15 years of Wanted: Why action-thriller is still a landmark in Salman Khan's career

It's been 15 years since Wanted hit the screens, marking the beginning of Salman Khan's Eid box office dominance and solidifying his status as a superstar in the action genre.

15 years of Wanted

It's been 15 years since Salman Khan uttered the iconic line, "Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di uske baad toh main khud ki bhi nahi sunta." Yes, Wanted has reached its release milestone, and it's one of those films that helped the superstar's career take a turn for the better after a string of disastrous films. Prabhu Deva directed and Boney Kapoor produced the 2009 action thriller, which is an adaptation of the Telugu film Pokiri from 2006. Starring alongside Salman Khan are Prakash Raj, Ayesha Takia, Vinod Khanna, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Inder Kumar, with cameos from Prabhu Deva, Govinda, and Anil Kapoor.

Plot oveview of Wanted

The story of Wanted takes place in Mumbai and follows an undercover IPS officer who is posing as a thug. His violent tendencies pique the ire of a wanted man, his lover, and a corrupt police officer. Salman Khan portrays Radhe as the central character, a vicious criminal who murders people for money. Radhe has feelings for Jhanvi (Ayesha Takia), but he can't commit because of the dangers of his job. The moment foreign don Ghani Bhai (Prakash Raj) lands in India, an undercover detective receives an order to apprehend him.

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A rivalry exists between two gangs in Mumbai, one belonging to Gani Bhai and the other to Datta Pawle. A new commissioner named Ashraf Khan takes office and immediately begins to reduce the city's crime rate. The gangster Radhe is kidnapped at the beginning of the novel, but he ends up beating up his captor because of the agreement he had with Datta Pawle (Raju Mavani). Even Gani Bhai offers Radhe a contract, which he accepts after claiming he is only in it for the money. Afterwards, he develops romantic feelings for Jhanvi, an exercise instructor. A crooked officer named Daulat Talpade (Mahesh Manjrekar) has now shown up; he is after Jhanvi. Jhanvi falls in love with Radhe when he repeatedly protects her with his lightning reflexes and combat prowess. Gani Bhai encounters Radhe upon his arrival in India. When the two meet, they discuss a contract to kill a minister and detonate bombs at a school. Radhe opposes the plan because he believes it could result in the deaths of many innocent people. As they continue to argue, the cops storm the club and take Gani Bhai into custody. Members of Gani Bhai's gang kidnap Police Commissioner Ashraf Taufiq Khan's (Govind Namdeo) daughter, drug her, and film a racy scene with her. This video coerces the commissioner into releasing Gani Bhai. Nevertheless, while under the influence of drugs, the commissioner's daughter divulges the existence of a police undercover agent operating within Gani Bhai's criminal organisation. Rajveer Shekhawat was the name of the undercover officer; his father, Shrikant Shekhawat (Vinod Khanna), was a former police inspector. They murder Radhe's adoptive son and friend, Ajay, because they believe he is an undercover cop. After realizing it's false, they kill Shrikant to reach Rajveer. From here on out, the story is full of thrilling suspense and surprises. When undercover cop Rajveer shows up at Gani Bhai, everyone is taken aback to learn that Radhe is actually Rajveer. After a fierce battle with the gang members, Radhe manages to kill Gani. At the end of the film, he kills Daulat Talpade and delivers a memorable line of dialogue.

The film's reception and box office success

On September 18, 2009, the film opened in theatres to a divided critical reception. While audiences and critics alike praised the performances, particularly those of Khan, Raj, and Manjrekar, the score, and the comedic moments, they also criticised the film's directing and cliche usage. The film became one of the most financially successful of 2009, earning approximately ₹93 crore.

Wanted launched Salman Khan's career as an action hero. Prior to that, his superstardom was on the decline, with films like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? and Marigold failing to fare well. This film started the practice of releasing Khan's films on Eid.

Among all the greats, Salman Khan's Wanted stands out as a landmark masterpiece.

Where to stream Wanted

Wanted is available to stream on ZEE5 (OTTplay Premium) and Prime Video.

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