Wazir: Bejoy Nambiar brings two powerful actors in a film which centres around a metaphorical and theatrical game of chess. The expectations are high, but the product he delivers is tepid and predictable.

Short at 102 minutes, he extracts good performances from Aditi Rao Hydari who looks vulnerable and beautiful, Neil Nitin Mukesh who is menacing and Manav Kaul who is moderately unlikeable. The two leads of the film are not written equally well, resulting in a half baked character for Farhan Akhtar, and a complete one for Amitabh Bachchan. That is a surprise, because Farhan is a director/actor whose choices are usually spot on. Senior Bachchan can’t do no wrong. He carries the film effortlessly and though his character is wheel-chair bound, he still towers above the rest with his superlative portrayal.

John Abraham makes a wooden cameo, and different versions of the song ‘Tere Bin’ pulls us through what could have been a taut thriller, but is soon relegated into the ordinary and below average.

2/5