'Wazir' Movie: Farhan Akhtar's Performance Impresses Bollywood Stars, Critics

Wazir, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar, is slated to release on January 8, 2016. However, the director, Bejoy Nambiar had the special screening for Bollywood stars and critics. From what it looks like, the latter say that Wazir is the best Bollywood film in 2016, and celebrities are amazed by the solid performances from Akhtar and Bachchan.

According to KoiMoi, Wazir follows the story of Bachchan, playing the role of Pandit Omkarnath Dhar, an ailing wheelchair-bound chess master, and Akhtar, who is playing the role of a tough Anti-Terrorist Squad officer Daanish. This is not the first time these two actors have come together to work. Per a report from IBN Live, in 2004, Akhtar directed the war epic, Lakhsha, in which Bachchan played the role of a tough major. But this is indeed the first time these two talented stars will share the same screen space.

In an interview with DNA India, film's producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and writer Abhijat Joshi said that they took four years to complete the film's script. Joshi also mentioned that Wazir was supposed to be Chopra's first international project with Dustin Hoffman playing the role of main protagonist but due to the sudden death of the project's producer Robert Newmyer, they had to cancel.

After a long brain storming session, however, Bachchan and Akhtar were brought on board to play the two main protagonists.

The special screening was attended by several Bollywood celebrities such as Anil Kapoor, Ritesh Sidhwani, Divya Dutt and others. All of them have expressed their immense appreciation for Akhtar and Bachchan via their respective Twitter accounts.

I was glued to my seat watching @FarOutAkhtar's intensity & @SrBachchan's finesse in the thriller of the year #Wazir!

— Jai Singh Rathore (@AnilKapoor) January 7, 2016

#Wazir @nambiarbejoy take a bow you have made an amazing film.. Check Mate.. — Ritesh Sidhwani (@ritesh_sid) January 7, 2016

Atrangi sounds fab hearing it on loop. All the best @SrBachchan @FarOutAkhtar @aditiraohydari @NeilNMukesh #Wazir — J (@jiteshpillaai) January 6, 2016

Enjoyed watching WAZIR.Crime thriller of a different kind.Worth watching for Amitabh and Farhan.Script is tight. — ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) January 5, 2016

It was great seeing you yesterday @FarOutAkhtar #Wazir still on my mind.. What a beautiful film!

— Sunidhi Chauhan (@SunidhiChauhan5) January 4, 2016

The film also features Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham. According to Indian Express, the film, which was earlier titled Chess, was written by Chopra and Joshi – the pair that earlier brought us Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots and PK.