SPOILERS AHEAD!
Do not read this post if you have not yet seen the movie, 'A Wednesday!'. I suggest you read this after you watch the movie. This suggestion is to spare you the thrill you deserve :).
I could make sense of the exclamation in the title after watching the movie! 'A Wednesday' simply not just another movie, another day! This is one of those movies which are pushing the envelope for the hindi film industry and not surprisingly, we see this is yet another UTV collaboration. UTV is indeed going great guns.
Neeraj Pandey's debut hits the bull's eye right away. Very well written to convey the basic premise, the movie also takes enough care not to get into the so-called 'class film' mode. It's background score, romanticization of the 'honest cop', the angry young man characterization (of Jimmy Shergill and Naseeruddin Shah), the 'patriotic musilm' - all those which worked for mainstream movies earlier are very well borrowed here and that connects this movie to the masses and make it work like magic.
The movie towards the end connects so well with the audience that they may actually feel they didnt get enough (or more). But then that is how this movie is shaped up, without compromise, in tone and in structure - no songs, no jingoism, no super-hero stuff. It is plain angst plotted well. The veterans Shah and Kher put in superb performances in their usual underplayed tone. Shah, especially makes me, at last, get over his 'sarfarosh' character with a completely different character here. It is difficult to imagine someone else filling his shoe here. It wouldnt have worked. The characters played by Jimmy Shergill and Aamir Basheer are very well cast too. Neeraj Pandey couldnt have asked for more. This is the debut of the year.
As suggested above, watching this movie with a clean slate would give you a thrill that you rarely got in recent past. The premise of the movie explodes right in your face towards the end, like a blitzkreig. An undercurrent of public emotion has been tapped to the fullest and the climactic scenes involving Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher takes the movie to another level after proceeding as a thriller for 90 minutes. I understand if the audience starts mouthing the dialogues even before Naseeruddin Shah does in the climax - they are in trance of the return of angry young man as a angry common man, only that he is older and more suave this time. But is he stupid as he claims to be? Well, so the common man gets a makeover. From being the bespectacled, staid old man to the suave, articulate and unapolegetic one, he is the one the viewers clap for in the end. I guess even RK Laxman would approve.
9 comments:
Hey Amar, I was eagerly waiting for your blog on ‘A Wednesday’.
And, I absolutely agree what you have said about casting of this movie. It is very difficult to imagine someone else in the role of Naseeruddin Shah and I like the character of Jimmy Shergill as well. I think all the actors played their role brilliantly. This is certainly an awesome movie.
And, I like that you have put suggestion at the opening of your blog :)
hmm great movie and I totally agree with you, its a sensible movie and with perfect casting ..I also liked the way Anupam Kher played his charecter .. his body language was superb and it was totally different kher .... truly great casting and above all perfect direction ...
Amar, you have a great sense of writing and I personally feel that you should also involve more of urself in current features like the one which we have now 'sell out of major banks'. By the way I liked your blog on General Mush... over all other ... Just put forward your opinion ...
Not a question... Undoubtedly this is the best movie ever made in the recent times....
Mr. Shah and Mr. Kher are at their best... Good performance by Jimmy..
"We are resilient by Force, not by Choice"
Hey amar..i had been seeing your blog, from past 1 month, really u r reviews are excellent, and all the three movies are excellent, especially..A wednesday, its an epic, gr8 movie with the gr8 actors, the director came out with good concept, he made us to stick to edge of the seats till end..he had extracted talent from the gr8 actors who came from theatre, i think its directors 1st movie...any how these movies may not be doing commercially good,...but we shud encourage these kind of movies, well done Amar. and did u saw "The last Lear",
Finally got to see the movie...all i can say is its a brave/bold attempt and the crew should be lauded for this.
Above all,i liked the penultimate scenes leading into a grand finale,the most.
The thrill,suspense was well kept underwraps,but at times it was explicitly misleading,like the scene in which a cop points out a vague face (Naseeruddin's)present in each and every terrorist activity.
Though the director may have wished to convey that,(as these terrorists mingle and roam freely among ordinary people,the 'common man' unintentionally is becoming a mute spectator in the process)the vague face maybe anyone's ('common man'),it uncannily resembles Naseer's.
It would have made more sense for me if this resemblance was avoided.
Anyways,a director is at his will to make use of such subtle cinematic liberties and we should have no problem with that.
P.S: Jimmy's characterization was intriguing...the scene where he(a muslim) takes a shot from his colleague(a hindu) !!!
A huge sigh of relief and a pat on the back for the whole team involved...Well Done !
Hey Salil and Ravi,
Thanks for your comments.
Sachinbhai,
Thanks. BTW i thought my friends wouldnt be interested in serious stuff like credit crisis and all :). Anyway, u got it now in my latest post.
Raghavendra.
Thanks and you are right, Good things need to be talked abt. Thats an encouragement in itself.
I havent seen 'The Last Lear'. i am not exactly a fan of Rituparno! Will let u know if i see this though.
Hey Prasad,
Now this is why i look for ur views. U got it bang on. Yes, we are almost cheated there by the director. However, the premise of 'common man' saves the day for him. Calculated liberty taken there.
I didnt get ur point abt Jimmy Shergill episode though. thanks for the comments. will look forward for more of ur insights going forward.
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