When A Small Film Surprised Everyone
In 2008, the Indian Film Industry was at crossroads. A Wednesday was the first of its kind, without any of the pomp the industry was used to. Unlike other fillers at the time, A Wednesday did not promise any blockbusters with its superb tailoring. And the trailer bears testimony to that, hinting at something deeper than just triumphing over a ‘broken system.’ It had suspense and a glimpse of the struggles of an ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) hero.
Fans on forums and early interviews buzzed about its premise. How come Naseeruddin Shah, the ‘common man’ of the movie, looks far more frightening than the villains? These teasers were all about the questioning a film of this nature was built on, rather than the glamour that was its buzz.
A Wednesday, on the surface, tells the story of a man with no name and no fame. He dials up the police commissioner and very calmly tells her that he is holding a distinct number of bombs and plans on setting them off across different parts of Mumbai, unless a couple of terrorists are set free. The story, built around suspense, unfolds as the clock ticks, moving in a linear timeline of real clock time, allowing the reader to relish each moment with its brilliant engineering of delay and drop.
Yet with every excitement that the movie brings, its core element is that of frustration. The common man’s anger is not of personal vengeance; it is of the sheer exasperation of people living in terror of terrorism, the sheer exasperation of people living in terror of corruption, and the sheer exasperation of living in the midst of political charades. The movie becomes a metaphor for every Indian who has, at some point, felt powerless in the face of injustice and dreamed, at the same time, of fighting it.
The decision to remove the man’s identity, in the first place, is telling. It is no longer just a single individual; it is all of us.
The Weight of the Common Man Naseeruddin Shah.
It was no accident that Shah was cast to play the role of the vigilante. By this time, he had already established himself in the industry and was known for his ability to dissect complex characters for the purpose of critique in Indian cinema. Moreover, his character assassination, as he was known in real life for his tactlessness, did not spare even the realm of Bollywood and politics. The life philosophy he imbibed or lived was intricately woven into this role, making the character unsettlingly real.
It was not the character that Shah was unsettling in, it, to him, was the very same frustration he bore as the Indian citizen that he was the reflection of. It had transcended into real life, and that was the very moment as a viewer you could witness art in its purest form as Shah sat in the room and quietly seething with anger, plotting move after move.
Anupam Kher as the Face of Authority
Anupam Kher stood opposite as the Police commissioner, Prakash Rathod. Fully aware of Kher’s journey the performance was enhanced. Prakash Rathod is a man that holds dignity and restraint while being unbalanced between duty and a Mount Everest worth of ethical issues. That much is understood from Kher balancing commercial due cinema and powerful films described as ‘offbeat’. His role in this case was the most powerful. Themes that resonate in this polarity of polemic conflict. The phone arguments between Kher and the other was reputation worthy. They argued as though two opposing philosophies of India were clashing onscreen.
Its safe to say that every single element placed in A Wednesday served a purpose and nothing more. As a representative of the title’s ‘ordinary man,’ the character completing the mission from a small and plain looking room demonstrates the idea blanket revolutions begin from uncelebrated corners of the world. The zooming clock in the background served a purpose other than a conventional thriller tick tock device as a powerful symbol: time and folded is an enemy to a passive society.
The ending of the movie where the common man walks into the crowd was most impactful. The common man was a symbol of perseverance he was a symbol of justice. In India the ending was much like a folk tale. The man was a folk avenger who did not have superpowers but possessed the might of a common man an iron will.
The first thing that people thought of A Wednesday was that it was a movie that will not generate much intererest. Prior to the release of the movie everyonethought it was going to be a sleeper. Word of mouth publicity changed everything. The impact it had was shocking to say the least. People who watched the movie expected a very dull thriller but by the end of it they were left very teary. The movie was the top of the discourse in multiple settings like classes, lunchrooms of offices, as well as online forums.
In India people really were frustrated that the movie did not have politics. The movie really gave people the voice that they did not know they had. One thing that people really appreciated was the movie did not have an agenda. The movie did not have many dialogues came which were interspersed.
The Buzz That Turned Into Fireworks
In A Wednesday film, first time director Neeraj Pandey had a lot of difficulties. One of the most difficult problems was how to sell the movie to the public. He had to prove that the lack of romance, stardom, or songs did not affect the thrill of a film. The budget was very small, so every scene was made to be used wisely.
An interesting tidbit is that the most recognizable moment from the film—the duel of Kher with Shah—was executed unfixed and in one shot with both performers responding to one another in real time. There was no artificiality with the passion, as both legends poured all their energy into one shot. Casting was its own battle. The producers had the first concern that the film would be hard to sell in the absence of a prominent actor. However, Naseeruddin Shah was so carried away with the script that he had no concern with the commercial aspect. His attitude became the attitude of the entire team. The legacy which refuses to die A Wednesday is still remembered for its significance in hindi cinema, everytime that a discussion is made which involves thrillers with a purpose, A Wednesday’s name comes up. The impact was far greater than mere box office collections, it sparked discussions, increased the frequency of people to watch, and even remakes in various languages were made. It was a film which provided a sense of catharsis to many of its fans. It did not provide simple solutions, but it reflected the anger and helplessness of a lot of people. As for Shah and Kher, it was the film which made them more than just actors, but the first people to give a voice and vision to the collective conscience of our nation.
The Legacy That Refuses to Fade
Chapters earlier, the character has already withdrawn. A Wednesday has a similar trait, as it too has it’s own share of questions, the answers to which, the viewer is compelled to find, even after the story has come to its, proverbial, end. Maybe, as the rest of the people of the world seem to feel, to me also, even though years have gone by, it continues to feel like this is a movie which has been made for the ‘now’.
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