Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 8th January, 2016
Time : 103 minutes
Director: Bejoy Nambiar; Writer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi; Music : Various
Starring : Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Manav Kaul, Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anjum Sharma




You can see the end of the film coming a mile off (some critical flaws too) and I also disagree with some of the editing choices � they didn�t need to reveal some things midway � but, thanks to a really great performance by Farhan Akhtar and a slightly over the top but engaging one by Amitabh Bachchan, it makes for a good, gripping enough viewing.




Farhan, an anti-terrorist squad officer, has just lost his daughter while chasing some baddies. His wife, Aditi, in a state of semi-shock has distanced herself from him. He�s suspended from work and probably at the lowest ebb of his life. Enter Amitabh Bachchan. Wheelchair bound, no legs, no wife (lost in a driving accident) and no daughter. She died couple of years ago in an accident, falling down the stairs at politician / Minister Manav Kaul�s place. Grief unites the two men, particularly Amitabh�s way of dealing with it, by teaching youngsters dance. And chess. Farhan is roped in as well� and then secrets come tumbling out�




There is no denying serious flaws in the story. And also some errors while narrating. But it�s the serious, underplayed, strong, upright performance by Farhan which keeps you hooked. Amitabh, to provide the contrast, is deliberately loud, exaggerated � but has particularly pithy, moving lines when required � especially when trying to bring about a rapprochement between the estranged couple. Manav Kaul didn�t particularly impress while Neil, John and Aditi in their brief roles did. A good soundtrack helps too.




There is a little bit to ponder on how quickly we, the media fall into the trap of making people heroes. Almost as if the need to put someone on a pedestal is ingrained in us, our culture. Also, strangely, for a film named after a chess piece, there is very little about the intricacies of the game itself. It�s a welcome change from the usual run of the mill stuff, though � the mindless entertainers and the topsy-turvy cars. Even the action here is a tad bit more real, more believable but only a bit. In the end, it�s a Hindi film�