class
even
when
he
captures
a
chase
[Jimmy
Sheirgill]
on
a
busy
Mumbai
street.
The
editor
[Shree
Narayan
Singh]
deserves
lavish
praises
for
giving
shape
to
this
thriller.
During
the
finale
specifically
--
Anupam
is
driving
towards
the
location,
while
Naseer
is
packing
his
stuff
--
the
parallel
scenes
are
juxtaposed
brilliantly.
The
background
score
[Sanjay
Chowdhury]
is
stirring.
Performance
When
your
film
has
two
of
the
finest
talents
sharing
screen
space,
it
only
heightens
the
curiosity.
Naseeruddin
Shah
has
delivered
several
remarkable
performances
over
the
decades
and
the
one
in
A
Wednesday
easily
makes
its
way
into
his
Top
5
works
when
you
recall
his
body
of
work.
His
outburst
in
the
end
--
when
he
talks
about
the
plight
of
the
common
man
--
is
astounding.
The
entire
audi,
one
is
confident,
would
break
into
a
deafening
applause
at
this
master
sequence.
Anupam
Kher
is
equally
dynamic.
Watch
the
cold
look
or
catch
him
face-to-face
with
Naseer
in
the
finale,
if
there's
one
actor
who
could
stand
up
to
a
giant
of
an
actor,
it's
Kher.
An
outstanding
performance
indeed!
Every
performance
in
A
Wednesday
is
charged.
Jimmy
Sheirgill
is
first-rate
as
a
volatile
cop.
Of
late,
the
actor
has
been
wasted
in
insipid
roles
and
it's
about
time
film-makers
take
a
note
of
this
talented
actor.
Aamir
Bashir
is
superb.
Again,
this
actor
has
never
got
his
due
in
feature
films.
It's
our
loss,
not
his!
Deepal
Shaw
plays
her
part
confidently.
Chetan
Pandit,
as
the
Chief
Minister,
is
effective.
Ditto
for
the
actor
who
plays
the
main
terrorist
-
Kali
Prasad
Mukherjee.
Verdict
On
the
whole,
A
Wednesday
is
cinema
at
its
best.
It
may
not
be
a
Kinng-sized
entertainer
to
lure
the
audiences
in
hordes
and
set
the
box-office
afire,
but
A
Wednesday
does
pack
in
king-sized
punch.
Do
yourself
a
favour:
Watch
A
Wednesday.