Wanted

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.

Prabhu Deva's 'Wanted' is strictly, strictly, strictly meant for the hoi polloi.

Remake of a Telugu hit,'Wanted' reminds of 80's cinema of bollywood. Fights, Violence... Songs, Romance, Emotional Melodrama, ha 'Wanted' is so outdated. But no doubt, a film like 'Wanted' still manages an audience, as mentioned the film is aimed for the masses & only them. The clap-worthy one-liners, the mar-dhard... all this is pleasing, for them at least.

On the flip side, There's hardy any story. One fight scene, One song, One fight scene, One song. A wafer-thin plot that gets dragging, especially post interval. Plus, the violence and chillam-chili is too much after a certain point. Songs are good to hear, but pop-up for no reason.

Performances: Salman is as usual, though his continuity is inconsistent. In songs he sports long hair, while other-wise a military cut. Ayesha Takia is fair. Mahesh Manjrekar is fantastic as the conniving cop. Prakash Raj is funny, especially in the scene when he tries to escape from the cops, the aftermath is truly hilarious. Vinod Khanna deserved more footage. Inder Kumar, Sajid & Kader Khan's son are good in their parts. Mahek is decent. Manoj Phawa tries hard to make you laugh, but succeeds at times nevertheless. Assem Merchant, Raju Mawani & others are okay.

On the whole, watch 'Wanted'... but don't forget to leave your brains at home.

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.

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.

This was a surprise in waiting – good action movie that will keep you seated in your seat and make you enjoy watching it. A arrogant, ruthless, sharp shooter and a gangster, who works for a "Don," on his own terms and has no emotions, becomes a killing machine as he starts killing his boss's enemies but then he sees a beautiful woman. At the same time he has enemies.

Starring Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia, Mahesh Manrekar, Vinod Khanna, Om Puri and Sayaji Shinde, this is directed by Prabhudeva and is produced by Boney Kapoor. The music score is provided by Sajid Wajid while Salim Suleiman also provide a good back ground score. Anil Kapoor and Govinda make a special appearance.

The first half contains some comedy along with romance and action and this makes it a good combination to watch but the second half is more action orientated. Salman Khan has suited the role very well and it makes it a change to see him in action after a long time, though he does remove his shirt, while Ayesha Takia, has improved once again. The other actors also make a good contribution to this movie as does Vinod Khanna in a supporting role and whose character really pushes the story to its climax. Some songs are memorable and are worth listening to and the cinematography is also worth watching.

Director Prabhudeva has done a good job in directing this romantic, action movie with added small dose of comedy.

Some may find this too violent but it is a movie that can be watched with your family and is worth watching.