# A Wednesday!
**A Wednesday!** is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language thriller film written and directed by [Neeraj Pandey](https://www.edgepedia.org/neeraj-pandey), starring [Naseeruddin Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/naseeruddin-shah) and [Anupam Kher](https://www.edgepedia.org/anupam-kher). The story follows an anonymous caller who tells the Mumbai police commissioner that bombs are planted across the city and demands the release of four jailed terrorists; the events of that Wednesday afternoon are recounted years later by the retired commissioner as the most memorable case of his career.[1](https://www.hcicolombo.gov.in/pdf/August_2018_SVCC_Colombo_Sep12.pdf) • [2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Wednesday?hl=hi&id=Mii6TZXPrbQ) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday) It was Pandey's first feature film.[4](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/a-wednesday/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 5 September 2008 (Box Office India lists 6 September 2008)[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/a-wednesday/cast/) • [6](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336) |
| Director and writer | Neeraj Pandey, his first feature; he wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue[4](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/a-wednesday/) • [6](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336) |
| Lead cast | Naseeruddin Shah as the unnamed common man; Anupam Kher as Police Commissioner Prakash Rathod[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday/cast-and-crew) |
| Supporting cast | Jimmy Shergill (Arif Khan), Aamir Bashir (Inspector Jai Pratap Singh), Deepal Shaw (TV reporter Naina Roy)[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday/cast-and-crew) |
| Runtime | 99 minutes per the BBFC; 103 minutes on streaming listings; Box Office India lists 104 minutes[8](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-wednesday-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntgwotk) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/a-wednesday) • [6](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336) |
| Producers | Ronnie Screwvala, Anjum Rizvi, and Shital Bhatia; banners Anjum Rizvi Film Company, Friday Filmworks, and UTV Motion Pictures[6](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336) |
| Recognition | National Film Award (2008) and IIFA Award (2009); IMDb rating 8.1/10 from about 87,000 votes[10](https://www.alumni.du.ac.in/archives/Ezine10/content/03%20pic%20This/Culture/pT%20Cul%20005%20alumni%20Film%20Directors%20and%20Filmmakers.pdf) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt1280558/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
The film is set in Mumbai and covers events between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on a single Wednesday.[2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Wednesday?hl=hi&id=Mii6TZXPrbQ) An anonymous man (Naseeruddin Shah) telephones Police Commissioner Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher) and warns that six bombs are planted in the city; he threatens to detonate them unless four jailed terrorists are released.[12](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/a-wednesday-movie-review/articleshow/3447419.cms) The story plays out as a contest between the caller, who stays a step ahead of the police, and the force trying to trace him, with an ATS officer (Jimmy Shergill), an inspector ([Aamir Bashir](https://www.edgepedia.org/aamir-bashir)), and a television reporter (Deepal Shaw) drawn into the afternoon.[12](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/a-wednesday-movie-review/articleshow/3447419.cms) • [13](https://nripulse.com/Nov08/Nov08.pdf) The frame narrative has the retired commissioner recounting the case, which was never entered in official records but stayed with him.[2](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Wednesday?hl=hi&id=Mii6TZXPrbQ) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday)
Reviewers described the film's structure without giving away its turn. [The Economic Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-economic-times) noted that the social theme surfaces at the pre-climax, when the common man explains himself, and that the character is deliberately not marked with any religion.[12](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/a-wednesday-movie-review/articleshow/3447419.cms) The Times of India summarized the premise as a mysterious bomber who "gets sick of living his life in fear and decides to teach everyone a lesson," targeting Mumbai and its counter-terror apparatus, and called the climax an "absolute knock-out" built on Shah's closing speech.[14](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/a-wednesday/movie-review/3449896.cms)
## Production
Neeraj Pandey wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue and directed; the producers were [Ronnie Screwvala](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-screwvala), Anjum Rizvi, and Shital Bhatia, under the banners Anjum Rizvi Film Company, Friday Filmworks Pvt. Ltd., and [UTV Motion Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/utv-motion-pictures).[6](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336) Sanjoy Chowdhury composed the music, Fuwad Khan was the cinematographer, and Shree Narayan Singh edited; Irshad Kamil wrote the lyrics.[5](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/a-wednesday/cast/) A 2024 interview with producer Shital Bhatia stated that Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher did not charge any fees for the film.[15](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/a-wednesday/)
The [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) certified the home-entertainment version on 20 November 2008 at 99 minutes 21 seconds, with the consumer advice "Contains strong violence and language"; the UK distributor was UTV Communications U.K. Ltd.[8](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-wednesday-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntgwotk)
## Reception
**Critical response was strongly positive.** The Times of India gave the film 4.5 out of 5, calling it "an intelligent diatribe against terrorism, refreshingly packaged as a racy thriller" and praising the "class act" by Shah and Kher.[14](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/a-wednesday/movie-review/3449896.cms) The Economic Times and [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) each rated it four stars; Khalid Mohamed's Hindustan Times review highlighted Shergill as "concentrated and convincing," Shaw's dialogue delivery, and Kali Prasad Mukherjee's cameo as a taunting terrorist.[12](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/a-wednesday-movie-review/articleshow/3447419.cms) • [16](https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/review-a-wednesday/story-U1zOMCB0uqsRmtV8wHeFCP.html) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 89% Tomatometer from three reviews and more than 2,500 audience ratings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday) IMDb users rate it 8.1/10 from about 87,000 votes.[11](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt1280558/)
The film won a National Film Award for 2008 and an IIFA Award in 2009.[10](https://www.alumni.du.ac.in/archives/Ezine10/content/03%20pic%20This/Culture/pT%20Cul%20005%20alumni%20Film%20Directors%20and%20Filmmakers.pdf) Critics also registered reservations: the Times of India reviewer wrote that one "might quibble with the fascist end of the film where the rule of law is given a go-by," and the Hindustan Times noted some sections "could be interpreted as Muslim bashing" while still rating the film four stars.[14](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/a-wednesday/movie-review/3449896.cms) • [16](https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/review-a-wednesday/story-U1zOMCB0uqsRmtV8wHeFCP.html)
## Remakes and legacy
A Wednesday! was remade in other languages: as the Tamil film *Unnaipol Oruvan* and the Telugu film *Eeenadu*, with [Kamal Haasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamal-haasan) taking the role played by Shah and Mohanlal and Daggubati Venkatesh playing Kher's role in the Tamil and Telugu versions respectively, and as the Hollywood film *A Common Man*.[1](https://www.hcicolombo.gov.in/pdf/August_2018_SVCC_Colombo_Sep12.pdf) It was the first film produced under the Friday Filmworks banner founded by Pandey and Shital Bhatia, and the release notes that it "won many awards in different" categories.[17](https://www.relianceentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/Media_Release_Vikram.Vedha_15.03.18.pdf)
The film has remained in circulation on streaming platforms; as of the latest catalog checks it streams in India on Amazon Prime Video and free with ads on JioHotstar, and is available for rent or purchase on the Apple TV Store.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/a-wednesday) Retrospective commentary has kept the film in lists of notable Hindi thrillers; a 2025 newspaper feature marked how the 2008 film "continues to strike" a chord with audiences.[18](https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/media/2025-06/tdg_noida_24_june.pdf)
## References
1. [Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, High Commission of India, Colombo, August 2018 activity report](https://www.hcicolombo.gov.in/pdf/August_2018_SVCC_Colombo_Sep12.pdf)
2. [A Wednesday, Google Play Movies listing](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Wednesday?hl=hi&id=Mii6TZXPrbQ)
3. [A Wednesday!, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday)
4. [A Wednesday! (2008): Plot, Cast & Rating, Pulse of Cinema](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/a-wednesday/)
5. [A Wednesday! Cast List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/a-wednesday/cast/)
6. [A Wednesday! - Movie, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=336)
7. [A Wednesday!: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a-wednesday/cast-and-crew)
8. [A Wednesday, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/a-wednesday-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntgwotk)
9. [A Wednesday streaming, JustWatch India](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/a-wednesday)
10. [Delhi University alumni ezine: Film Directors and Filmmakers](https://www.alumni.du.ac.in/archives/Ezine10/content/03%20pic%20This/Culture/pT%20Cul%20005%20alumni%20Film%20Directors%20and%20Filmmakers.pdf)
11. [A Wednesday (2008), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt1280558/)
12. [A Wednesday: Movie Review, The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/media/entertainment/a-wednesday-movie-review/articleshow/3447419.cms)
13. [NRI Pulse, November 2008 issue](https://nripulse.com/Nov08/Nov08.pdf)
14. [A Wednesday Movie Review {4.5/5}, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/a-wednesday/movie-review/3449896.cms)
15. [A Wednesday! movie page, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/a-wednesday/)
16. [Review: A Wednesday, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/review-a-wednesday/story-U1zOMCB0uqsRmtV8wHeFCP.html)
17. [Reliance Entertainment media release on Vikram Vedha (March 2018)](https://www.relianceentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/Media_Release_Vikram.Vedha_15.03.18.pdf)
18. [The Daily Guardian, Noida edition, 24 June 2025](https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/media/2025-06/tdg_noida_24_june.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2000s › Action and thriller films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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