Creative quotient
Seldom does one come across a sincere cinematic effort to portray realities. A Wednesday is one such film that talks about the emotional and psychological effects of terrorism on people.

Prakash Rathod, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai (Anupam Kher) gets a call demanding the release of four militants in lieu of information on bombs that a man (Naseeruddin Shah) has planted in various parts of Mumbai. Rathod suspects it to be a crank call but his doubts are dispelled once he actually finds a bomb planted in the police station right opposite his Police Headquarters. Rathod gets a team of his best men together and taps all his resources to track down the caller.

The story offers an interesting turn of events and keeps the viewer glued to the screen at all times.

Technical expertise
The screenplay offers a gripping hour-and-half journey compiled around a terrorist threat in Mumbai. There is no loss of time in explaining the characters or establishing momentum. The pace picks up from frame one and subsides only in the final scene.

The dialogues are a bit clunky at times. Like the Chief Minister’s exchange with Rathod in the police headquarters and his saying, “Kyun hum itne laachaar hain?” Nevertheless, they improve significantly, especially in the scene where Naseeruddin Shah rests his case.

The film has a healthy dose of action too with Jimmy Sheirgill playing the tough cop who beats people up on impulse.

As expected, the performances from heavyweight actors like Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah are excellent. Sheirgill and Aamir Bashir do decent jobs at playing bad cop and good cop respectively. Deepal Shaw, playing the quintessential TV reporter, is a misfit. She does not look her part, nor does she do anything exemplary to draw praise.

Direction from debutante Neeraj Pandey is worth a mention and he does a great job piecing together an average story. He has chosen to portray Mumbai and all its activities in a realistic manner, which lends a novel appeal to the film.