Shootout At Wadala:
There you go. Matching the scorching heat outside the theatre you have blood
gun smoke bullets violence and crude sex within. This is a clear case of style
over sensitivity and a brazen celeb of violence. Sanjay Gupta exploits in
hidden voyeurism in our collective psyche and the concealed sense of violence
that we all suffer from. While thematically it is the choice of a film maker to
work out his space, the trend that is disturbing that we have so many who
reveal is dealing with gory violence and fashion scripts revolving around guns
guts and guck.
Manohar Surve (John Abraham) is our protagonist. His world comes crumbling and
all in a while the studious God fearing Manohar is in the barracks at Poona.
Violence replaces the righteous and with even love going sour, our Manohar
becomes Manya and the achievements thereafter are as simple as getting a degree
from an unrecognised Institute through distant Education. This is brainstormed
brawl at its bloody best, still. Bhaiya turns Bhai. Juxtaposition alongside
crude language, scene that have gone past a sleeping censor board and you have
a kind of cinema that has its defined space.
Manya runs into the local don Zubain Imtiaz (Manoj Bajpai) and his equally
angry brother Dilawar (Sonu Sood) and so begins the clash of the titans. Also
chasing them with utter lawlessness is ACP Afaaqui (Anil Kapoor) who with his
team of men including Raja (Ronit Roy) and Inspector Shinde (Mahesh Manjrekar)
who wear ‘encounters’ on their sleeve and are willing to sleep with the enemy
to shoot another .
The script runs a narrative style with ACP in a story hearing session from the
injured captive Manya in the ambulance. A narration that is high on
testosterone and low on class. Every moment of escape from abusive language and
ear shattering violence transports you to raunchy dance numbers – three item
songs from Sunny Leone (too dressed for her repute) Priyanka Chopra (too
invisible for her star value) and Sophie Chaudary (too repetitive and
predictable) and scenes of love nearer to lust.
The film is not without value, though. The dialogues (Milan Milap Zhaveri) are
surely dramatic here is a sample: dost aur mauke baar baar nahi milte; baadshah
ke gali mein aake unke paata nahi puchte; doosra maka sirf filmon mein dethe
hain zindagie mein nahi; waqt ki fiqrat hi bewaafai hai…… the film offers a
very high style quotient and despite (or exactly because of its violence
raunchy numbers and lewd language) keeps you engaged.
The other high point in the film is the cast. Every one gives his sincere best.
Though it does demand a trifle more than what John can really deliver, the rest
of the cast deliver with élan. Special mention must be made of Sonu Sood who is
growing fast as a villain and could have been given a little more space and
there is the usual polish from veterans like Anil, Manoj Bajpayee. Tushaar
Kapoor yet again delivers leaving you to wonder why this actor has not got his
due. He has hitherto established his skill sets as a comic guy. Even in the
scenes where is required to play the tough guy and called to handle the
emotional scenes he does them with equal confidence.
As a piece of a dramatic cinema, this film could be seen as an entertainer and
will have its audience asking for more. However if cinema is even a small step
beyond, this film calls for some serious questioning.
L. Ravichander.