Wanted Movie Review: Did It Age Well? A Critical Look Years Later

Well, this is definitely the worst timeline because I’ve been watching Talpade’s lecherous dialogue “Saali chalti phirti cocain hai cocain!” and a scene depicting his harassment of Ayesha Takia going viral on reels for weeks now. On the 15th anniversary of its release, let’s see if Wanted aged well. And if indeed Talpade has become some incel icon instead of being rebuked for abusing women.

The Antagonist: Talpade’s Disturbing Role

Before we begin talking about the lead pair—Salman Khan as Radhe, and Ayesha Takia as Jhanvi—we have to look at one of the antagonists, Talpade, the subject of present-day reels and apparent adulation. Talpade, played by Mahesh Manjrekar, is a corrupt cop. He is a sexual harasser, possible rapist, vile scum of a man. This man utters an extremely disgusting dialogue (most of it bleeped out) when he compares the attributes of two guns to the bodies of an inexperienced woman vs. that of a sex worker. He equates the barrel of a gun to a vagina then proceeds to open a sex cam website on his work computer in the police station.

Warning: Graphic Content

I must also warn first-time viewers that there are multiple scenes of women being molested by Talpade and a protracted scene of the female lead being slapped, her clothes torn in order to simulate rape.  

I can understand that the makers wanted the audience to truly believe how bad this person is. But the voyeuristic pleasure misogynists still seem to derive from Talpade’s actions tells us something about the male gaze. Does an assault need to be shown in gruesome detail for the audience to believe it has happened? Or do abusers and misogynists just enjoy watching a woman being slapped and manhandled in such scenes? This is a snake eating its own tail. But what could I expect from the remake of a Puri Jagganadh film (Pokiri, 2006) anyway. The disturbing part is that director Prabhu Deva has somehow managed to make Wanted even more problematic. 

The Hero’s Troubling Dialogue

In Wanted, our hero is now given additional dialogues that could have been copied from an Andrew Tate video. Examples? “Ladki ke peechhe bhaagega, ladki paisa leke bhaagegi. Paise ke peechhe bhaagega, ladki tere peechhe bhagegi. (If you run behind a girl, she will take your money and run. If you run behind money, girl will run after you.” “Biwi ka pallu haath mein aate hi, maa ka aanchal chhorta hai? (When you found your wife’s shawl in your hand, you let go of your mother’s apron strings?)”

There is zero background or explanation as to why Radhe spouts such rhetoric at random intervals. He even justifies voyeuristically watching women exercise (this is sexual harassment BTW) by quipping, “In jaisi ladkiyan hum jaise ladkon ke liye ye sab karti hain. (Girls like these exercise for boys like us.)” Brother embraced “delulu is the only solulu” so hard but bhaijaan, you’re the pervert here. Oh, also please don’t threaten your crying girlfriend with, “Agar tum chup nahi baithi toh tumhari jaan le loonga. Ye emotional drama mere saath mat karo. (If you don’t sit quietly, I will kill you. Don’t do this emotional drama with me.)”

Homophobia and Misogyny in Dialogue

Radhe also mixes in some homophobia for no reason. He says, “I hate girls. Kabhi kabhi toh sochta hoon ek boyfriend hi bana loon (Sometimes I think I should have a boyfriend),” accompanied by him visibly shuddering to an “uh-oh” background music. What’s the point of this? The insecurity of straight men and disgust for homosexual relationships is palpable. I am looking daggers at you, Prabhu Deva. None of this was in the original Pokiri.

Brand Placement Over Sincerity

You know what else was not in Pokiri? A Vicco Vajradanti ad smack dab in the middle of a flirtatious scene. First of all you’ve paired a visibly 44-year-old Salman Khan with a 23-year-old Ayesha Takia. Now you’ve done away with all sincerity or hopes for chemistry by repeatedly breaking the fourth wall. Special effects make their teeth sparkle with a “ting!” as they engage in brand placement that is more off-putting than their May-December pairing. 

Lack of Depth and Character Development

Exchanging swag for comedy is a poor trade and Wanted is entirely unserious. It does away with any depth that Pokiri had, especially with respect to the female lead’s character. An entire thread of scenes where she had described her disgust for men who molest her, how unsafe she feels after her father’s death, are all eliminated from Wanted. In fact, Wanted forgets that the biggest crisis in her life has been her father’s recent death and chooses to play the following song, “Love me, love me, your mama says you love me, your papa says you love me…” Ummm, did her father’s ghost tell you? The music in general is not great and whoever was involved in the making of “Tose Pyaar Karte Hain” owes me reparations.

Technical Flaws: Continuity Errors

My final gripe? Basic continuity errors. Especially when it came to Salman Khan’s hair and a mid-funeral change of costume. And one hilarious goof up where Talpade somehow completes an entire patdown of Radhe without discovering numerous bullets hidden in his pants. I don’t think I want to know where Radhe was hiding them.

Conclusion: Wanted, Did it Age Well?

In conclusion, Wanted has aged horribly and it was a terrible movie to begin with. The audience relating to and making Talpade go viral in 2024 is concerning. There is no redemption for bad acting, bad dialogue, and bad intentions. Watch the original version in Telugu (Pokiri) or the Tamil remake (Pokkiri) if you’re curious.

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