Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Review: A Wednesday

There are very few movies that leave a lasting impression on our minds and keep us thinking for days after watching it. This was one such movie. It's been a week since I watched it and I noticed myself thinking and discussing about it even today...

When I saw the promos, I knew I wouldn't want to miss this one, mainly becoz there were 2 of the most versatile actors in hindi cinema - Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher, and it was not the usual run-of-the-mill bollywood movie. Both their performances in the movie are commendable. Naseeruddin Shah steals the show with his effortless and superlative performance in every scene and Anupam Kher matches him stride by stride, in the role of a police officer.

For those of you who haven't watched, there are no spoilers ahead, so dont worry :)
The plot deals with the current state of terrorism in India and how it has affected the normal day-to-day lives of people, the fear it has created, the attitude of the government and police force, and above all - the whole meaning of democracy. The movie makes a point through its story, and it makes it strongly. It stays focused through out, keeping it short and to the point and thats what makes it effective and most appealing. No nonsense of unnecessary songs, dance and other crap needed for commercial success (One of the reasons why this may not be successful at the box office!). The climax leaves you with a lot of open questions and throws open multiple debates - legal, moral and social...all of which will leave u pondering for a long time!
There have been a lot of movies in the recent times which have dealt with the spread of terrorism in India.. So what's different about this one? It gives a fresh perspective to the issue..something which no other director had probably thought of; as a common (wo)man this perspective had NEVER crossed my mind for sure!!

It's undoubtedly an impressive debut by the director Neeraj Pandey, who gives us a parallel perspective which is much needed in the current cirumstances of growing terrorism...

3 comments:

Chandan V said...

Since most movie-goers don't like to leave a movie with food for thought, this picture may not play very broadly in theaters, but I hope it gets a good audience on video. But I do like when movies leave the moral issues in the audience's lap to ponder over later

Unknown said...

I agree.. It's sad that such thought provoking movies never manage to get a larger audience..

Gupta Anurag said...

hi pratima ..It is really amazing movie...this really tells about upto what extent a person can take action to change the senario..which is really needed to overcome the terrorism.