Wanted Movie Review: Paisa Vasool Pokiri touch!

Wanted, the Pokhiri remake, starring Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia is an excellent masala entertainer, the sort of full-on entertainer, that we Bollywood fans have been thirsting for, since Ghajini. Incidentally, the 'bloody' romance Ghajini the Southern remake which was the biggest hit of 2008 has given way to Wanted, possibly one of the biggest hits of 2009. Wanted will go down as one of Salman Khan’s biggest hits and that is a commitment for sure. As Salman Khan says, “EK baar jo maine commitment ki toh main apne aap ki bhi nahin sunta”

Story of Wanted: Radhe (Salman Khan) is a hardcore gangster and a sharpshooter with a quick razor sharp brain. He works for Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj), the dreaded gangster, but on his own terms. He does not fancy working for any boss, but for money. He changes loyalties only if the money is right. Radhe works his way into Gani Bhai’s gang. Gani bhai’s brother dies in the gangwar and the don is forced to take matters in his hands and returns to India. . At the same time, there is a lecherous police officer who lusts for Jhanvi(Ayesha Takia) who falls in love with Radhe inspite of knowing that he is from a criminal background. Matters reach to such a proportion that Gani Bhai asks Radhe to bomb a minister while addressing a meeting on children’s day. But his dream is foiled, when he is arrested. However the gangsters get even with the police commissioner by kidnapping and raping his young daughter. But they soon find themselves in soup when the gangsters realize the reality of Salman Khan.

Plus points of Wanted: Wanted is Salman Khan’s comeback vehicle, and this movie will spiral him into top spot. The action in the movie is amazing and full credit to Vijayan Master, the man who was also the stunt director for the Telegu and Tamil Pokhiris, for coming up with stunning stunts. The comic track is also good enough and so is the cute romantic track. After a long time, we have a full on masala entertainer film, a respite from the boring, candifloss movies and inane comedies that dominated 2009. Wanted is the best example of a formula film that works.

Minus points of Wanted: Music is a big disappointment in Wanted. Unlike the Telegu Pokiri and Tamil Pokkiri, the Hindi version Wanted falls short in the music department. We had high expectations from music that really perked up the South Indian versions. In Wanted, some songs look like distractions in the plot, while in the South Indian versions, the songs were really melodious and foot-thumping. Wanted really needed better music directors than Sajid –Wajid who have given very monotonous, predictable scores.

Performances in Wanted: Salman Khan is definitely ‘Wanted’ after this film. He is to Wanted, what Aamir Khan was to Ghajini. Mahesh Manjrekar suits the role of the lecherous inspector to the hilt, he is perfect. The voluptuous Ayesha Takia looks amazing and acts her role very well. Prakash Raj, as Gani Bhai is very effective, which is why he has been the undisputed choice for all the three versions of the film. Govind Namdeo, Manoj Pahwa, Inder Kumar and Vinod Khan render good support as well.

Best scenes in Wanted: The movie is packed with impactful scenes especially the opening scene of Salman Khan, the lift scene between Ayesha Takia and Salman Khan, the couple of fight scenes in the train and the market are very good. The scene where Prakash Raj tries to escape from the prison in vain, is simply superb.

Did you know?: Ayesha Takia was approached for the original Telegu Pokiri, but the role actually went to Ileana D’Cruz. Ayesha then got to act in the Bollywood version, Wanted.

To sum it up: Go watch Wanted if you are a fan of Salman Khan. If you do not like him as much, you will still like him after watching the film. Wanted is sure to attract the masses for its paise-vasool value.