It was way back in 2008 when a film titled A Wednesday came out of nowhere and became the talk of the town with its unique concept. The film was a sleeper hit primarily due to the message which it was trying to convey. On similar lines (and I say that because the producer Ronnie Screwvala is involved in both projects), another film releases today titled A Thursday. This is the start of another very heavy weekend with so many new releases. That said, I finished watching the film last night. Is A Thursday as impressive as A Wednesday? Let’s find out.
STORY & SCREENPLAY
A Thursday follows the story of a school teacher who holds 16 children hostage at a pre-school. What is her demand and her story? The story here is quite interesting with a socially relevant message at the end. The journey is interesting too but not without its share of flaws. Before getting to the screenplay I would like to mention that I hadn’t watched its trailer(I usually don’t), and I was pleasantly surprised by it. The story wastes almost no time in getting straight to the point. While parts of it might seem far fetched or slightly wobbly in its writing, the drama is gripping and there is urgency maintained throughout. While you are least expecting it, s**t gets real almost 50 mins into the film with an event that commands your attention. As the screenplay progressed, I could draw a few parallels to the 2008 sleeper hit A Wednesday. The beats of the screenplay were quite similar. The issue that I had with this film though was its length. A tighter edit would have ensured that the drama would have been at least 20 minutes shorter. But the drama is designed such that it doesn’t allow your attention to waver and instead it holds your attention for most parts. You would often question as to where the drama is headed. But the good news is that it all comes together well at the end. The mystery element and the final reveal are good in what turned out to be a high voltage drama. And the final message is a good one and very relevant as well. Overall, a pretty good screenplay.
DIALOGUES, MUSIC & DIRECTION
The dialogues are decent although nothing much to shout about. The BGM is fair and it does its bit to keep you on your toes. The editing seemed a little choppy in places but after a point it didn’t quite bother me. Director Behzad Khambata has done a good job with this subject. He manages to hold your attention without providing any dull moment which means some brownie points for the director.
PERFORMANCES
The performances are very good here. Neha Dhupia as Cathy yet again shines in the role of a pregnant cop(she actually was pregnant with her second child at the time of shooting this film). Karanvir Sharma as Rohit has his moments to impress. Maya Sarao as the news anchor is pretty good. Kalyanee Mulay as Savitri is just effortless in her performance and such a pleasure to watch her onscreen. Dimple Kapadia as the PM delivers a very dignified performance. Boloram Das as the driver is absolutely first rate. Atul Kulkarni as Javed has a magnetic screen presence and he is absolutely fabulous to watch. But the show belongs to Yami Gautam in perhaps the best performance of her career. She is brilliant in each scene and her character keeps you guessing throughout. This was truly a memorable outing for Yami.
CONCLUSION
A Thursday is a high voltage yet socially relevant drama which pleasantly surprises you. Available on Hotstar.
