Wanted Review

Radhe (Salman Khan) is a much feared gangster who works for the ruthless Mafioso Gani Bhai (Prakash Raj). One by one, Radhe single-handedly eliminates Gani Bhai's enemies and in doing so, becomes a target for reprisals from rival gang members. As Mumbai reels from the bloody gang warfare that plagues the city, Radhe turns vigilante and embarks on his own personal crusade to clean up the city. In the course of his murderous onslaught he falls in love with the beautiful Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia) who is also the focus of the corrupt Inspector Talpade's (Mahesh Manjrekar) unwanted affections. As the Commissioner of Police (Govind Namdeo) endeavours to bring the criminals to justice, Radhe finds himself the most wanted man in Mumbai, pursued both by the Mafia and the police.

Wanted uncovers a world of crime and murder where rival gangs run riot in the city in the quest for power and money. Trigger happy gangsters wield their guns with pride as scantily clad women hang off their arms and the innocents of society serve as their unsuspecting prey. It's a testosterone fuelled world where brawn reigns, women are commodities and Salman Khan is King.

While the narrative centres on gang warfare, the film comprises all the elements of a masala film, managing to incorporate a club sequence, star guest experiences, a romantic track set against blue skies and white washed walls and some dubious stabs at humour. These conflicting elements may be designed to provide respite from the violence, but serve only to detract from the main story which, as it is, is poorly envisioned.

The film centres almost entirely on Khan who for the most part swaggers through the proceedings, intermittently breaking out into bouts of spontaneous dance. Khan adopts a dour persona throughout and delivers his lines through gritted teeth as he tries to display an air of menace befitting a mobster. Reminiscent of his character of the same name in Tere Naam, he does manage to capture a certain vulnerability as the hard edged Radhe softens up in the face of love.