Shootout at Wadala

In the early 80's , Mumbai was the hub for underworld gangsters. Each gangsters were vying for blood of other gang members to rule Mumbai underworld. Manya Surve was one of the dreaded gangster who ruled the Mumbai underworld but ultimately was shot down by what is recorded as first encounter killing by Mumbai Police.

Based on true story of infamous gangster , Manya Surve (played by John Abraham), Shootout At Wadala is a sequel to Shootout At Lokhandwala and brings you the actual event which took place on 1st November , 1982 where Mumbai Police took the first step to do first encounter killing of Manye Surve in Wadala, Mumbai which shook the entire country.

From the director of Kaante and Musafir, Sanjay Gupta brings you the stylish hardcore-action film which is interesting to watch but is saddened by loose screenplay and left you wanting for more. The movie begins with bang depicting the events which changes Manye's life from a bright college student to atrocious urban dacoit. It is the 2nd half which goes haywire and you feel the impact is missing. Direction is good but screenplay is average. Action scenes are superb and stylish and will be a treat for action-movie fan. Cinematography is eye-catching. Special mention for gorgeous set creation representing the 80's era of Mumbai. Dialogues are punching. John Abraham gives his best and comes up with riveting performance. This might be a turning point in his career. Anil Kapoor is as usual dependable. He gives full support to the starcast along with Manoj Bajpai and Sonu Sood. Kangana Raunat looks good but is wasted in a small role.

Shootout out Wadala is entertaining , exhilarating and stylish. Watch it if you want to know about Mumbai underworld during 80's period. Good 3/5

I missed the prequel 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' which did great and after hearing the rave reviews 'Shootout at Wadala' has been getting I decided to give the franchise a shot.I ended up with mixed feelings.What's good? The apropos setting means that as you sit through the first half hour of the movie you will find yourself quickly immersed in the gangster world of Mumbai(then Bombay) in the 70's and 80's.That is courtesy to a gripping story,exhilarating pace and good acting.The actors seem well cast.John Abraham(Manya Surve) impresses but in parts(As always his body is amazing though).It's always good to see Anil Kapoor and Sonu Sood,two of the many underrated actors in Bollywood.What really keeps the movie alive is it's dialogs,witty one liners and crass jokes.The movie justifies it's A rating with lot's of violence and sensuality(not meant for kids).There is a hot Kangana Ranaut and as many as three item songs with probably Sunny Leone's being the best.The camera work and editing are simply brilliant.

You would expect a movie with so many positives to be thoroughly satisfying,yet it somehow falls short of that.The movie seems undecided on what it is trying to portray.Is it about the transformation of an innocent student to a merciless gang leader?If so it certainly is n't believable.Is it about the honest duty abiding policemen?It doesn't seem so,then why spend so much time on the lives of the inspectors,an unnecessary digression(Not that i don't like Anil Kapoor,Ronit Roy or Mahesh Manjreker-they are great in their own way).Is it about a face off between John Abraham(Manya Surve) and Sonu Sood(Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar).Well after a great build up,the showdown does n't happen either.Such a missed opportunity.In the end you cant decide whom you are rooting for- Manya,Dilawar or the police.That's where it is a letdown,which is why the ending wont leave you teary eyed or deeply moved.

Overall the movie entertains,maybe doesn't disappoint but you feel it could have been much more.

Shootout At Lokhandwala (SAL) was so genuine in both the plot & its character portrayal that it has a cult following. I could say the same for Shootout At Wadala (SAW) had it been short, non-monotonous & authentic.

First of all, the makers made a mistake in adapting an already published work. Unlike Hollywood, it hardly works in Bollywood. Secondly, too many characters played spoilsport with the marvelously carved screenplay. Character depth is very shallow, running time is too long, plus the story is clichéd. And to fill the gaps, they include not 1, not 2 but 3 item numbers to the audience's horror. With a faux pas in non-linear narration, SAW ends without making mark its predecessor was successful in.

Abraham is great, Kangana is straight outta her "Gangster" role (plus her accent spoils everything), Manoj Bajpai is terrific, Sonu Sood was sleeping all over the movie while Anil Kapoor is only a man of his words, with certain supporting cast fooling around. Jackie Shroff was wasted. Tusshar is better than he was in SAL.

Music is good but repetitive, editing is very well done, cinematography is good & the total feel is in parallel to the genre it is based on. But, since the foundation is rickety with same old story (nice guys-bad guys), SAW doesn't live up to the expectations. The negations are high, especially the lack of clever censorship & punchy dialogues.

BOTTOM LINE: SAW is a strict crime movie probably worth a watch which depends on personal interests. Some may like it, some may not.

MESSAGE: The illusion that gangsters are born mischievous is wrong.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Profanity: Critical | Sex: Strong | Nudity: Mild | Violence: Infinity | Gore: Very Critical | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: Mild | Drugs: No | Vulgarity: Strong

The screen writing is watertight. Although it takes time to settle down, the solid writing in the second hour keeps you on the edge. In fact, the turn of events in the second half takes the film to its zenith. A large chunk of SHOOTOUT AT WADALA is devoted to high-voltage action sequences. Unlike some recent films, the action here is raw and real, reminiscent of the films of the 1980s. On the whole, SHOOTOUT AT WADALA is a fire-brand, paisa vasool entertainer. Brutal and electrifying, it is one of those theatre-going experiences that has a plot, is packaged well and has content drama, action, dialogue, songs, performances that works big time with the avid moviegoer. Sanjay Gupta delivers a solid punch!

SAW starts up with very good performances and a very good screenplay which takes the movie to the top of a steep mountain but slowly starts to a downfall from the top as the movie reaches its climax and here is my view.

PLOT&PERFORMANCES: movie has a very good plot and it is based on true events occurring in Mumbai in early 80's which are been carefully scripted and has been added up with enough spices needed for an Indian screen to attract the masses. The best thing about this movie is about the performances and most importantly of John Abraham where he gave his best performance till date and he receives a great support from all other stars like Tushaar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Manoj and Sonu Sood who gave gem of performances. But very important characters that of Manoj and Sonu Sood has been wasted in the end of the movie and if their characters had been utilized well the movie would had been more appealing to multiplex viewers. Kangana once again in a routine character adding up to some adult scenes on screen. The item song by Sunny Leone is good enough but the one by Priyanka doesn't add up to the light.

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENTS: the applause goes to the director for his very good casting in the movie and getting out all the talent from the cast out on the screen and also for a excellent screenplay but he adds up erotic scenes which are not needed for a serious life event based movies. Music is not so appealing except for the item song by Sunny and the background score in few areas.

ANALYSIS: the movie is really good regarding the plot and the cast performances but the director didn't maintained this inclination in the whole movie which drags the movie towards a downhill towards the climax.The movie is a complete star in single screens but for multiplex it leaves up a question mark.