Factors that made 'A Wednesday' one of Bollywood's finest thrillers
One of the finest thrillers made in recent times is filmmaker Neeraj Pandey's directorial movie A Wednesday. The film was released on September 5, 2008, in theaters, only to become a box-office hit and a critically acclaimed title. As it completes 15 years of its release today, we take a look at the reasons that are responsible for its success.
Acting chops of the finest stars
One of the beauties of it lay in its casting. Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, and Jimmy Sheirgil played the leads. Whether it was Shah as the common man, Kher as the Mumbai police commissioner, or Shergil as the ATS inspector, all three actors were nothing less than a treat to watch. Not only the lead characters but also the supporting cast was equally good.
Gripping storyline
What started as a movie about an attempt to get four terrorists released over bomb threats, turned into a story about "a stupid common man" wanting to take his revenge for the terror attacks in Mumbai. At no point did the film lose its grip. The plot twist, and how it was executed, still remains one of the highlights of the film.
Pandey's eye for direction
A Wednesday brought Pandey a National Award for Best Debut Director. It was shot in a realistic manner with an unpredictable twist. The way Pandey narrated the story in a crisp setup, and didn't make Shah's climax speech any preachy, are worth applause. It also set the ball rolling for Pandey to direct films that were of similar flavor and high on patriotism.
It's dialogues that hit you at the right spot
The hard-hitting dialogues are another reason why A Wednesday is never a dull watch. "What do you do when there's a cockroach in your house, Rathore Saahab? You don't pet it, you kill it," or, "They asked us this question on a Friday, repeated it on Tuesday...I'm just replying on Wednesday," are some examples of its fine dialogue writing.
