I want to write this post long time back; actually few months back, but didn't able to find a good timing . Even though now the Wazir Bollywood mood is replaced by Gregory Peck Hollywood taste, couldn't resist having a post for last 5 minutes game changing movies including Wazir. That's because, today, one song of HRx's Mohenjo-Daro was released and all the stacked up memories of Wazir was bumped in me.
Now let me tell you what I meant by last 5 minutes game changers. These kind have a normal flow of the story and make the viewer to believe that normal flow. Within this flow, there'd be a, start, peak and end. And end is just a perceived end, not the real end. And just before the real end, that means the last 5 minutes, the whole story turns upside down. And it's not like a ordinary turning of the story, but a turning you have to do with a logical and structural thinking pattern. You have to match each and every incident in the flow with this turning point. And for that, you cannot write this story as the mind flows. You need a perfect structure and should write between the structure. And that's how the writer can wow the viewer, not before the last 5 minutes, but all through this 5 minutes which is the real peak of the movie. And ending it just at the peak, would give a viewer a surprising shock.
I first came to know this kind of a game changer with the movie The Illusionist. It was a story about a magician. The story would make feel you that the lead role has some abnormal powers to perform his magic, but at the last five minutes it shows how each magical incident was done with just simple tricks. 95% was totally boring from beginning of the movie, but that 5% in the end will kill your boredom, give you a shock and make you to watch again to understand the missing pieces that you perceived as boring.
After Illusionist, there comes another same type game changer; The Prestige. I couldn't remember exactly the story, but it was about two magicians; once friends, then enemies. It was same about magic and tricks. And it must be the first time I heard of Nicola Tesla and his wireless light bulb.
Then after I got hold of the movie Shutter Island without knowing it was a game changer. I guess I was in a hurry, and that lead me to be caught in the middle of 95% boredom. And idiotic me gave up watching it. How bad!!
Then the most recent one, Wazir. Wazir means Queen, in India. Queen in chess. Wazir in Chathrang. This story is greatly combines the concepts of game chess with the real life of characters. It's shocking how the story uses the idea, how an innocent pawn can make a queen by going through 6 squares forward. This innocent pawn is non other than Big B, who walks through a wheel chair as he got no legs. (That should be a tragic accident)
He was a chess trainer for bunch of kids and seeking for justice for death of his daughter. Justice; that means to be Queen. Pawn makes a queen by going to the 8th row. But to go to the 8th row from the second row, he cannot do that alone, he need a protector; rook, knight or bishop. So this protector is non other than Farhan Akthar, who was a cop, lost his daughter in a raid on a terrorist, and blamed himself for the death of the child, now trapped himself in a guilt complex. So this helpless pawn 'uses' the cop to go for the Queen. And this 'use' is all described in the last 5 minutes which gives you a shocking wow, seeing how it turns the whole story upside down.
And the next thing is, for a pawn to make a queen at the 8th row, he have to gave up himself. This concept is explained marvellously in the story as "to win, you have lose sometimes". (same goes with French Chess we used to play) So to win, Big B gave up his life. To understand this 'gave up' you have to watch last 5 minutes. By risking his life, he boosted the winning post.
Wazir was a extraordinary Bollywood hit released in the beginning of this year. Apart from being a game changer and goes along with game chess, there are three other things blows my mind. One is Farhan's mustache haircut as the cop Daanish and the slow motion Tere Bin and friendship between two generations, Panditji and Daanish. This friendship remind me Babumoshai in 1970 Aanand. Companionship between Big B and Rajesh Khanna. It has the same Atrangi Yaari flavor but with different tastes.
About the mustache, yes there is something in this mustache. :P
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Tere Bin is a full slow motion scenic video that plays start in the movie. It reveal a whole story of Daanish's life before this story starts. It was a really sweet one that goes through their wedding ceremony, birth of the child, and ordinary life. It was the first time I guess I saw a full slow motion music video.
The actual full song can be watch from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1mTZQ5_UZE But I feel this one is little bit faster than the original.
So this Bollywood family drama flavor is the reason why Wazir is in top of the list above the other two. Wazir has no 95% boredom margin.
Now talking about creating game changers, I think it is necessary to create a character to represent the viewer. Couldn't remember whether 'The Prestige' got a one. But the other two had. In Wazir, the cop Daanish depicted the viewer. What he feels, we feels. What he perceive, we perceive. Then at the last 5 minutes, he is the one who realizes the true facts with the viewers. In Illusionist, I guess there was a policeman to do that duty. The magician 'used' this policeman to achieve his objective as the same way Panditji used Daanish.
And that's it. If you know any other game changers which changes the whole story the other way, please tell. Cya!
