When a film ends with an ‘Original Story by’ slate rather than a directorial credit, it probably means that the makers are rather proud of the story they’re putting out. In the case of Wazir, a thriller directed by Bejoy Nambiar and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the latter proudly steps into the limelight as the true master of puppets here, hogging top-billed story and screenplay credits.
An ill-advised move, ultimately, given that Wazir is an insufferably dumb thriller with little-to-no emotional impact. It’s a terrible start to the movie year.
This time around, Nambiar isn’t the main culprit, although he does try his best. Known more for his adeptness at manipulating frame-rates in ‘stylish’ montages than for actually making good films, the director puts his stamp on the film right at the outset with a slow-motion song sequence and a gunfight sequence that bursts a fire hydrant so that he can use that clichéd overhead shot of water shooting straight up towards the camera. Bayhem for dummies, basically.
But these niggles aside, the direction, for better or for worse, is largely invisible. The problem with Wazir is that it’s a half-baked, supposedly cat-and-mouse thriller — only you can see every twist coming in from a mile away. And brickbats must therefore be directed towards its writers: Chopra and Abhijat Joshi (Lagey Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots, PK).
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