Watching Wanted is like watching a remix of an 80’s potboiler. A flimsy storyline serves as an excuse for the omnipresent hero to break into a setpiece song or a setpiece fight, after every ten minutes. This did seem to wow the many Salman Khan fans in the theatre, but for others, Wanted is a run of the mill blast from the past.
To begin at the beginning, Salman is a small time gangster who is quickly rising to the top. He(kind of) gets caught in an underworld gang war, and a fight with Mumbai Police - but also finds time to fall in love with Ayesha Takia. Ayesha, in turn is being hounded by a lecherous police inspector played by Mahesh Manjrekar. A conscientious Police Commissioner, an underworld don with a penchant for comedy, a flirtatious landlord, a kid brother, and the 3 friend’s of the hero - are the other characters of the movie. But the larger than life hero is present in almost every frame, and in the first half so is the heroine.
In the absence of a story, a series of contrived episodes are used to build up Salman as a hero with a heart of gold. And Salman and Ayesha accidentally meet so often, that they would bump into each other less, if they were jogging in opposite directions of a circular jogging track. Inspite of a dependable Ayesha Takia, the romantic track suffers from a lack of chemistry between the lead pair. And the action pieces of the movie tend to get so repetitive, that by the climax - you are not interested in the story’s conclusion. Yes, there is a ‘twist’ in the climax, but it is so contrived and predictable, that it reminds you of movies from the 80s.
The song and dance set pieces are particularly energetic, and hence are fun during the movie, but it will be difficult to remember a single song after you leave the theatre. The action set pieces are also exciting to begin with, but when Salman does his 8th fight against a dozen mean guys - you might even dose off. Technically the cinematography, editing, special effects and art direction are a cut above - but all the positives are let down by a weak script. Salman does not have much to do by way of acting, but his sheer star power makes large parts of this movie watchable. Ayesha Takia also has a fairly large part, and while her presence is endearing - there is an obvious lack of chemistry with Salman. Prakash Raj and Manoj Pahwa have all the comic lines, and the front benchers seem to love it. Mahesh Manjrekar, Vinod Khanna, Mahek Chahal and Govind Namdeo are a little too loud.
In his Hindi debut as a director, Prabhu Deva does show a flair in his dance and fight sequences, and even his characterisation is fairly consistent - but this does not make for a complete movie. Salman Khan fans and front benchers might enjoy Wanted and even make it a big hit, but if you have appreciated the intelligence of Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey, you will find Wanted to be quite wanting.