A Wednesday

Put Naseer and Anupam in one story and what do you get? A gripping film no doubt! 

The film is narrated in flashback where Anupam Kher a.k.a Prakash Rathod, the Commissioner of Mumbai Police narrates the most difficult day in office...the day he has to deal with Naseer, the nameless character. He portrays a vindictive terrorist outfit honcho who holds the city at ransom in return of four jailed terrorists. He is a the ultimate techie, adept at using the best of modern day technology...be it the making of a bomb triggered by a cellphone, or using multiple sim cards to make calls, Naseer leaves no stones unturned to keep the entire police force at tenterhooks. They do his bidding out of fear...only to realise that he was never a threat! 

Directed by Neeraj Pandey, A Wednesday is yet another fine story told in recent times. Aamir and Mumbai Meri Jaan were two recent films that touched on the theme of terrorism and gave us an insight into the victims' minds. In both these films you empathise with the victims and feel the fear of being caught in the cross fire of mindless acts of violence...A Wednesday takes the feeling a step forward! 

Naseer gives the otherwise silent Aam Admi a voice. A voice that is never heard...a voice that is silenced by perpetrators of terror. The average Indian wants to lead a fearless life, wants to leave home to earn his bread and butter and return home to his family every evening. The humdrum of daily life is thrown haywire when people are caught unawares in mindless blood bath caused by acts of terrorism. The one's planting the bombs are faceless people, the people who they want to communicate to are distant...the one's in the middle are people like you and me! In A Wednesday, Naseer lends a voice to the common man who lives in constant fear. His methodology may be wrong, but his message is strong enough for the administration to take note of. 

I liked Jimmy Shergill as the angry young policeman whose glare can make a suspect pee in his pants. Aamir Bashir as the conscientious cop is believable. Deepal Shaw could take some lessons in dialogue delivery from Naseer and Anupam!

But watch the film for Naseer...Anupam is rather straight jacketed and he does not compare as well to Naseer when it comes to the sheer power of performance. However, he is precise in his portrayal of a hapless police chief who is perpetually tied to the Chief Minister's office!