Wanted (2009 film)

Wanted
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Prabhu Deva
Written by	Shiraz Ahmed
Story by	Puri Jagannadh
Based on	Pokiri by Puri Jagannadh
Produced by	Boney Kapoor
Starring	Salman Khan Ayesha Takia Prakash Raj Mahesh Manjrekar Vinod Khanna
Cinematography	Nirav Shah
Edited by	Dilip Deo
Music by	Songs: Sajid–Wajid Background Score: Salim-Sulaiman
Production company	BSK Entertainment
Distributed by	Sahara One Motion Pictures
Release date	18 September 2009 (2009-09-18)
Running time	154 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Box office	est. ₹94 crores[1]

Wanted is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Prabhu Deva. It is an official Hindi remake of the Telugu film Pokiri. The film stars Salman Khan, Ayesha Takia, Prakash Raj in lead roles, while Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar and Inder Kumar appeared in supporting roles. Prabhu Deva, Govinda and Anil Kapoor made special appearances in the film. Nirav Shah handled the cinematography while Dilip Deo edited the film. The soundtracks were composed by Sajid-Wajid, while Salim-Sulaiman handled the background music score. The film was shot in Mumbai for the whole part, while Australia and other foreign countries are shot for songs. The film was released theatrically on 18 September 2009 to positive reviews, mainly praising Khan's performance and was a commercial success at the box office.

Set in Mumbai, the film revolves around a thug willing to do anything for the sake of money, including killing. His killer instincts help him win the attention of two rival gangs, out of which he joins one and helps its members finish off their rivals. On the other hand, he also attempts to save his girlfriend, who disapproves of his violent behavior, from a corrupt cop hellbent on marrying her against her will.

The film grossed around ₹ 94 crore and was considered one of the highest grossing films of all time. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, humor, and the lead cast performances. The film received 3 IIFA awards and 1 Filmfare Award. This film changed Salman Khan's acting career for his performance in this film.

Plot[]

Radhe (Salman Khan), a gangster with a mysterious past, kills others for money. He meets Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia) while she's doing fitness training and instantly falls in love with her. Even though their first meeting leads Jhanvi to think negatively about Radhe, she later begins to reciprocate his feelings. However, Talpade (Mahesh Manjrekar) a selfish and perverted Inspector, lusts after Jhanvi and tells her to marry him with the threat that he would rape Jhanvi's mother if she decides to go against his decision. Talpade is tipped off about Radhe's existence by Jhanvi's landlord. He tries to threaten Radhe but ends up getting frightened of him after getting outsmarted by him.

Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj), an international don, arrives in India for assassination and hires Radhe. Gani Bhai operates his gang from outside of India. Golden Bhai (Aseem Merchant) is the gang leader of Gani Bhai's gang. Two gangs, Datta Pawle (Raju Mavani)'s and Gani Bhai's, fight for the biggest part of Mumbai. Due to this, Commissioner Ashraf Taufiq Khan (Govind Namdeo) decides to make Mumbai free of crime. He arrests Gani Bhai, who makes various attempts to contact Radhe, however, in vain. Ashraf is blackmailed to release Gani Bhai after his men release an explicit video of his daughter (Manesha Chatarji) online after kidnapping her. Under the influence of drugs, his daughter reveals a mission that involves an IPS officer, Rajveer Singh Shekhawat, murdering Gani Bhai. Since Rajveer Shekhawat's identity is difficult to decipher, Gani Bhai holds his father, Shrikant Shekhawat (Vinod Khanna), captive. Shrikant proudly tells him about his son, without revealing his true identity. Gani Bhai mistakes Ajay (Inder Kumar), Rajveer's adopted brother, for Rajveer Shekhawat and kills him. Gani Bhai realises his mistake and pressures Shrikant to reveal Rajveer's identity. Shrikant is murdered by Gani Bhai after he refuses to tell him. His son, Rajveer Shekhawat, who is revealed to be Radhe, arrives at the place of his father's death. Radhe is infuriated and decides to avenge the deaths of his father and brother. Through threatening Talpade, he locates Gani Bhai. After intense combat, Radhe finally manages to rescue Ashraf's daughter and kills both Gani Bhai and his co-conspirator Talpade.

Cast[]

Production[]

Director Prabhu Deva was also the director of the previous Tamil remake, Pokkiri.

Asin Thottumkal & Ileana D'Cruz were approached for the role of Jhanvi, but due to other commitments, both rejected the offer. Consequently, the role went to Ayesha Takia. Nana Patekar was originally offered the role of Gani Bhai but due to his busy schedule, the role went to Prakash Raj, who was seen in the original.^[2] Shah Rukh Khan was the first choice of the hero in the film, but he opted out due to other commitments. Salman Khan became very excited after hearing the script and agreed to the role. Part of the film was shot in the Greek Islands of Rodos, Santorini, and Paros.^[3]

Soundtrack[]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Bollywood Hungama	[4]

The music of the film is given by Sajid Wajid. The music received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with a few songs seeing a positive response. Bollywood Hungama gave it an overall rating of 2.5/5. "Jalwa" and "Love Me Love Me" were declared the most successful tracks and topped the charts with their release.^[5]

Reception[]

Wanted received positive reviews from critics. Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India gave it 4 out of 5, so did Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama.^[6][7] Indicine rated it 3/5, calling it "watchable for Salman Khan" and the "best out and out action flick of Bollywood".^[8] Rotten Tomatoes rated 3.7/5, praising Khan's performance and action sequences.^[9]

Accolades[]

2010 Filmfare Awards

• Best Action – Vijayan Master^[10]

2010 IIFA Awards^[11]

• Nominated: IIFA Award for Best Movie – Boney Kapoor
• Nominated: IIFA Award for Best Actor – Salman Khan
• Nominated: IIFA Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role – Prakash Raj

Stardust Awards

• Best Film of the Year – Action / Thriller – Boney Kapoor^[12]

Star Screen Awards

• Best Action – Vijayan Master^[13]

Remakes[]

The original Telugu film Pokiri, directed by Puri Jagannadh, was remade in several other languages and still found success in the respective regional cinemas. The Tamil version Pokkiri is the first remake. The second one was Wanted, the Hindi version in 2009. Pokiri was directed by Puri Jagannadh and Wanted was directed by Prabhu Deva. Prakash Raj reprises his role as the villain in both the remakes.^[14][15] After that, a Kannada version, Porki, directed by M. D. Sridhar, was released on 14 January 2010.^[16] Below is an actor map of the lead actors in the story of Pokiri and its remakes.

References[]

External links[]

• Wanted at IMDb
• Wanted at Box Office Mojo
• wanted thebollywoods

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