IBTimes India: 4
Bejoy Nambiar's "Wazir" comes at a time when movie enthusiasts are neck-deep in over-the-top, mindless fares.
A physically and mentally wounded Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar), who was hit by an irreversible tragedy, finds peace in his hurried and hesitant conversations with Pandit Omkar Nath (Amitabh Bachchan).
An ATS officer and a chess master bonding over some chess, of course, could mean one of two things: unadulterated fate or a very well crafted plan. But who could be the orchestrator? The climax answers this question at length and how.
Together, they try and tide over the sorrows that have, for years, caged them. Together, they make moves, moves that inch them closer to the person responsible for their incomplete lives – Yazaad Qureshi (Manav Kaul).
Cold, calculative and sinister, Manav's Qureshi doesn't get much screen time but owns it once he's in the frame. Farhan and Amitabh's silent stares and simple chats are the high points of the film. They don't mouth heavy, deep dialogues settling with everyday words, which, when put in context adds to the gravity of the situation.
Nambiar takes time to establish the foundations of the film only to lose them post-interval, in quick succession. But, he makes good the loss by tying up all the loose ends and giving the story a perfect finish.
The pace of the narrative dips making the second-half a bit of a stretch. That the protagonists are emotionally injured has been established right in the beginning, and to show them reflect on what they lost one more time only gets in the way of the gripping tale.
Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's story merits special mention, but their editing skills need a tad bit of polishing. With a run-time of 90 minutes, it's already a short film by Bollywood's standards, but a few scenes could have been done away with.
In a nutshell, it's an intelligent film and Farhan and Amitabh shine bright in it. Also, Nambiar should be making more movies.
