Movie of the year

Bollywood is evolving, slowly, but surely. This movie came as a total surprise, and a pleasant one at that. From the length of the movie (95 minutes), to the absence of romance, unnecessary item numbers and other commercial elements, everything about it is refreshing. Not a movie one can forget very easily. While “Rock On” and “Phoonk” were cited as different themes, and the former was made without a great star cast and still managed to stand firm on its feet, WEDNESDAY easily beats them to top position. Yes, this is the most powerful movie made in 2008, and it has a sincere message too.

The story takes a while to settle down, but it delves right into the plot, and keeps you hooked right from start to end.

The entire film is based on the events which take place from 2-6 PM on a fateful Wednesday. Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, gets a call saying bombs have been planted in various parts of the city, and in return for the information of where the bombs have been planted; the man wants four militants held in his custody, to be immediately released. Thinking it to be a crank call, he sets up a routine enquiry. A half hour later, all doubts are dispelled when they find a bomb in the police station right opposite his HQ.

A team of his best men are called to investigate the matter and the chief minister is asked to hurry to HQ. Attempts are made to trace the calls to no avail, as the man they’re dealing with is always a step ahead of them. Left with no choice, they succumb to his demands. A young, supposedly hip hacker (who comes off as a wannabe loser. This is one of the only faults I can find in the movie) is now hired to pinpoint the caller’s location.

If you think this is going to be another been there done that movies, think again. Twist after twist is thrown at you and you find yourself at the edge of your seat towards the climax. The story is very well written, and has been presented even better. Director Neeraj Pandey deserves a standing ovation, which I’m sure he got show after show in the multiplexes.

The performance of the two veterans in the movie is astounding, where Naseeruddin Shah easily stealing the show with his nameless character. Kher also does very well with the cold look on his face throughout the movie, and his performance on catching up to Shah in the finale. Shah’s performance over the years need not be spoken about, but this is easily one of his best. His outburst in the end is astounding, and this master sequence is easily the best scene in this movie.