A Wednesday! Review

I sought out this movie based on the urging of my neighbor as it is one of her favorite Indian films. It's a thriller with a mysterious seemingly mild mannered man who has placed bombs around the city of Mumbai on "A Wednesday".

What was really fun for me about this film was seeing two great character actors of so many Bollywood films be able to take center stage. Anupam Kher is the Mumbai police commissioner, and he is due to retire. Naseeruddin Shah is the mysterious bomber, which is a nifty turn, as usual he plays the retiring police/intelligence officer. Jimmy Shergill plays a rogue ATS agent.

There's a big plot twist towards the end that I won't spoil about the motives of Naseeruddin's character. He gives an impassioned speech on the phone to Kher, that while good, went on too long and thus diminishes what up to then had been a dynamic tense thriller.

Certain things didn't make sense to me -- like why a lower level police officer working on the bomb threat didn't warn his wife away from taking a train. Some plot threads were left hanging as well. It may not have the same impact on me as it would to a citizen of India. It's really a statement on the effect of repeat bombings and scares on regular people.

This is the director's debut film, and I look forward to Special 26.