India's Most Wanted

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do ^(?)

quick review:

Things move slowly for a thriller and not in a way that gets you concerned for your team. Doesn’t help that the slow story is dragged further with slow-motion!

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Cast: Arjun Kapoor

Running time: 125 minutes

Genres: Thriller

More Movie Info

India's Most Wanted - Preview

Even if this one looks like it is just another dramatized true story, I am looking forward to it because of the director at its helm. Aamir would rank amongst one of the best thrillers I have seen, and No One Killed Jessica was a well-made film too. Sure, Raid and Ghanchakkar weren’t anywhere close to the other two, yet the name gives hope.

At the same time, the trailer doesn’t inspire awe. It looks like any other patriotic spy where Arjun Kapoor wants to stand in line with Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, and so on. These two minutes almost convince me that it is going to be an over-simplified version of real-life events that it claims to portray. While that is a downer, I will hook on to the hope of being thrilled in the name of the director’s first film.

India's Most Wanted releases on 24 May 2019.

- meeta, a part of the audience

India’s Most Wanted doesn’t have a single moment of excitement. Even if you don’t know the true story it is inspired from, just from the way the film is set up, you know who the winner is going to be. The hero has to get hold of “India’s Most Wanted” but is completely left to his own devices. So from then on, you are just waiting to see how it unfolds towards that end. And that has nothing going for it either. The actors might or might not be capable of conveying various emotions. We wouldn’t know. There is nothing in the story that allows them the space to emote with variety.

The only consolation is that in this summer heat you get to see snow-capped mountains.

There are quite a few characters in the film. But, the various characters have no distinguishing features. I am ok with each one in a team not having an assigned department such as technology, contacts, strategy, etc. unlike every other team-spy film. In fact, this adds to the narrative of the film being a tribute to the unnamed, faceless spies who make sacrifices that we never hear about. However, not only is each character monotonous, but all of them are also like each other. That makes the film a tedious watch.

Sure, the writers try to keep it light with silly banter and one-line quips. But, it is too little and too lame. Similarly, the other details of the thriller bits are also drawn out. The over-arching story, other than the extent to which these individuals commit themselves to their causes, doesn’t really grip you. Not once are you worried for your protagonists nor for a second do you fear the antagonists.

Also, despite having so many characters, the film has no female lead. This is an interesting call. It’s certainly better than having one for the sake of a female face. Yet, it is disheartening to realise that most likely in real-life too, there must have been no female input. Oh well.

The only consolation is that in this summer heat you get to see snow-capped mountains. Having been to Nepal recently, it was nice to see the beauty of the Himalayas in all its glory again. But, it also got me confused for a bit because the places didn’t look like what they were being called. Anyway, taking the audience for granted to this extent is a given in films, I assume.

India’s Most Wanted is quite a tepid affair for a thriller that has little known Indian spies wanting to get hold of what they call India’s Osama!

- meeta, a part of the audience

30 reviewers^(?) - 2 yays 13 so-so 15 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Subhash K Jha, Bolly Spice : ...It derives immense power out of its writer-director’s proclivity to keep the physicality of the actors as authentic as possible.... full review

Thumbs up, by Renuka Vyavahare, Times of India : ...Arjun Kapoor is sincere but is unable to engage you fully with the trials and tribulations of his character.... full review

So-So, Bollywood Hungama : ...Raj Kumar Gupta's direction is not upto the mark, especially considering his work in the past films like AAMIR [2008], NO ONE KILLED JESSICA [2011] and RAID [2018].... full review

So-So, by Aakanksha Naval-Shetye, cineblitz : ...The narrative fails to allow the film to reach the zenith of that patriotic fervor where you would oversee the loopholes in the film’s story... full review

So-So, by Deep Gahlot, cinemaah : ...Gupta gives the film a realistic look, and except for an unforgivably bad song set in a nightclub, to introduce a minor character, keeps out any distractions—so no romantic interest for Prabhat, no touristy views of Kathmandu.... full review

So-So, by Rahul Gangwani, Filmfare : ...But you can’t help wish the film was intelligently crafted rather than just banking on nationalist fervour.... full review

So-So, by Madhuri V, Filmi Beat : ...The writing is weak and the slow pace adds more to woes. Gupta's direction too lacks the sharpness.... full review

So-So, by Ananya Bhattacharya, india today : ...The actors put in visible effort to lift the film off its feet. Unsuccessfully.... full review

So-So, by R M Vijayakar, India West : ...There are several illogical and simplistic things happening, but all with the punch of a pricked balloon.... full review

So-So, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...Arjun Kapoor does a reasonable job to make us believe his intentions throughout the film.... full review

So-So, by Mayank Shekhar, MiD DAY : ...The movie is mainly designed like an espionage thriller, along the lines of say Neeraj Pandey's Baby (2015), Aiyaary (2018), if you may.... full review

So-So, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...If underplaying was the order of the day, Kapoor reads it as Read more at: https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-review/indias-most-wanted-movie-review/articleshow/69470134.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst... full review

So-So, by Priyanka Sinha Jha, News18.com : ...Arjun Kapoor in the lead role is suitably understated but he doesn’t have too much outside the usual... full review

So-So, by Piyush Chopra, Now Running.com : ...Gupta the director does his best to cover up for Gupta the writer... full review

So-So, by Gaurang Chauhan, Times Now : ...Technically, there were a lot of issues with the film. The editing is worst. There are quite a few elaborative scenes that are unnecessary.... full review

Thumbs down, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...On the other hand Rajesh Sharma leaves an impact playing the supportive officer, but the biggest drawback remains the feeble portrayal of the main villain... full review

Thumbs down, by Arnab Banerjee, Deccan Chronicle : ...Despite a disclaimer and facts rolling out in the end giving us details of the veracity of the film’s characters, there are places where you wish there was more authentic appeal to the film.... full review

Thumbs down, by Meena Iyer, DNA : ...' Instead of instilling fear, the several terror tales that are continuously reported sound repetitive; almost boring.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rahul Desai, Film Companion : ...If I were to close my eyes and eliminate the dialogue, the film’s soundscape – Amit Trivedi’s bafflingly mediocre tracks and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s kindergarten-level lyrics included – seems to have been composed by instrumentalists who might have instead been asked to musically interpret the gist of ‘India Shining’ campaign videos.... full review

Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vetticad, FirstPost : ...Some amount of confusion, especially initially, is not unusual in films of this variety, but they usually offer compensation in the form of an accelerated pace or breathtaking action or, in the case of directors opting for a quiet tone, an under-stated sense of urgency that taps the audience’s own instinctive assumptions about the drama and danger intrinsic to such situations in real life although they are alien to ordinary folk like us.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sanyukta Thakare, Free Press Journal : ...The second half of the film drags us through the on and off field conversations... full review

Thumbs down, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...Oh ‘Baby’ this ‘Raid’ fades away frame after frame, how can an espionage thriller be so spineless, soulless, non action blunder.... full review

Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Hindustan Times : ...There are a few neat touches. The film uses Shah Rukh Khan’s immigration woes in America to kickstart its narrative.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubhra Gupta, indian express : ...And though Kapoor comes up with another earnest performance, you wish he had more than one note to play with.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pankhurie Mulasi, Movie Talkies : ...Arjun Kapoor has played Prabhat and he has sleepwalked all through the film with one dead pan expression... full review

Thumbs down, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...Just in case one is slow on the uptake, Vande Mataram blares loudly in the background.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Reuters : ...The action scenes show up late and underwhelm.... full review

Thumbs down, by Kennith Rosario, The Hindu : ...Boredom disguised as restraint... full review

Thumbs down, by Rummana, yahoo! India : ...The supporting cast seems to be as much at a loss as the lead actor.... full review

Thumbs down, by IANS, Zee News : ...looks like a weathered TV show... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

No readers have rated this movie yet.

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: Bomb blasts and still from blasts.
Language: Clean
Nudity & Sexual content: None
Concept: Little known Indian spies wanting to get hold of what they call India’s Osama!
General Look and Feel: An attempt at a light-hearted thriller becomes a non-exciting, lame-jokes affair.