A Thursday Movie Review: Yami Gautam's film is one of the best thrillers in recent times (2025)

Yami Gautam's A Thursday is the kind of thriller that has been missing from Indian screens for a while. The film is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

A Thursday Movie Review: Yami Gautam's film is one of the best thrillers in recent times (1)

Yami Gautam in a still from A Thursday.

Grace Cyril

Mumbai,UPDATED: Feb 18, 2022 14:16 IST

On a normal Thursday, a playschool teacher suddenly takes 16 students hostage. Naina Jaiswal (Yami Gautam) has one demand before she releases them - a meeting with the country's Prime Minister. She also threatens to kill the little ones one-by-one. Instantly, there's fear and consternation among the anxious parents and the citizens. What happens next forms the rest of the film. Without giving away much, here's our review.

advertisement

While Naina, an expert shooter, live streams her demands, the Mumbai Police, led by the heavily pregnant Catherine Alwaris (Neha Dhupia) and aided by her deputy Javed (Atul Kulkarni), flap about in disarray. The fact that little kids' lives are in danger instils an instant fear in the audience's hearts, clearly because there's a connect there. Also, what does Naina even want? She makes her demands one-by-one and, by the end of it, you can't help but feel sorry for her. You'll have to watch the whole film to know what we are talking about.

In the end, the film delivers a strong message. It's not just a thriller, the emotions it touches and innumerable twists it offers will keep you hooked till the end. Trauma and violence run deep in A Thursday, but for a good cause. Also, the dialogues are hard-hitting. Ashley Michael Lobo and Behzad Kambata's screenplay deserves credit here. One of the USPs of the film is Roshan Dalal and Kaizad Gherda's background score, which contributes to the thrill factor.

To a great extent, A Thursday reminds us of Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher-starrer A Wednesday. The 2008 Neeraj Pandey directorial venture, with Naseeruddin Shah, as an unassuming common man, ends up doing something that no one expected. Something similar happens in Yami’s A Thursday as well. However, the two films can't be compared.

We have to say that this is one of Yami Gautam's best performances so far. In an instant, she goes from the girl next door to a monster, one who keeps her students hostage. Her menacing glare, her serious expressions are straight out of a horror movie that fits very well into her role. It's hard to believe that this is Yami's first thriller. Neha Dhupia also shines, although we feel she should have been given more screen time and perhaps her role should have been made stronger. It's not every day you see a pregnant cop in a film. Neha Dhupia’s Catherine just barks into her walkie-talkie while clutching her swollen belly. Nevertheless, the actress has performed her part terrifically and no one could have done it better.

advertisement

Needlessly aggressive Javed doesn't do much except be in touch with Naina constantly. That being said, Atul's acting is superb. He perfectly fits into his character of a police officer. Karanvir Sharma, who plays Naina's fiance in A Thursday, had very little to do. If the makers had excluded him, no one would've noticed. Points deducted for his overacting. A shoutout to Dimple Kapadia, who plays the role of the Prime Minister. There's little to fault in her performance.

But, A Thursday is not without its flaws. It was hard to believe that a person single-handedly took the kids hostage while the police and the commandos outside stood as mute spectators. Journalist Shalini Guha (Maya Sarao) is also weak. While anyone in a situation like this, would kill to get the story, she's too shaken up. That being said, while the plot is intriguing, the film lacks technical detailing. Sumeet Kotian's editing could have been tighter in the first half. These are some minor faults but they make up for all of that in the end, which is unpredictable.

advertisement

In conclusion, we can just say that Yami Gautam's A Thursday is the perfect thriller to watch. It is executed well and has a taut script. It’s a film that should have ideally come in cinemas. We highly recommend it.

You can watch A Thursday on Disney+ Hotstar.

ALSO READ I A Thursday star Neha Dhupia on life with new baby, says it's challenging but you live for cuddles

ALSO READ I Yami Gautam on ‘heavy’ A Thursday character, husband Aditya’s reaction to film. Interview

Published By:

Nairita Mukherjee

Published On:

Feb 17, 2022

--- ENDS ---

A Thursday Movie Review: Yami Gautam's film is one of the best thrillers in recent times (2025)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Kelle Weber

Last Updated:

Views: 5331

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kelle Weber

Birthday: 2000-08-05

Address: 6796 Juan Square, Markfort, MN 58988

Phone: +8215934114615

Job: Hospitality Director

Hobby: tabletop games, Foreign language learning, Leather crafting, Horseback riding, Swimming, Knapping, Handball

Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.