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A real-life Wednesday
It is up to an individual to get inspired from a film in a good or bad way, says filmmaker Neeraj Pandey.
Blame it on Bollywood. A court hearing in Dubai on Wednesday revealed a foiled UAE terror attack plan bearing an uncanny resemblance to the plot of the critically acclaimed 2008 film, A Wednesday.
Reportedly, a 31-year-old man of Pakistani origin called the Dubai airport authorities and demanded 1 million dirham along with the release of three of his friends, who were in jail. He threatened the authorities that he would blow up the shopping malls and skyscrapers in the city if his demands were not met. The police, however, traced his call and arrested him.
During his interrogation, the blackmailer revealed that he had learned about explosives and how to talk tough, from a Bollywood film that he had watched. Observers of the case have told the media that it is the Anupam Kher-Nasserudin Shah starrer, A Wednesday, which inspired the crime.
However, the film fraternity feels it is unfair to hold the movie responsible. “Movies are a reflection of the times we are living in, and not the other way round. So, it’s not right to blame the movie,” says filmmaker Goldie Behl.
The director of the film, Neeraj Pandey, says, “It is a two-way process. At times, we, as filmmakers, get affected by a real-life incident and make a film around it, and it works vice versa as well. It is up to an individual to get inspired in a good or bad way.”
