For a film that is labelled an 'action-thriller', Wazir opens to a lazy haze of gunshots making for an unimaginative encounter. It's actually what succeeds an opening song; a song shot completely in slow motion that encapsulates 5-6 years of Farhan Akhtar's (Danish Ali) life—getting married and begetting a daughter, and the ensuing fun throws a net of suspicion that it just might take a drastic turn, which is a common technique—a ballet ends with a boom. And as suspected, there's a shootout and a predictable death.
Death asks for revenge, and there's a shootout yet again, where the man who punctured the life of ATS official Danish Ali gets killed. And the one wielding the gun is Danish Ali, who was kept at bay by his colleagues who foresaw the rampage. This rings the first note of a rather disconcerting alarm that this 'thriller' may not quite thrill.
We quickly get into the life of Pandit Omkarnath Darr (Amitabh Bachchan), a chess master, who knows his game. Danish Ali's acquaintance with him brings out the story of his daughter's death. A well-known politician is connected with her death, Ali is told.
Now, Ali, a suspended officer, rushes to see the minister and directly confronts him with the death of the girl. If you are taking up a game with a crime syndicate, why would you draw its wrath early on? At this juncture, the scenarios are whistling a familiar tune; it's probably a predictable story as well. But that's the only relief, there is a twist awaiting. One, yes.
Director Bejoy Nambiar has a story on his mind (written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi), but the lack of tact in an otherwise sensible plot is directly proportionate to the waning interest in the movie after each scene. Many times, the story seems to slur and leaves things quite apparent. The attendance of a religious extremist is compensated by a secular from the same religion, as has become the celluloid norm.
There are a lot of 'whys' in the film, but the one bright spot is the twist in Bachchan's story. Amitabh Bachchan shines. Be it a grieving husband or a Grandmaster who saves up a game of 'chess in vodka' for a 'dry' day. His ease of execution surprises as the scenes are of sterling evocative quality; a nonchalant Bachchan dusting the photo of Ali and his wife clean or when he is reminiscing love of a bygone era.
Farhan Akhtar pulls off the drama and the dramatic involved with elan in the first half, although by the second half, his vigour, in want of something more to chew, fizzles out. Neil Nitin Mukesh makes an interesting entry. Period. Aditi Rao Hydari makes for a pretty and graceful picture.
With actors who looked promising, Wazir could have been a well-executed drama if the narrative wasn't a mixtape of bullet shots and raging background sounds.
Onmanorama rating: 3/5