"A Wednesday" : Movie analysis

What is the nature of man? Not particular man, but essence of man as distinguished from animals.
There are mystical, social and individual philosophies that have different denotations. 'Bhagwad Geeta' depicts a being torn apart between soul and body. Soul seeking salvation after death, and body a materialistic heap of dust imprisoning the soul. For Karl Marx, man is a disposable cog in an eternal societal machine of class struggle. For Niezetche, he is power luster born to rule or be ruled. Kant will call for a being constantly doomed irreconcilably among Analytic-Synthetic, OR more commonly theory-practice. Ayn Rand and Aristotle define man as rational animal having free will, who consistently has to make a choice whether to seek life(and all that it stands for), or choose its anti-thesis(destructive policies included).


Pragmatism will arrive at a conclusion of eternal skeptic only capable of action without thought, for truth is unknowable. Never taking a principled stand or dealing with abstractions. Always concrete bound, perceptual and caught in ever changing anti-visionary now(kal ho na ho)..... A subjective emotional hedonist, having right to do whatever one pleases irrespective of the consequences to himself or others - most consistent liberterians and existentialists should conclude.(see "Kaminey")

Lets come to objectification of Philosophies(explicitly or implicitly), ART that is. Movies in this case.
For Madhur Bhandarkar, man seeks glory which turns out to be just a mirage. In showbiz to be a top model like Meghna Mathur or to seek a decent living in Chandini Bar. He is doomed to fail, as according to him there is no such thing as a non-contradictory state of happiness on achieving one's goals. Only narcissist escapes rich can engage in.

For Imtiaz Ali, emotions are sufficient guide to man's life. Whether Geet's marraige plan or Aditya running a corporation in JWM. Subjective emotional hedonism may lead to occasional setbacks, but as even Richard Boyle through Slumdog millionaire would agree; Mind is disposable, your emotions are sufficient guide to your life!

Well, Neeraj Pandey boldly differs in "A Wednesday".
Here is a man taking control of his life. Refusing to be pushed around. Here is a man capable of independent action, based on rational thought process and clearly defined goal.

Lets examine the virtues movie embodies and perceptualizes.

Rationality: You are free to evade reality, but not escape the consequences of evading it. Thats why rationality, a full, conscious state of awareness of surroundings and self is a virtue. Therefore, I applaud the meticulous planning with which the whole operation was carried out. Every detail was looked into. Whether its assembling untrackable cellular system, procuring bomb material, actions to dodge possibility of discovery, food during operation and life as usual after completion.

Assertion of Right to self-defence: Man has an inalienable right to Life, therefore he has a right to self-defence. But if the men are to peacefully co-exist in a society, initiation of physical force(includes frauds and breaches of legal contracts as well) ought to be barred. And in a civil society the self-defence mechanism too cannot be ruled by individual whims(as in tribal rules). Therefore, a citizen delegates the right of self-defence to the government, which then acquires the legal monopoly over the use of physical force(not initiation but appropriate retaliation). And therefore, to protect citizens from each other and also from government itself, there ought to be clearly demarcated laws. Laws that define force and how it should be used by the government. Upholding individual rights all the time..!
But when laws that are supposed to protect, end up becoming mechanism that hinders basic duty of the government, its right for man to take responsibility for self defence.(Though, this cannot be a long-term solution. Reforms based on the ethical code and principle of Individual rights is the only long-term solution).

Coming back to movie, here we see a common man acting to destroy terrorists who have committed heinous crimes in his city. When all other institutions fail him, he acts as a reasonable man ought to act in face of threat(howsoever untangible).

Virtue of Selfishness: What propels a man into action. Whether its duty towards others, or concern for one's own values. Here too, the stand is definitive. The motif action is based on the will to create harmonious atmosphere for oneself, one's family and the loved ones(including valued acquaintances in day-to-day workings).

Justice: Right to self defence covers the social aspect of Justice. Here I confine myself to the concept of judging people in one's own mind and then acting based on the judgement one arrives at. The corresponding interaction should not amount to my compromising on my principles though.

To conclude, "A Wednesday" reaffirms my belief in man as a heroic being, capable of acting rationally, decisively and independently.