13 Years of A Wednesday: Subverting heroism and terrorism

A still from `A Wednesday`, Picture Courtesy: Mid-day Archives

An adamant filmmaker may be deemed arrogant, but the adage has all the right to stand true how a director is the captain of the ship, even though the eccentric and entertaining Ram Gopal Varma says an actor is the owner of that ship. Neeraj Pandey, for his maiden material, aspired for Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher, two of the finest of our country. One was astounded by the firm demeanour, the other by the flawless writing.

Pandey cheats the audience into believing Shah, an unnamed, common man is the terrorist as he mysteriously slips his bag beneath the basin of a police station's washroom. What follows next is a thriller that unfolds across Mumbai with Shah controlling the pulses of the police and the people. He's merely one call away and the city could be in shambles. He wants to free four terrorists and he's supposedly the fifth member.

An explosion shocks everyone involved in the pandemonium. He was a common man all along, wanting to clean his house. He exposes his real self in a nine-minute monologue that ranges from fleeting encounters with strangers in locals to incessant calls from missus. Pandey's debut subverted the notion of heroism and terrorism. The leading men were both above 50, are unfairly described as character actors. The terrorists in question could be right next to your home, or walking on the streets, or working in your office.

Shah, who's often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, shines in a role that provides him with enough meat and madness. This is his best masala moment after Tridev and Mohra and before The Dirty Picture. His common man is the ultimate patriot, who doesn't believe in establishing his Indian-ness by chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai or saluting the tricolour. The verbal explosion is enough, and so is the audacity.

Kher is remarkable as Commissioner Prakash Rathod, and anyone who got tired of his comedic acts, this thriller was a breather. He commands an intimidating aura with his low baritone and blazing eyes. For both of these seasoned actors, age would always be a number. The fact that the freshness of the drama is intact even 13 years later is a rare achievement for a Bollywood film, unlike a lot of other films that release on a Friday and are forgotten on a Wednesday.

Also Read: Neeraj Pandey makes shocking revelation: Nobody wanted to finance 'A Wednesday'