WANTED - Movie Review

Star Cast: Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia Azmi, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar, Inder Kumar, Manoj Pahwa, Mehak Chahal and Vinod Khanna.

Director: Prabhu Dheva

Story: Puri Jagannath

When your all time favourite actor and actress decide to come together for a film, immediately it becomes the most awaited film for you. At the same time, you would be apprehensive whether or not the film is going to be a memorable one. But if it’s a remake of one of your favourite films, then you are pretty sure about the outcome. So you can’t resist watching the film even if your end term exams are underway!

Wanted is story of Radhe (Salman Khan), a mercenary goon who soon graduates to a criminal working for the infamous Mumbai mafia. With his fearlessness and effective strategy, he soon becomes the dependable man for the Don as he single handedly eliminates his enemies. Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia Azmi) is a middle class girl who works to earn bread and butter for her family of mother and a young brother. After couple of chanced encounters, she falls in love with Radhe despite the fact that he does not fit her dream boy’s bill. But before she could commit herself, she discovers the ruthless side of Radhe. As her repeated attempts to change him fail, she also fails to stop herself from loving him. To add to the mayhem, there is a lecherous cop (Mahesh Manjrekar) who wants to take advantage of Jhanvi’s family condition, there is an over-aged landlord (Manoj Pahwa) pursuing her relentlessly.

But not everything is what it seems. There is a well kept secret which when revealed will bring endless destruction. Sacrifices have to be made. The question is not whether it would happen or not. The question is when!

The film is a wholesome entertainer with a potent mix of action, romance, comedy and tragedy. A great reminder of the films of yore which was all about heroism but done in a very contemporary, slick way without using much of the clichés. Though action is predominant throughout the film, it has a beautiful love story imbibed within and Ayesha Takia makes it much more lovable! It has few beautiful moments between the top actors that you savour much after the film gets over. While action gives the thrill, the comedy laughter, the romance brings the sensitive part of the story. The dialogues are witty and there are plenty of ‘whistle’ moments. Overall, it is a fast paced film which takes you for non-stop entertainment.

Salman Khan hits back after a slew of mediocre films in past two years. He just has to be in the frame to be the character. He looks fabulous, dances great and perhaps this is his best action role till date. When he beats up 20 guys at one go, it is actually believable – the only aspect where Wanted did better than its original. Though the action is same as the original just that he makes it more believable by his sheer presence. He romances Ayesha Takia well too. But in the later part of the film, he shows the same ‘angry look’ which he reserves for his rivals to Ayesha as well which I think didn’t work for the story. There are few emotional scenes and he carries them really well.

To me Ayesha Takia is the best actress ever born and she always stands up to the expectations. Though she is better in subtle scenes, she carries her ‘masala’ part well too. She brings the much needed balance to the film, an opposite of the violent and arrogant Salman Khan.

But the scene stealer is Prakash Raj as Ghani Bhai. The two time national award winning actor is the main villain in the film and he is unlike any you have seen before. He is comical and menacing at the same time. He is the only actor who is part of all three films. Perhaps no one else could have done the role except him. The significant change made is Wanted is that Prakash Raj’s role has been extended and he is effective to say the least.

Mahesh Manjrekar as the lecherous cop is good. Inder Kumar, Mehak Chahal and Manoj Pahwa extend able support to the film. Vinod Khanna in his brief role does the best scene in the film. In fact the pre-climax scene is sure to give you goose pimples.

The person who needs to be applauded the most is Puri Jagannath, the writer of the story as well as the director of Pokiri, the Telugu original. The script is foolproof. The fact that it became super hit in Tamil and now in Hindi gives enough testimony for the script. As a film too, it’s a scene to scene copy of Pokiri which talks volumes about Jagannath’s directorial abilities. Prabhu Dheva did make some changes and he is quite effective in that but it’s too less and insignificant to give him the credit. The film is essentially Puri Jagannath’s dream.

The music by Sajid-Wajid is ordinary. Except Dil Leke, there are not many tracks that you would like to take home though you might enjoy them at that moment. The background music by Salim-Sulaiman is subtle unlike the original which is great. The action is raw and well executed, though a lot has been copied from a foreign film. Choreography is of top notch which is obvious when the director is the best dancer in the country.

Wanted may not be a great film per se but it’s one of the best films made in its category. The tender hearted people might find some action scenes hard to see, but there are plenty of beautiful moments to compensate for that. For action buffs, it’s a sheer delight. Above all, if you want to be entertained, go watch Wanted. The film comes with an invisible tag line – satisfaction guaranteed!