The Hollywood thriller that was shelved for eight years
In short: A script born in 2000, intended for Dustin Hoffman, sat dormant after a producer's sudden death. Decades later, it emerged as a Hindi neo-noir, featuring a legendary chess master and a high-stakes investigation into a manufactured persona.
The cinematic journey of Wazir began as an English-language project by producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and writer Abhijat Joshi. Conceived in the 1990s, the script was being developed for a Hollywood debut starring Dustin Hoffman. However, the project faced a significant setback in 2005 when producer Robert Newmyer died unexpectedly, leaving the film shelved for nearly eight years. The initial concept for the story was inspired by the 1988 murder of badminton player Syed Modi in Lucknow. Chopra and Joshi spent four years drafting the original version between 2000 and 2004.
The story was eventually reimagined for Indian cinema, transitioning into a Hindi-language action thriller. The plot follows Daanish Ali, an Anti-Terrorism Squad officer, and Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar, a disabled chess master. While the film appears to be a standard investigation into the death of the Pandit's daughter, Nina, the narrative reveals a complex manipulation: the 'Wazir'—a mysterious hitman—was actually a persona created by the Pandit himself to orchestrate the downfall of a terrorist. The film's protagonist, played by Farhan Akhtar, was modeled after the police inspector Vishwas Nangare Patil. The plot involves a pursuit of the terrorist Farooq Rameez, which leads to the suspension of the officer.
Production required significant technical effort. To portray the paralyzed chess master, visual effects were used to hide Amitabh Bachchan's legs, making them appear to end below the knees. The crew even tested between 40 and 50 different wheelchairs to ensure the actor's comfort during the long shoot. Despite critical debate regarding its predictability, the film was a commercial success, recovering its ₹350 million production budget within its first week of release in January 2016. To prepare for the role, Akhtar gained approximately eight kilograms and underwent rigorous training. The film's cinematography was handled by Sanu Varghese, who had previously collaborated with director Bejoy Nambiar.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Wazir (film)
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