Wanted

Honestly, when I saw the promos I had no expectations at all. But after watching Wanted, all I can say that it is a real nice movie. It takes you back to the glorious 80s, where our hero used to beat up dozens of gundas all alone, save his girlfriend from gundas, over the top mannerisms, etc. It is a perfect example of a old wine in a new bottle. The truth is that our Bollywood had lost its innocence, trying too hard to imitate the west, making so called art/serious movies aka parallel cinema. Masala movies were almost finished. But I hope this has revived them again, because the movie was very much enjoyable.

Action scenes are OTT at times, but still enjoyable.

It has some nice performances, but it is Sallu bhai that carries the movie on his shoulders. No other actor in Bollywood could have pulled the role with such an ease. Because of him you just overlook at the flaws.

Ayesha Takia looks stunning and her chemistry with Sallu does work! Vinod is not given enough footage but manages to do well.

Mahesh Manjrekar is brilliant. He was just too good at times. Typical corrupt lusty police officers. Scene where he is on his laptop or any other scene... Really good.

Prakash Raj deserves special mention. He was just amazing as the DON. Amazing in the jail scenes!

The twist in the movie was quite nice and not really expected. (as I haven't seen the original) There are some really funny scenes in first half as well =D

The movie has almost no story, but the screenplay was nice.

The only thing that was quite annoying was the amount of unnecessary songs. It got boring, because It was like fight scene - song - fight scene - song... Just like those 80s movies, but quite exaggerated. I wish there were bit less songs.

Best scenes:

• Lift scene with Salman and Ayesha - All Mughal-e-Azam scenes - In the basketball court - Jail scenes with Don - Radhe asking for Jhanvi phone number in the train - Radhe ignoring Jhanvi - Where Rajeev Shikawat's identity is revealed - The scene where Don meets Srikanth Shikawat (Vinod Khanna)

and many more. I can say that most of the scenes (except the scenes with the landlord - the guy was funny in beginning but got annoying by the end) are really good and most of them are memorable.

In one word, it is a PAISA VASOOL. Leave your brains at home, watch and enjoy with friends.

8/10 (revival of the glorious 80s)

It's good news for the real Bollywood fans, the common man, living out of the metros in small cities, towns and villages. Salman Khan brings back to them their good old action cinema with the same punches and enthusiasm which got lost in the new age glossy kind of movies in the recent years. The angry young man is back on the screen bashing all the bad men real hard. And it was indeed a lot of fun and relief to see a true Bollywood kind of movie after a long time stuffed with our own trademark action, fights, love, dance and songs.

Remake of "Pokiri" already made in Telugu and Tamil, "Wanted" starts off normally with a mention of Mumbai underworld nexus and a newly appointed honest Police Commissioner in the town. Salman Khan makes a routine entry as the usual filmy action hero who works for the underworld dons and is known for his killer instincts and attitude. After a few slow initial moments, the movie starts growing on you gradually and holds a strong grip over the viewer till the intermission. Especially the confronting scene at the basket ball court between Salman and Mahesh Manjrekar sets the mood in and you start enjoying the movie from there on.

The explosive second half is a real treat for the action lovers where Salman beats and kills uncountable men left and right with a great confidence. Here you witness the good old cinema of Bollywood Heroism back on screen where the Macho Man is hitting more than 20 men on the screen among the loud roar of claps and shouts from the audiences. Later we even have a suspense element added towards the climax which though is predictable but still adds more spirit to the highly violent fight sequence in the end.

Salman shows great attitude in his highly brutal act and also looks very cool in his casual shirts & denims. His emotional scenes with Ayesha Takia are equally convincing and enjoyable. Thinking about his amazing action scenes in the movie, you just cannot imagine anyone else doing more justice to the role other than Salman himself. Here, I would also like to mention, one highly appreciable scene in the movie where Salman Khan strongly criticizes his close friend for eating "Gutka". That was indeed a very commendable effort from the actor to save many lives from this highly famous killing habit in the youth today.

Ayesha as the leading lady unexpectedly gives a spirited performance in the movie and is not just there for adding glamour. Mahesh Manjrekar, as the corrupt cop, deserves a special mention for his scenes providing the right momentum to the movie. Govind Namdeo suits the role of Police Chief perfectly but Vinod Khanna is completely wasted in an unimportant role. Mahek Chahal is there as the vamp and Manoj Pahwa tries to make you laugh with his not so entertaining getup.

Sajid Wajid come up with a couple of good numbers enjoyable on the screen (with a special appearance of Govinda & Anil Kapoor), otherwise the movie could easily do without so many songs. Action is the main asset of the movie, getting the much needed support from its Cinematographer. Story wise, "Wanted" has nothing new to offer, but after a long time, Indian Common Man gets a pure MASALA Movie to enjoy on the lines of highly successful action movies released a few decades back. I would even like to rate "Wanted" better than "Ghajini" since it does not take help of any additional (memory) gimmicks added deliberately in the script.

Surprisingly, this hardcore action movie comes from the director "Prabhu Deva" who is more famous in Hindi Cinema for his amazing dance movements. And quite unpredictably, he delivers a highly entertaining flick especially for the single screen theater viewers, who simply love Bollywood movies as one of the most important passions of their lives. The critiques may find it over the top and the thinking viewer may take it as a routine flick with a weak script. But if you are not among any of these, then just go for this engaging action drama and enjoy the three hours in the dark with your friends. It's pure Bollywood for the masses, coming back to the silver screen after a long time. At least, it is not a usual inspired movie from the west for a change.

In a nutshell, if you loved watching Amitabh in "Deewar" & Sunny Deol in "Ghayal", then here is another equally entertaining act by the still young & angry Salman Khan. "Wanted" is undoubtedly among his most hard hitting and enjoyable movies till date with a different Salman altogether as never seen before. So, just go for it now and have a great time with him.

Most of you must be knowing that 'Wanted' is remake of Telugu 'Pokiri'. The Telugu version was itself a great.. so any remake will be delighting. And Prabhu Deva has not made much wear and tear to its original version. That makes 'Wanted' a full entertaining movie. After watching the first show, I expect most will like it and hopefully Salman's wanted will turn out to be a super-hit. Acting was awesome. Most of the crew have performed their role to perfection. Ayesha Takia was at her best. Prakash Raj has proved again and again that he can play any role flawless. Better can be expected from a star like Salman Khan. The bar of expectation risen high enough by a near perfect Mahesh Babu in the original 'Pokiri'. Salman has not done bad anyway. Songs do dishearten. Last but not the least the plot is superb that makes this movie so wonderful. My verdict: a must watch.

Owing to the fact that I have watched the original (masterpiece?), my review would be less of an opinion and oscillating towards comparison.

۩ Salman Khan:: The Radhey (from Tere Naam) perhaps was the prerequisite for Salman to earn this role. And he justifies well given his constraints of his style and persona.

۩ Ayesha Takia:: The miss-goody-two-shoes seems to try too hard to appear coy and the penny drops at many places.

۩ Prateekha Lonkar:: Pity this "Iqbal" mother had barely any scenes in the movie.

۩ Manoj Pahwa:: Apt choice in comparison to the original version – but pity the track was edited out completely.

۩ Vinod Khanna:: Its appalling to see the quality and the size of the roles he is reduced to.

۩ Mahesh Manjrekar:: As usual he is reliable and effectively delivers the sleazy and gullible police officer with perfection. Wonder why the original Ashish Vidyarthi was not considered.

۩ Govind Namdeo:: Was adequate but as mentioned above why the the original Sayaji Shinde was considered.

In fact both above were spot on in their original roles and linguistic skills wasn't a constraint either.

۩ Prakash Raj:: He is the only one who reprises the same role in both versions. "Wanted" gives him ample scope to display his histrionics to Bollywood audience and who knows he might be the next Big Baddie in the offing!

The action are hard hitting and delivered with a punch. The good thing about Prabhudeva holding the directorial reigns is that he put special effort on Salman Khan's dancing skills. Sadly if the music could compliment equally – the results would have been set aflame the countdowns on the music video channels. On that note, what difference would it had made if the original director Puri Jagannath was asked to deliver goods instead?

Lastly, the original made a dent in the Telugu cinema and "Wanted" comes about 60% tops. Recommend to lay hands on the DVD of "Pokiri" with English subs at the first instance to discover sacrosanct can get lost in translation.

Wanted is Salman Khan's most definitive statement to the film world. If ShahRukh Khan can give an Om Shanti Om and Aamir Khan can give a Ghajini to the masses, he can give something even more explosive and entertaining. Yes, Salman Khan tops other Khans in this South Indian film inspired - action packed explosion that is directed by Prabhudeva, the accomplished choreographer. Salman doesn't have his over-the-top accent or his fake tears to accompany him in this venture that takes him from a tapori to a ruthless terminator of the underworld. Wanted is exaggerated, preposterous and laughable but that is exactly what it was meant to be. Prabhudeva has strong roots in South Indian cinema where action is fast paced with jerky camera motions that send everyone flying high but to incorporate all this into an entertaining movie deserves some pat on his back. He may not be a renowned film maker but he knows exactly what it takes to deliver an explosive action movie and boy does he do it in style!

Radhe (Salman Khan) is a tapori who can commit himself to any task for the money involved to the extent that he wouldn't even listen to himself and he means it. Ayesha Takia is his love interest that never gets in his way of killing goons and fighting his way through the day. Where the heroine of a film can easily distract the plot and hero, Prabhudeva manages to keep her role restricted to songs and light hearted relief after a heavy doze of action. Just like his character, Salman Khan is a one man army in the movie. His performance, action and even Prabhudeva - choreographed dancing is the heart and soul of the film. Wanted is easily one of his best performances that has encompassed all that he is capable of doing (excluding comedy).

While the romantic breaks and songs are nothing more than a restroom or samosa break for the viewer, the action is relentless and even though it is over-the-top in typical South Indian film style, it is nevertheless, kick-ass and ruthless! If Hollywood can be proud of Tarantino's Kill Bill style of action, then we must be proud of Prabhudeva's version of stylized action. We are not talking about realistic fight sequences or martial arts but of what we remember Sunny Deol's movies for - ruthless, high octane, one man show of just knocking the man down with fists, kicks, guns or whatever comes in our hero's hands. There is no mercy in showcasing blood and gore because when we see Salman Khan all charged up to deliver the other guy straight to hell, we can see him as the Terminator without an automatic weapon. He is an unstoppable force who is not deterred by Police, gangs, underworld, knives, guns or sharp objects. He just flings them right back in Rajnikant style and that is what makes this movie even more enjoyable. Just go watch it with this notion in mind that it is a Rajnikant style action film but made in Bollywood with Salman Khan taking on whatever comes in his way and you shall then be entertained.

Prabhudeva leaves no chapter out from the book of 'how to make a masala movie' with a non-stop delivery of excitement with occasional humour, romance, songs, drama, reality, action and unbelievable heroics. He makes Salman perform every ritual that we can expect and not expect. Who knew that the 'sturdy' Salman could dance with such flexibility and style in love me?? He acts fearless against the biggest Don, challenges and embarrasses Policemen, reaches Andheri station even before the train gets there, is available wherever his need arises, shows no mercy to anyone who inflicts harm upon his family or his loved one and yes, of course, he takes his shirt off while doing so as well!

The film may be a bit too long and the random songs on international hotspots maybe unwarranted but when we see Salman as an unstoppable force, we know it's clobbering time! Salman hasn't lost his position in Bollywood and with Wanted, he asserts himself in the most convincing manner. The masses will love it because the film was made for them but overall, it's entertainment that comes with its warnings. Prabhudeva, from down South, delivers what many Hindi film directors have failed on countless attempts. An entertaining action flick with all the masala to add to your popcorn.

-7.44 on a scale of 1-10.