Wazir ~ Not just a pawn

Release date- 8th January 2016

One Word which describes the film - Engrossing

Best Dialogue - Zindagi aur shatranj mein yahi toh farak hai. Zindagi mein doosra mauka milta nahi, yahan shatranj mein mil jata hai.

Genre - Thriller

Music - Shantanu Moitra, Ankit Tiwari

Producer - Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Story - Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi

Direction -Bejoy Nambiar

Cast - Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari, Manav Kaul

• Budget - 35-40 crores

खेल खेल में, खेल खेल के,खेल खेल ये आ जायेगा 

हार जीत से, हार जीत के, जीत हार सिखायेगा

खेल खेल में..!

Wazir is the story of three characters and how fate brings them together in the game of life where winner takes it all and the loser has to fall.

Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Daanish Ali lives a blissful life with his wife Ruhana and daughter Noorie. In a dramatic turn of events he crosses paths with a wheelchair-bound chess master named Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar and they develop a strong friendship 'Atarangi yaari'.

The jovial Pandit who believes that 'Vodka peene ke baad pandit mahapandit ban jata hai' comes as a ray of hope in the life of Daanish Ali. The moments where Panditjee tries to make Daanish laugh are so real that you can actually feel the bond the two share.

Panditjee ~ 'Upar wala poochega mujhse itni lambi zindagi di kya ukhad liya tumne, main kahunga maine ek yaar ko hasna sikha diya.' 

Amitabh Bachchan must be the only Bollywood actor who keeps experimenting with his looks and voice. His dialogue delivery has made the characters played by him immortal whether it is Vijay Deenanath Chauhan of Agnipath(1990) or Vijay Verma of Deewar(1975).

When you work with the best some of their aura is transferred to you too. Proving this statement right even Farhan Akhtar effortlessly manages to transform into Daanish Ali. He looks  lean and at the same time muscular. His pain and frustration is so real that you sympathize with him.

Aditi Roy Hydari's look and dressing is so perfect that she looks like an ethereal beauty.

"Tu Mere Paas"  composed and sung by Ankit Tewari is so melodious that you can hear it continuously on loop.

Several reviews suggested that the suspense was too lame and the film loses speed after interval. The film is just 102 minutes long and even without the not so special appearance by John Abraham there is too much going on which will keep you rooted to your seats.

In a line don't expect the film to be an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece and you won't be disappointed.

Must watch for Mr. Bachchan's fans. Good one time watch.

Biggest Disappointments of 2015

1. Shamitabh (6th Feb 2015)

Too much was expected from the R.Balki and Amitabh Bachchan duo who gave us films like Cheeni Kum(2007) and Paa (2009). Amitabh plays the role of a shabby alcoholic who lives in a graveyard and has a grudge against the society. In the film there is a line,'Too classy, masses ko pasand nahi ayegi' held true for the film too as though the film started in a good speed after an hour it was reduced to just conversations between the three lead stars. 


2. Roy (13th Feb 2015)

Roy was directed by debutant Vikramjit Singh and produced by T Series.The music of the film was really good and Sooraj Dooba Hain and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan became chart toppers. Initially Ranbeer Kapoor was playing a cameo in the film but the film got delayed and Ranbir's role was increased to almost a parallel role. Many people who saw the film said it was confusing and they couldn't understand who was who in the film or what the director was trying to show.

3. Mr X (17th April 2015)

After Emran Hashmi's Ek Thi Daayan, Ghanchakkar, Raja Natwarlal and Ungli failed to perform at the box office much was expected from Mr. X which was a 3D science fiction thriller directed by Vikram Bhatt. The film got negative reviews both from critics and audiences. Rajeev Masand gave 1 star calling it a singularly humourless film. Hindustan Times gave one star stating, "It's a bizarre tale of an invisible kisser ". Firstpost gave negative reviews stating "Emraan Hashmi, intelligence and talent, everything is invisible in the film.

4. Bombay Velvet (15th May 2015)

Bombay Velvet was a period drama set at a time when Bombay became a metropolis. As the story was set in the sixties, elaborate sets of Bombay's landmarks were specially mounted across various locations in Sri Lanka to recreate the ambiance of a bygone decade. The film had a weak screenplay and too many songs. There was no continuity in the scenes and after interval there was unnecessary blood shed and violence. Anurag Kashyap, despite his passion for gangster films and detailing could not give proper shape to his dream project and so with a budget of almost 100 crores  it turned into a nightmare for the producers. 


5. All is Well (21st August 2015)

I went to watch this film only because of Umesh Shukla's last directorial venture Oh My God (2012) which I enjoyed to the hilt. With veterans actors like Rishi Kapoor and Supriya Pathak and melodious songs like Baato ko teri bhula na saka and remake of Ae mere humsafar I thought the film will be good time-pass. The film turned out to be really slow and boring with bad story and worse dialogues.


6. Hero (11th Sep 2015)
Hero was the second film under the banner of Salman Khan Films after the blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan and was the remake of Hero (1983) directed by Subhash Ghai so obviously there were huge expectations from the film. Suraj and Athiya made their acting debut with this film. The lead actors shared no chemistry and stayed expressionless throughout the film. There was lack of drama and good dialogues because of which the film was a big flop.



7. Calendar Girls (25th September 2015)

 Madhur Bhandarkar is known for making films with strong female characters. This film shows how the lives of the girls change after their rise to fame. The full film is about shocking truths, betrayals and artificial lives of the rich and famous which we have already seen in Bhandarkar's earlier films. Because the film had no novelty the audiences chose to stay away from it. 


8. Singh is Bliing (2nd Oct 2015)
The film was about Raftaar Singh, a happy go lucky guy who loves to spend time with his friends and according to his father has this bad habit of leaving all jobs unfinished. The film was about his journey from Punjab to Goa, then again to Punjab and again to Goa, then to Romania and finally back to pavilion Punjab. There were too many songs and dances and some comedy scenes which will make you laugh but by the end you wish that all this glamour and bling could have done better with a good story.

9. Shaandaar (22nd October 2015)

Last year Vikas Bahl was the most popular Bollywood director, winning almost all awards for Queen so everyone was eager to see what chemistry he creates between Shahid Kapoor and the current heartthrob Alia Bhatt. The film turned out to be a weird family drama with absolutely no chemistry between the lead pair and the talented Pankaj Kapoor is made to mouth stupid dialogues. 

10. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (12th Nov 2015)

Sooraj Barjatya has directed just 6 films and except Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003), all have been blockbusters. All his films have good music, show great family values and there is lot of love between all the family members. This film had a 80's-90's kind of simple plot where from the start everyone including the actors and audiences know who is good and who is bad. The events just kept unfolding at a slow pace without any thrill or drama. The music was ordinary.