Amitabh Bachchan starrer Wazir box office collections have crawled their way to Rs 37.93 cr by day 12 and it is no secret that they did not set the B.O. on fire. That it has reached this far is courtesy some good fortune as it had virtually a solo run in theatres since it had no competition worth the name. Here we list the reasons why Wazir collections will not really be on any year-end list of top films:
1. Wazir is a thriller and stars veteran Amitabh Bachchan, and upcoming Farhan Akhtar, aside from Aditi Roy Hydari, and Neil Nitin Mukesh. That sounds like a good mix of characters. However, this ‘thriller’ could have done with more substance, and in fact falls short of forcing a win with its twists and turns that fail to enthuse viewers.
2. Bejoy Nambiar’s third directorial venture has many of the visual and technical elements that are characteristic of his style, but the moves are rather erratic. Many of the plot ploys it resorts to do not have the desired impact. The reason: they lack subtlety.
3. The first half of Wazir is intriguing and brisk enough to hold the attention of the audience. But post-interval, the film loses momentum. The screenplay (Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi) leaves nothing to the imagination.
4. The battle lines between the villain and the vengeance seekers are so clearly, and so quickly, drawn that the audience has no guesswork to do. Despite the riveting performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar, the film is not the humdinger that it could have been with sharper treatment.
5. Wazir starts losing its steam as the film progresses because of too many dull moments in the film. The film suffers big time from the lack of able direction, unconvincing plot and for the want of a good screenplay. The film’s script is way too convoluted. The director tries to do many things in the name of ‘cinematic liberties’. How can he explain the fact that, despite Farhan Akhtar being suspended from police service, he still carries a fully loaded gun and can ‘call for action’ as and when required. And this is just one instance.
Create your own infographics
(Note: We are sticking to the film’s content alone and not talking about the marketing of the movie, or the lack of it.)
About the film: Wazir is the story of a hot-headed ATS officer, Daanish Ali (Farhan Akhtar), who loses his four-year-old daughter during a shootout with terrorists. Beside himself with grief, he defies his superiors and barges in on a commando raid on a sleeper cell to seek revenge. He kills the terrorist, but gets suspended from the force for exceeding his brief. His wife, Kathak exponent Ruhaana (Aditi Rao Hydari), does not forgive him for his recklessness and walks out on him. Daanish finds solace in the company of a chess master, the wheelchair-bound Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar (Amitabh Bachchan), who, on his part, has also had a tragic life. The older gentleman, who lost his legs and his wife in a serious accident, has reason to believe that the recent mysterious death of his only daughter was a murder. He enlists Daanish’s help to get to the bottom of the case against all odds. He has to contend with a powerful politician (Manav Kaul) with a very dark secret buried in a village in Kashmir Valley. It is a dauntingly difficult and dangerous fight, but Daanish plunges into the mission to ensure that his new friend gets justice.
(With inputs from Bollywood Hungama and PTI)
