I have dabbled in Chess on and off since childhood. Mostly to kill time during Summer. But my real introduction to the game happened when my roomie during college turned out to be a kind of a Chess whiz. Wazir is no doubt the king’s trusted lieutenant and the most powerful soldier in his army.
A game of Chess is central to the movie Wazir. And chess lovers will like the way Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made the movie. The story supports the chess metaphor quite well and will keep most of the audience guessing through the movie. But maybe not a decent chess player.
Wazir (2016)
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari
Sacrifice is one of the central maneuvers on the chess board. Just when your opponent thinks that he has killed your prized Knight, it turns out that the Knight was the sacrifice that you had planned all along to lure the king into the trap.
Wazir has a good story and is not too violent. The short movie time of 102 minutes keeps the movie tight and you won’t find a dull moment to think of the tasks waiting for you the next week, or be tempted to take out your smartphone for a look at what’s happening in the social media world.
Although the movie begins with a song, which is never a good sign, the song is part of the story and actually cuts down on a lot of screen time it would have taken otherwise to show the same thing.
The songs in the movie are in flow of the movie and at the same time can be listened and enjoyed later. A balance that seems difficult to achieve for most these days.
Hindi movies tend to revise things and explain the plot again to the audiences in the end. Vidhu Vinod Chopra does the same here. I loved the movie, but it could have been better if it stopped at a point where the kids’ play is staged toward the end.
So what is the movie about?
Danish (Farhan Akhtar), an ATS officer loses his daughter. He takes his revenge, but fails to exonerate himself from the charge as one responsible for the loss. Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan) ensures that Danish and his wife see the events in the right light and carry on with their life. He explains he too must deal with loss of his daughter, and more importantly bring the perpetrator of the crime to justice.
Danish, in debt of Panditji, decides to extend full support in the investigation and bring the criminals to justice. But can he find the proof required to sue the high and mighty Minister? Or is the Minister strong enough to intimidate Panditji and get Danish off the case?
I will not tell you the whole story. It will only spoil the fun. But I will say this: Wazir is a fantastic movie that you will enjoy. Thrill, Strategy, and Action. Wazir has it all in the right measure to make your visit to the theater worth the time and money.
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