Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari's Wazir is a signature Bejoy Nambiar film. Not sure if the phrase can be used for a director who has only a handful of films to his name, but you get the drift. The slickness, the edge-of-the-seat quality, the darkness. Wazir is replete with the chiaroscuro that is so Bejoy Nambiar.

The surface vim and vigour on show in Wazir is considerable, but Bollywood's first big release of 2016 is disappointingly low on substance. Cinematic tales of parents mourning the loss of a young child constitute an effective genre that has been well exploited by filmmakers over the years, and Wazir has two such fathers grappling with the dual burden of grief and guilt. But that essential narrative thread is subsumed by the overarching theme of revenge. In the bargain, the film loses the emotional tug that might have lifted it above the median.

Bollywood has begun the year on a thrilling note with the first big release Wazir promising a power-packed ride. With writers Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and flaunting actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Manav Kaul, expectations are high from the thriller revenge saga. Does it deliver? The film narrates the story of a cop (Farhan), a disabled man (Amitabh) and the unusual circumstances that lead to a friendship between the two.

Known for making taut dramatic thrillers (Shaitan and David), Bejoy Nambiar comes up with another treat with Wazir and though we do have issues with the treatment, we cannot dispute the fact that the film is quite a delight for fans of the suspense genre. When ATS officer Danish (Farhan Akhtar) spots a wanted terrorist while on an outing with his wife and daughter, the cop in him decides to give chase and in the ensuing shootout, his daughter gets killed by a stray bullet, which effectively severs the bond between Danish and his wife (Aditi Rao Hydari).

Chess is a thinking man's game. So it's only fair to say that a movie that uses the sport as a main thematic motif should also adhere to that rule. To an extent Wazir tries. The operative word is 'tries'. The film and its thriller narrative are constantly trying to be seamless and smooth. It's not effortless; you can see director Bejoy Nambiar piggybacking on the efforts of his stellar cast - Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. And as is the case with anything that's put together loosely, it all comes off with time.

When the audience is full of questions, it's an ideal scenario for a suspense thriller. You build the knots slowly as you go along only to untie them eventually and do it convincingly. Wazir hits the bull's eye in the first half --- you are asking a new question almost every ten minutes. The build up is slow and steady and smooth. Every new face you see comes with a back story. By the interval, the plot has built itself into a crescendo of suspense, all the pieces of the puzzle are strewn across on the table and you cannot wait to put them together.

Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar) is a grieving ATS officer, after his daughter is killed in a terrorist shootout, thanks to his recklessness. His wife (Aditi Rao Hydari) blames him for the mishap (rightfully so), and he is also suspended from the force after he botches up their operation to catch the terrorist responsible for his daughter's death, alive. He even contemplates suicide, but defers his decision when he has a chance meeting with Panditji (Amitabh Bachchan).

This thriller starts with great promise and gusto, generating a lot of curiosity and demanding undivided attention. It opens with a quick introduction to the happy Ali family comprising an ATS officer, Danish (Farhan Akhtar), his Kathak dancing wife Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydari) and their four year old daughter. Their idyllic life comes crashing down as a tragedy strikes and they are unable to cope with the grief.

Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir -- based on a script by producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra -- stacks the pieces interestingly enough to begin with. There is a brooding rook, flawed but furious. There is a desperate pawn with nothing to lose. There are dead princesses to make up for the lack of a queen, and there is, finally, a bishop, a wazir, lethal enough to have the film named after him.

So, Wazir is a smart movie - which could have been way smarter. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer Daanish Ali (Farhan) loses his daughter while chasing terrorists. His anguished wife Roohana (Aditi) blames Daanish, who's about to kill himself in guilt-laden grief. Suddenly, he meets wheelchair-bound Pandit Omkar Nath Dhar (Amitabh), who teaches Daanish about chess, life, love - and revenge. Panditji's own tragic tale leads Daanish to investigate Welfare Minister Qureishi (Manav) - and then chase him furiously when brutal assassin Wazir (Neil) attacks Pandit Dhar.

Danish Ali ( Farhan Akhtar) is an ATS cop who is grieving his daughter Noorie's death after she gets shot in a gun-fire exchange between him and some terrorists. Burdened with the guilt, Danish even contemplates suicide. His wife Ruhana (Aditi Rao Hydari) too blames him for losing their daughter and distances herself from him.

If first impressions are the lasting impressions, then Bejoy Nambiar's Wazir gets it right from the outset. Every major character has a fabulously inviting introduction, one that makes us in the audience want to know more about them, as the tightly-wound script progresses in hurling but balanced tones. Who are these interesting people? Why, in the film's heart0stopping preamble, does Danish Ali (Farhan Akhtar) do what he does? His action (can't reveal what it is) triggers off a chain of events that can only be described as providential.

There are many good things about 'Wazir'. First off, this is a film that's backed by writing. Look, look, a plot. Hallelujah. Such a relief after so many plotless wonders masquerading as movies. Next, it brings back the actor in Amitabh Bachchan. And third, it respects our time, keeping things ticking at just over a neat 1.5 hours.

With the advent of the New Year 2016, there are an array of films that have been lined up for release during the year. Kick-starting this year is the Bejoy Nambiar directed WAZIR, a film that's based on chess. After the yesteryear's cult film SHATRANJ KE KHILADI, the Amitabh-Farhan starrer WAZIR seems to be the only film that has chess as its central theme.