A Thursday by Behzad Khambata is a thematic sequel to Neeraj Pandey’s masterfully produced, devastating revenge thriller A Wednesday (2008). It’s a simple ordinary day at a playschool in South Mumbai, and Naina, the friendly and beloved teacher, comes back to her class after a brief absence, much to the students’ amazement.
Her 30th birthday is the next day, so her husband has scheduled an advance birthday celebration with the woman’s pals, and it was also one of the kid’s birthdays. After Naina shuts all of the school’s gates, pulls out a handgun, and takes two individuals captive, a helper from around the school and a driver who carries in gifts on the request of the kid whose birthday it is, the plot takes an unusual twist.
Soon, the suspense turns into violence. She requests from Inspector Khan, a police officer, that she will free one kid if her conditions are met. She spreads horror via social media, one post at a time. Finally, the story draws in TV news, distraught parents, Mumbai police, Naina’s relatives, and two persons from her life.
Like A Wednesday, its focus is the conflict between the public and the governmental and judicial systems. What are the alternatives to quiet when justice disappoints the average Indian? 14 years after the first movie, social media has become a speedier and more powerful technique for terror. During the first half, Naina appears indestructible, and the police and the state are both ridiculous. A revelation is revealed near the ending by writers Khambata and Ashley Lobo, which causes Naina to take this drastic action.
The story has a political touch due to social concerns such as the death penalty and a female’s right to be heard and justified. However, the movie endures too much zeal for people with the best motives. The dialect of high-pitched narrative, hammering in the trauma and the fear taking shape in and around the school with the support of symbolic, unmotivated talks and a soundtrack, drowns the plot’s honest and sincere, socially involved, vigilante’s heart.
The artists don’t have anything to work with because of the characterization profiles; their duty is merely to deal with some unimaginative, literal lines. Atul Kulkarni and Neha Dhupia, who portray a pregnant police officer on the field and ex-partners in real life, are good enough. Kulkarni, a superb actor, has a much lower stigma than average.
Gautam’s performance, in a significant part, is entirely responsible for the movie’s success. Since her appearances in Kaabil (2017) and Uri (2019), she has grown as a lead. However, this is the first movie created just for her. She has some intense on-screen sequences, but her performance level is inconsistent. The shifts from being a protecting teacher to becoming an anarchist are rough and implausible.
The tension fades in places, but its significance is undeniable. A Thursday revolves around a concept with broad popularity and reflects much of what’s happening in India. A responsible citizen outburst is always therapeutic, and a clever scheme to disrupt the authorities is more than satisfying; it is dream fulfilment disguised as mainstream entertainment.
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
