Wanted poster

Wanted

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?) - Unless you are in the "I love Sallu" sect

quick review:

The post Salman cost is then spent on action. What then remains is for the rest of the cast and crew. And I wouldn't be surprised if the script was a donation by an unskilled well-wisher.

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Director: Prabhu Deva
Running time: 150 minutes
Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime
More Movie Info

When you are sitting in a multiplex and the other 559 people in the theater are whistling away to glory at each movement of the star in the film, especially the male one, you know the film's target audience. And this was not restricted to the first few minutes of the film, it continued at regular intervals through to the end. So, the Salman-followers can stop reading here and head for the theater, it's waiting to echo with your whistles.

For the rest of us lesser-mortals, there ain't much going on there. It’s the gang war routine. One kills the other kills the third and so on. And a couple of turns along the way. The story is as random, unbelievable and a crazy as one could expect. Yet, the dialogues can keep you going for a while, there are some really funny lines here and there.

Salman Khan has his style accompanied by the one-expression-says-it-all expression. Of course, slo-mo entries add to the spunk, as if there was any lacking. Then there's Ayesha Takia trying to cope with the speed of the film. I don't know what it is with her or maybe her image - she just doesn't fit in the typical masala role. Not to mention her wardrobe reminds me of the weird stuff doing the rounds in the 90s. And despite this, she does look really good over and above her warmth in some scenes. That one I'd give full credit to the extra layers of makeup.

Also the lady can't dance. I actually felt bad for her. She was hardly ever dancing WITH Salman in the same frame. The sequence cut to her doing some simple steps every once in a while. Fair enough, not every actor need to know how to do Prabhu Deva steps. But if they can, its sheer pleasure to watch them. I was in awe of Salman and the choreographer while the first song was playing. Pure delight.

Then there's the romantic thread. It has a certain quality about it, but since it doesn't go too deep, you couldn't care too much for either forming in the pair or the pair as an entity. And I guess that's not the intention either. Wanted is merry at the surface, then why would it want to go deeper?

There must have been a swearing in ceremony for the cast and crew - "I swear on the XXX, I shall not take myself seriously." I think a similar clause applies when you buy your ticket. Me? Well, I'm not star-crazy, so I wouldn't understand the mania. But it was fun watching what people enjoy.

- meeta, a part of the audience

33 reviewers(?) - 14 yays 9 so-so 10 nays

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

Thumbs up, by Noyon Jyoti Parasara, AOL INDIA : ...Wanted has been edited pretty stylishly and shot elaborately.... full review

Thumbs up, by Prathna Tiwari, Bolly Spice : ...Original writer Puri Jaganath is credited for the third time for his sensational script and if Puri is getting a bit from every blockbuster made out of his script, he's surely a rich man by now and even more so with Wanted now anticipated to carry on the Pokiri legacy. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Jaya Biswas, Buzz18 : ...when someone like Prabhu Deva himself has choreographed it, nothing but the best is expected. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...takes you back to those days when popular cinema reigned supreme, when the sole motive of the film-maker was to entertain.... full review

Thumbs up, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...Prabhudheva’s passion for choreography comes live onscreen as four dance directors (Raju Sundaram, Vaibhavi Merchant, Rajiv Surti) make Salman groove like never before... full review

Thumbs up, Indicine : ...No story, no logic. There is a twist in the tale, which does surprise but as the performances, action sequences and visuals dominate, the writing is below average.... full review

Thumbs up, by Amrita, Indiequill : ...it’ll give you a couple of hours of satisfying dishoom-dishoom and its best shot at eye candy.... full review

Thumbs up, Movie Talkies : ...Where the film goes slightly wrong is in the screenplay. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Ankit Ojha, Planet Bollywood : ...Vijayan Master’s well-choreographed action sequences really provide the required impact that should be given to the audience, with each stunt given a perfect look and feel. ... full review

Thumbs up, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...First to begin with the music of the movie isn’t that great and songs except ‘Jalwa’ and ‘Love Me’ fail to make any impact... full review

Thumbs up, by Samiya Shakir, StarBoxOffice : ...I can already imagine the catcalls and the whistles at what is the mind-blowing climax of the film... full review

Thumbs up, by Avijit Ghosh, Times of India : ...Smartly lensed, the movie has riveting fight sequences by action director Vijayan.... full review

Thumbs up, by SpiceZee Bureau, Zee News : ...comes with perfect cinematic ingredients... full review

So-So, by N K Deoshi, Apun Ka Choice : ...given that ‘Wanted’ is no cerebral challenge to its viewers, but just a harmless, full-on masala entertainer, a viewer can flush these flaws down with cola and corns.... full review

So-So, by Aniruddha Guha, DNA : ...who in spite of a shaky script, makes the drama watchable with the help of well-executed action sequences and extracts a performance from Salman... full review

So-So, by Deepa Garimella, fullhyd.com : ...For the most part, though, Wanted is deflated. And the portrayal of the hero plays a good role in that.... full review

So-So, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...A shrewd, old-fashioned entertainer that plays to the galleries, Wanted is exaggerated and formulaic, but relies squarely on the charm of its leading man to pull off its over-the-top tone. ... full review

So-So, india.com : ...A little more blood and you'd never know if you're watching a movie or playing God of War.... full review

So-So, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...Women are routinely brutalized in Wanted. ... full review

So-So, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...Wanted is a mixed bag; the action sequences are great and so are the performances but the runtime, music, half-baked love angle and a lot more ensures it falls way short of expectations.... full review

So-So, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...This is a made-to-order film for Salman... full review

So-So, by Esha Razdan, real bollywoood : ...No refreshing treat for ears, as far as stereotypical dialogues go.... full review

Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, aslibaat.com : ...Muscles Khan is enmeshed in gang rivalry, breaks into Travolta steps at a dance fiesta dominated by Ukrainian blondes... full review

Thumbs down, by Martin D' Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Wanted: A tighter script. Wanted: Better editing. Wanted: A smooth flow of scenes. ... full review

Thumbs down, by Kaveree Bamzai, india today : ...That's the only decent part, where both Salman and Ayesha Takia have clearly lost weight and are looking smashing... full review

Thumbs down, by Mr. Inketi, Mr. Inketis Weblog : ...Salman Khan looks so ultra handsome in the Salim get-up that I wish he did such a period film. ... full review

Thumbs down, by RK, Passion for Cinema : ...Film may boast upon Mahesh Manjrekar’s performance which should be his most natural and appealing kind of performance till date ... full review

Thumbs down, by Great Bong, Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind : ...“Wanted” is as non-nonsensical as your “Ghajini” but with none of the six-pack “inspired by Memento” pretentiousness... full review

Thumbs down, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...And then there's Ayesha Takia playing The Girl, a painfully braindead shrieker masochistically drawn towards our hitman hero. ... full review

Thumbs down, SearchIndia.com : ...Ayesha, like most of her Bollywood peers, wouldn’t be able to spell acting if her life depended on it.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...Admittedly, despite being over-age for such a role, Khan exudes a roguish charm. He may not even make an attempt to act, but has immense screen presence.... full review

Thumbs down, by The ThirdMan, Upper Stall : ...The screenplay is a series of set pieces – comedy, romance and action in turns, but most of these set pieces themselves don’t work. ... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 1 yays 0 so-so 0 nays

Yay! Thumbs Up, by Mario

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

Plot Summary

A contract killer (Salman Khan) is willing to do anything for anyone as long as there's good money involved. He breaks bones, splatters blood, and kills in style. Also he falls in love with sweet and simple Janvi (Ayesha Takia).

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

  • The loophole after loophole which can't be mentioned here for the sake of people who want to watch the film :)

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: Too much, way too much. And brutal at times too.
  • Language: quite a few swear words being beeped off but can be clearly lip read.
  • Nudity & Sexual content: A little bit of skin show here and there.
  • Concept: That of cleaning the system of all its rogues - by killing them.
  • General Look and Feel: Its crisp and bright. Fun filled with a lot of song and dance in the mix.

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Wanted - Cast, crew, links

Official Sites:
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Running time:
150 minutes
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Comments (3)

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@Vineet well-put!

Some things are beyond our grasp @mickey they just are...

@Anoop that's one way of taking it, ain't it?

beofre the interval i thght i am watching first hindi action movie which i would love,by the end i just could think about loud gun shout.
plenty of songs,neither melodious nor necessary. i kept on thinking "no more song please"...but wasted plea....
nevertheless humour part as well as dialogues were good...never seen a villain mre hillarious..
ayesha was cute...finally someone used her well...hope she wont quit the industry....

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