Shootout at Wadala

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.

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.

Inspired from journalist S Hussain Zaidi's non-fiction book Dongri to Dubai, 'Shootout at Wadala', Directed by Sanjay Gupta, is An Engaging Action Film, that re-tells Late Gangster Manya Surve's bloodied story. Gupta handles the film well, while the Screenplay & Performances are note-worthy.

'Shootout at Wadala' is based on the first-ever registered encounter by Mumbai police, where Gangster Manya Surve was shot dead, in Mumbai on 11 January 1982.

'Shootout at Wadala' is extremely violent & disturbing. The violence depicted on-screen appears real & horrifying. Of course, the Action-Sequences are rustic & effective, but there is just too much of gore. The Faint-Hearted better stay away!

Gupta's Screenplay is note-worthy & is engaging. The first-hour is power-packed, while the second-hour culminates with a nail-biting finale. Gupta's Direction is stylish. He's in form after a long, long time. Cinematography is rustic. Editing could've been sharper. Music by Multiple Music Directors is fair.

Performance-Wise: John Abraham as Manya Surve, gives an all-out performance. He's believable all through. Anil Kapoor is simply superb as the tough cop. He stands out! Kangna Ranaut is wonderful, while Tusshar has his moments. Manoj Bajpai is flawless in a relatively small role. Bajpai never disappoints! Sonu Sood is another topper. He enacts an important role with terrific ease. Ronit Roy is excellent. Mahesh Manjrekar is perfect. Sidharth Kapoor holds tremendous potential as an actor. Jackie Shroff shines in a cameo. Raju Kher is brilliant. Priyanka Chopra, Sunny Leone & Sophie sparkle in item numbers.

On the whole, 'Shootout at Wadala' re-tells a true story, efficiently.

SHOOTOUT AT WADALA is a crime/thriller directed by Sanjay Gupta, and starring John Abraham, Tusshar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpayee & Kangana Ranaut.

The film revolves around the life of Manohar Surve (John Abraham), who was a simple boy, interested in a good education. His brother gets into a fight with a crime lord, and due to his girlfriend's incessant begging, he helps his brother out. However, he didn't do anything although his brother killed him. The police come and take Manohar to prison for life under Section 302, even though he begs them to let him go because he didn't do anything. In prison, he befriends Sheikh Munir (Tusshar Kapoor), where they plan their escape which proves later to be successful, turning Manohar Surve to Manya Surve, on an ambition to become the don of Mumbai. The rest of the film involves Manya, involving himself with crime lords like Dilawar and Zubair Imtiaz Haskar (Sonu Sood and Manoj Bajpayee) as well as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran (Anil Kapoor), an honest cop trying to put an end to all of the crime in Mumbai.

Okay, so when I saw the trailer to Shootout at Wadala, I totally wanted to see it. So I booked my ticket for a late night show recently when it came out. The movie was given a strict A rating which I expected. So when the movie started it was pretty normal, but then the gore started. There's stabbing...shooting...killing. It's all pretty much that. And I was alright for it for a while, but then it got a little disturbing. Like, shoving a guy's head into a gola machine. However there are just two scenes like that in the film. This movie is a gang movie, we are supposed to expect that, and well that's the reality, since this movie is based on the real life of Manya Surve, with a few people's names changed like Dilawar Imitiaz Haskar, who was actually Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar in real life. The movie is a little bit disturbing at times but its not a bad film to watch. I feel Sanjay Gupta has directed it EXTREMELY well, considering he managed to make us all see that this is the reality of the case. But even if we cut out the gore, the one thing that also bothered me was the item numbers. Take for example, 'Laila'. Sunny Leone is a pornstar in real life, and they needed a prostitute for the film. They really didn't need to take her. She was extremely unneeded, and her dance moves were extremely vulgar, which really annoying me. The one with Priyanka Chopra, 'Babli Badmaash' was extremely good. It wasn't vulgar, and it was a normal item song, which I appreciated after watching Sunny Leone dance around in her fashion.

The acting is EXTREMELY good, considering its start cast. John Abraham actually did really well as Manya Surve. He always has to scream but at times I really felt he was really Manya and I don't think I am going to see him in Desi Boyz the same way next time. He did his role fantastically as a man who was so innocent and how a simple underestimation turned him the wrong way. Anil Kapoor did well as usual. His role as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran was quite a serious one- an honest cop. So in my eyes, he did it well. Manoj Bajpayee and Sonu Sood, always a pleasure. And Tusshar Kapoor actually did well in this one. Kangana Ranaut was pretty unused in this film, however whenever she was on screen, she did her role well.

On whole, this movie is a treat. If you want to know the whole story of Manya Surve and the first Mumbai Police encounter, see it. But do not see it if you are feint-hearted- its got a lot of gore, honestly. The movie's not as grand as SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, which has no relation to this one, but its an alright time if you are watching this movie for the facts. Don't see it for entertainment, because halfway through the film, you may feel disgusted.

So, I'm just going to give this movie a 6/10. It didn't live up to the hype, COMPLETELY, but it did give me some of what I wanted.

Make way for "Bombay ka naya baap, MANYA SURVEEE!"