Shootout at Wadala (2013) User Reviews

Shootout at Wadala entertains but is wasted potential

[vishalsmail33 · 6/10 · 6 May 2013]

I missed the prequel 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' which did great and after hearing the rave reviews 'Shootout at Wadala' has been getting I decided to give the franchise a shot.I ended up with mixed feelings.What's good? The apropos setting means that as you sit through the first half hour of the movie you will find yourself quickly immersed in the gangster world of Mumbai(then Bombay) in the 70's and 80's.That is courtesy to a gripping story,exhilarating pace and good acting.The actors seem well cast.John Abraham(Manya Surve) impresses but in parts(As always his body is amazing though).It's always good to see Anil Kapoor and Sonu Sood,two of the many underrated actors in Bollywood.What really keeps the movie alive is it's dialogs,witty one liners and crass jokes.The movie justifies it's A rating with lot's of violence and sensuality(not meant for kids).There is a hot Kangana Ranaut and as many as three item songs with probably Sunny Leone's being the best.The camera work and editing are simply brilliant.

You would expect a movie with so many positives to be thoroughly satisfying,yet it somehow falls short of that.The movie seems undecided on what it is trying to portray.Is it about the transformation of an innocent student to a merciless gang leader?If so it certainly is n't believable.Is it about the honest duty abiding policemen?It doesn't seem so,then why spend so much time on the lives of the inspectors,an unnecessary digression(Not that i don't like Anil Kapoor,Ronit Roy or Mahesh Manjreker-they are great in their own way).Is it about a face off between John Abraham(Manya Surve) and Sonu Sood(Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar).Well after a great build up,the showdown does n't happen either.Such a missed opportunity.In the end you cant decide whom you are rooting for- Manya,Dilawar or the police.That's where it is a letdown,which is why the ending wont leave you teary eyed or deeply moved.

Overall the movie entertains,maybe doesn't disappoint but you feel it could have been much more.

Entertaining and works in most places

[silvan-desouza · 7/10 · 7 May 2013]

I am not a big fan of Shootout At Lokhandwala(2007) even though it was a hit. This time however, the film is directed by Sanjay Gupta and not Apoorva Lakhia which gives this film an extra edge. Yet again filmmakers dig another chapter of a gangster, in this case Manya Surve.When the promos were on air in January or February, I was awaiting this film and the film doesn't really disappoint. The film starts off well and follows the non linear approach which was followed in the original too. The film is set in the period between 1970 and 1982 and care has been taken on several aspects to depict the era. The transformation of John from a good innocent guy to a bad guy is well handled, The war of words is well handled too, The conflicts between John and Manoj and the way John starts his own gang is well handled. There are few unbelievable scenes like the way Raju Kher survives after being burnt through crackers and several more Even there are too many item songs which do drop the pace On the flip side, the action scenes are well handled, another aspect that stands out are the dialogues which soaked in acid and sometimes there are funny too, while some are corny. The film gathers speed towards the end and the end is superb too

Direction by Sanjay Gupta is good, he had shown sparks in derivative films like Kaante, Zinda but this time he has gone original mostly, though half the film is supposedly based on Dongri to Dubai novel. Music is good, but too many item songs slacken the pace

Amongst actors John gives his all to the role, he tries very hard and does manage to handle the role well though at times it does come across as too hard. His emotional scenes have improved a lot. Manoj Bajpai in a shorter role executes a strong impact. Sonu Sood is terrific, especially in second half Anil Kapoor has done such roles before, but he adds something extra with his intensity and presence. Kangana in a short role is good, Tusshar is believable surprisingly, he does a good job, providing the film some funny moments though in the second half, he is relegated to the background in between. Mahesh Manjerekar is good but doesn't get much scope, Newfind Siddhanth Kapoor is superb, The actor playing Ranjeet's former bodyguard is good too Ranjeet, Jackie Shroff have cameos, while Raju Kher is good rest are good

An Engaging Action Film!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 3 May 2013]

Inspired from journalist S Hussain Zaidi's non-fiction book Dongri to Dubai, 'Shootout at Wadala', Directed by Sanjay Gupta, is An Engaging Action Film, that re-tells Late Gangster Manya Surve's bloodied story. Gupta handles the film well, while the Screenplay & Performances are note-worthy.

'Shootout at Wadala' is based on the first-ever registered encounter by Mumbai police, where Gangster Manya Surve was shot dead, in Mumbai on 11 January 1982.

'Shootout at Wadala' is extremely violent & disturbing. The violence depicted on-screen appears real & horrifying. Of course, the Action-Sequences are rustic & effective, but there is just too much of gore. The Faint-Hearted better stay away!

Gupta's Screenplay is note-worthy & is engaging. The first-hour is power-packed, while the second-hour culminates with a nail-biting finale. Gupta's Direction is stylish. He's in form after a long, long time. Cinematography is rustic. Editing could've been sharper. Music by Multiple Music Directors is fair.

Performance-Wise: John Abraham as Manya Surve, gives an all-out performance. He's believable all through. Anil Kapoor is simply superb as the tough cop. He stands out! Kangna Ranaut is wonderful, while Tusshar has his moments. Manoj Bajpai is flawless in a relatively small role. Bajpai never disappoints! Sonu Sood is another topper. He enacts an important role with terrific ease. Ronit Roy is excellent. Mahesh Manjrekar is perfect. Sidharth Kapoor holds tremendous potential as an actor. Jackie Shroff shines in a cameo. Raju Kher is brilliant. Priyanka Chopra, Sunny Leone & Sophie sparkle in item numbers.

On the whole, 'Shootout at Wadala' re-tells a true story, efficiently.

The making and demise of a gangster

[cinematic_aficionado · 7/10 · 7 May 2013]

A man takes his beloved to meet his mother, something he has been resisting, and that same girl asks him to intervene when thugs attack his brother. This sets the catalysts for this film, and our hero's downfall.

We follow his trials following that unfortunate incident, from prison escape to becoming a notorious gangster and an utterly angry man, driven by vengeance and hatred.

Whilst he gains plenty, having lost the link to his family and the girl he once loved he feeds on crime, greed and vengeance. Yet, the audience will not fall out of love with him as we can see through beneath the tough exterior, a hurt young man lies.

Police corruption will lend a hand to fate which becomes the vehicle for the abrupt termination of his career, where it was through the same girl that his downfall begun, and with her assistance his demise will be sealed; not by police or rival gangsters who want him dead. A girl that was his classmate, ultimately control all the key cards and stands to be the mightiest of all involved.

Decent acting, good visuals, fast paced with enough emotion this is one of the recent Bollywood films that stands out.

SAW is entertaining , exhilarating and stylish. Watch it if you want to know about Mumbai underworld during 80's period

[ketgup83 · 7/10 · 6 May 2013]

In the early 80's , Mumbai was the hub for underworld gangsters. Each gangsters were vying for blood of other gang members to rule Mumbai underworld. Manya Surve was one of the dreaded gangster who ruled the Mumbai underworld but ultimately was shot down by what is recorded as first encounter killing by Mumbai Police.

Based on true story of infamous gangster , Manya Surve (played by John Abraham), Shootout At Wadala is a sequel to Shootout At Lokhandwala and brings you the actual event which took place on 1st November , 1982 where Mumbai Police took the first step to do first encounter killing of Manye Surve in Wadala, Mumbai which shook the entire country.

From the director of Kaante and Musafir, Sanjay Gupta brings you the stylish hardcore-action film which is interesting to watch but is saddened by loose screenplay and left you wanting for more. The movie begins with bang depicting the events which changes Manye's life from a bright college student to atrocious urban dacoit. It is the 2nd half which goes haywire and you feel the impact is missing. Direction is good but screenplay is average. Action scenes are superb and stylish and will be a treat for action-movie fan. Cinematography is eye-catching. Special mention for gorgeous set creation representing the 80's era of Mumbai. Dialogues are punching. John Abraham gives his best and comes up with riveting performance. This might be a turning point in his career. Anil Kapoor is as usual dependable. He gives full support to the starcast along with Manoj Bajpai and Sonu Sood. Kangana Raunat looks good but is wasted in a small role.

Shootout out Wadala is entertaining , exhilarating and stylish. Watch it if you want to know about Mumbai underworld during 80's period. Good 3/5

the rise and fall of shootout at wadala

[tejathecool · 6/10 · 4 May 2013]

SAW starts up with very good performances and a very good screenplay which takes the movie to the top of a steep mountain but slowly starts to a downfall from the top as the movie reaches its climax and here is my view.

PLOT&PERFORMANCES: movie has a very good plot and it is based on true events occurring in Mumbai in early 80's which are been carefully scripted and has been added up with enough spices needed for an Indian screen to attract the masses. The best thing about this movie is about the performances and most importantly of John Abraham where he gave his best performance till date and he receives a great support from all other stars like Tushaar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Manoj and Sonu Sood who gave gem of performances. But very important characters that of Manoj and Sonu Sood has been wasted in the end of the movie and if their characters had been utilized well the movie would had been more appealing to multiplex viewers. Kangana once again in a routine character adding up to some adult scenes on screen. The item song by Sunny Leone is good enough but the one by Priyanka doesn't add up to the light.

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENTS: the applause goes to the director for his very good casting in the movie and getting out all the talent from the cast out on the screen and also for a excellent screenplay but he adds up erotic scenes which are not needed for a serious life event based movies. Music is not so appealing except for the item song by Sunny and the background score in few areas.

ANALYSIS: the movie is really good regarding the plot and the cast performances but the director didn't maintained this inclination in the whole movie which drags the movie towards a downhill towards the climax.The movie is a complete star in single screens but for multiplex it leaves up a question mark.

An Average Show Not To Be Called A Shootout!

[nairtejas · 5/10 · 4 May 2013]

Shootout At Lokhandwala (SAL) was so genuine in both the plot & its character portrayal that it has a cult following. I could say the same for Shootout At Wadala (SAW) had it been short, non-monotonous & authentic.

First of all, the makers made a mistake in adapting an already published work. Unlike Hollywood, it hardly works in Bollywood. Secondly, too many characters played spoilsport with the marvelously carved screenplay. Character depth is very shallow, running time is too long, plus the story is clichéd. And to fill the gaps, they include not 1, not 2 but 3 item numbers to the audience's horror. With a faux pas in non-linear narration, SAW ends without making mark its predecessor was successful in.

Abraham is great, Kangana is straight outta her "Gangster" role (plus her accent spoils everything), Manoj Bajpai is terrific, Sonu Sood was sleeping all over the movie while Anil Kapoor is only a man of his words, with certain supporting cast fooling around. Jackie Shroff was wasted. Tusshar is better than he was in SAL.

Music is good but repetitive, editing is very well done, cinematography is good & the total feel is in parallel to the genre it is based on. But, since the foundation is rickety with same old story (nice guys-bad guys), SAW doesn't live up to the expectations. The negations are high, especially the lack of clever censorship & punchy dialogues.

BOTTOM LINE: SAW is a strict crime movie probably worth a watch which depends on personal interests. Some may like it, some may not.

MESSAGE: The illusion that gangsters are born mischievous is wrong.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO

Profanity: Critical | Sex: Strong | Nudity: Mild | Violence: Infinity | Gore: Very Critical | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: Mild | Drugs: No | Vulgarity: Strong

SAW is a must watch for crime buff

[akashimdb · 9/10 · 12 July 2013]

First things first. Shootout At Wadala(SAW) has nothing to do with Shootout At Lokhandwala. This is a part of the Shootout trilogy perceived by director Sanjay Gupta. SAW is the portrayal of the first registered police encounter of the Mumbai Police in 1982, a drastic step to stop the menacing Manohar Surve aka Manya Surve. The story is loosely based on Hussain Zaidi's popular novel Dongri to Dubai.

Manya is a simpleton who becomes pure evil for his necessary survival. John Abraham plays Manya with extreme character and style. This real life story is worth watching and inspiring gangs. The inclusion of characters based on Dawood Ibrahim take a crime screenplay to a pinnacle. Once again after OUATIM, this film brings out the fact that the Mumbai Police played a pivotal role in Dawood's ascendance to Don.

Sanjay Gupta's direction is neat but not the best we have seen in recent times. Although he has managed to extract brilliant performances from everyone. The screenplay by Sanjay Bhatia is almost tight. But the dialogues are explicit. There are some scenes which pack a punch.

The music does really nice. The background score keeps you ticking. The songs Aala Re Aala and Laila are awesome. Both Sophie Choudary and Sunny Leone have done a fabulous job. Priyanka's Babli Badmaash is a setback to the flow and brilliance. It does not work at all. Also another serious song was not required.

John gives one of his career's best performances. The best thing being that after watching the film you cannot get any other actor who could have played Manya. Anil Kapoor is getting exceptional by every film since Slumdog Millionaire. Manoj Bajpayee maintains his class as always. Sonu Sood is good but has a small part. Kangna Ranuat is fine.

Overall, if you discard the two bad songs mentioned above, SAW is a superb watch. It goes better with the Marathi audience for the Mumbai touch. Final word, if you are a crime fan, SAW is a must watch.

Decent Watch

[superindrajit · 7/10 · 4 May 2013]

Shootout at Lokhandwala released in 2007 and despite the negative reviews and average response, the film became a hit at the box office. 6 years later, Ekta Kapoor gets Sanjay Gupta to direct Shootout at Wadala. The film has been called a sequel to Shootout at Lokhandwala but both films have no connection. Shootout at Wadala is a more polished film with a better story but it still isn't a great film.

The film tells the story of Manohar Arjun Surve a good college student. However, circumstances turn him into a criminal. He gets framed for a murder his brother committed and it is in prison, Manohar losses his naive side and becomes a hardcore criminal. Known to talk big, Manya doesn't get accepted in Dilawar and Zubair's gang because he wasn't speaking politely. From here, the story is how Manya starts his gang and takes revenge against people like that one inspector who arrested him wrongly during his naive days. Manya and his gang of 6 people soon get into the bad books of Dilawar after they murder Zubair. Inspector Baagan is given the order to find and murder Manya Surve in an encounter and that forms the climax of the story.

Direction by Sanjay Gupta is good, after directing films like Aatish(1994), Kaante(2004), and Zinda(2006), Gupta gives his best film till date. However, there are still a number of problems with the film. The continuous shift from past to the present in the police jeep isn't effect narration. Certain people will definitely get confused. Another problem is the very first parts of the film. It was good there wasn't too much melodrama but the innocent and naive Manohar isn't shown for enough time. His life just moves fast and eventually he has to go to prison. The first half is slow but it feels fast in the first 20 minutes of the movie. It could've been more effective, but it was still not a major problem. Sunny Leone's item song seems forced but it was needed due to the scenes that happen after it. Other than that, the film is actually satisfying. Most scenes are well handled. Be it the prison scenes or the superb escape scene from prison. Even if Manya's transformation from a innocent and naive student to a ruthless and cold gangster isn't convincing, it is shown in a realistic way. The clashes between Manya and Dilawar are mind blowing, the Anil Kapoor scenes are good as well, the cops are also properly shown in the film.

Dialogues are decent, but the use of swear words isn't effective. The constant swearing in Hindi may be comedy and entertainment for some people but others might find it cringe worthy. However, the one liners and the dialogs during the clashes are well built.

Action is amazing, despite the hardcore violence in the film, it is solid action people are watching. Another thing to note is that the film doesn't have south style action which has ruined Bollywood nowadays. The film has proper action with no cheesy stunts. Although the murders Dilawar and Zubair commit to are extremely violent. However, those people who got brutally murdered deserve it.

John Abraham for once acts really well. Despite his shouting, he does a good job. He delivers the dialogs effectively, his expressions are good. This is definitely his best performance till date. Anil Kapoor is also one of the major highlights of the film. He makes the cops shine out, he also gets some of the best dialogs. The veteran proves he can also do good as a cop. Sonu Sood is good, his clashes with John Abraham is decent. Sonu Sood also acts properly and his expressions are decent. Manoj Bajpayee is decent, although he did better in Special 26. Here he does shine but he gets overshadowed by other actors whose roles have more meat. However, his death scene is good because his expressions make it look realistic. Ronit Roy doesn't have a huge role but he makes good use of his supporting role, he does a brilliant job supporting Anil Kapoor. Mahesh Majrekar doesn't have a meaty role, he gets overshadowed the most by others. Kangna Ranaut has very little to do, but she does good in the climax. Otherwise, her role doesn't give her much scope. Even if she's Manya's girlfriend, she doesn't have much to do. The rest provide decent support.

Music is fantastic, Babli Bandmash Hai is catchy and it is pictured well. Laila is also a catchy song but the song picturisation of that one isn't that good. Manya Ala is also a good song, it is pictured well. Dances are also choreographed well.

On the whole, Shootout at Wadala is a decent film but it could've been better. However, the film successfully shows gangsters and their lives in the late 70s and early 80s. The narration isn't effective due to the confusion it brings. However, the film is still considered a decent film. I'll go with a 7/10.

Cigarettes, Sex, Action and a Ton of Slow Motion - Shootout at Wadala

[robin_dhanju-1 · 3/10 · 4 May 2013]

Shootout at Wadala is just another run-of-the-mill money grab that uses a historic event in the Mumbai crime scene, translating it into an underwhelming "film" or lack there of.

John Abraham is cast as Manya Surve, a well-to-do college student who goes by the books and according to him, does nothing wrong. Cast alongside Abraham as his love interest is Kangana Ranaut as Vidya Joshi.

The tempo is set early with Abraham being the last hope of his mother to establish himself as an honest man earning an honest living. However, Surve's brother, a gangster, is attacked by local thugs and as Surve pulls one of them off, the brother stabs the bandit and thus Surve is held accountable alongside his brother.

After what seems like a brief stay in prison, Surve escapes and begins his life as a new member of the Mumbai underground. Along the way, the story sees Surve undergo a very abrupt and unrealistic development as a character. The so-called nice guy becomes a complete power hungry alpha-male-mentality driven gangster that gets it all and manages to lose it as well.

Now, a Bollywood Action-Thriller would not be complete without some songs and a lot of slow-mo. The Item songs are okay, but they add nothing to the plot of the story. In years past, the songs would at least provide some sort of connection to the overall story. But in today's day and age, it's all about having item songs that showcase gorgeous women in skimpy outfits. Not only that, but this film had a lot of awkward sex scenes. Bollywood has long been known as a very conservative film medium and the various innuendo and straight forward sex scenes in this film just made the viewing very awkward, especially the make supposed lust-filled make-out session between Abraham and Renaut. It also seems as though Indian cinema has become very accustomed to using slow motion and bullet time. It would be bearable if it occurred here and there to emphasize intricate fighting scenes. Unfortunately, a large portion of the minutes in this film are used to show John Abraham running shirtless in slow motion, or to showcase every single hit no matter how weak in really slow motion.

Overall, Shootout at Wadala is a film that could have been done much better, yet falls way too short in terms of plot and character development and fails to really get anything across beyond fighting, cigarettes, sex and lots and LOTS of unnecessary slow motion.

Solid Movie about the Rise and Fall of a Gangster

[rkashyap621 · 9/10 · 4 May 2013]

"Shootout At Wadala" is a film adapted by a non-fiction book "Dhongri to Dubai". The movie is directed by Sanjay Gupta and this time he has really churned out a good movie. The film dictates all along the rise and death of Manya Surve. This Manya Surve starts to sink in our heart as and when the film progresses.

The story starts with John Abraham(Manya Surve) being a college student, aiming to get a good job and get settled in his life with his love interest(character played by Kangana Ranaut). But things change, and now the remaining story is what the movie is all about which is well narrated throughout by Sanjay Gupta.

The performances by the Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, Sonu Sood, Ronit Roy and Tushaar Kapoor provides justice to their role.

The film screenplay and cinematography is impressive and the most meatier thing is the Dialogues by Milap Zaveri which impresses the movie goers. But, the abusive words are added in the dialogues frequently which many not be liked by some people.

Overall the whole film crew have really worked hard and have brought some good hard-hitting action-thriller movie.

Its okay, but not as good as SAL

[jmoneyjohal · 6/10 · 19 November 2013]

Action packed film with a lot of swearing and unnecessary skin show.Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpyee great performances.John and Anil are good also.

Films main plot is in a police van, ACP Afaaque Baaghran (Anil Kapoor) listens to the story which is narrated by a gangster Manya Surve (John Abraham)who is grievously injured with a bullet- riddled body. Manya Surve is small street gangster who thinks he isn't a "chutiya" after a brawl with dilawar. Manohar Surve alias Manya Surve, is a decent student of Kirti College, Dadar. He is equally good in studies and in nature, who had just finished his exams even whilst Vidya is trying to distract him for answers. Vidya asks him why he doesn't give the answers and Manya replies that even though they are in love he will not do anything stupid to stop him being successful. Vidya understands and persuades Manya to take her to meet his parents. Whilst presenting his girlfriend Vidya Joshi (Kangna Ranaut) to his mother to discuss their marriage, Manya is interrupted by his older brother Bhargav Surve. Bhargav is a gangster who is after an underworld don named Nitesh Dhamne (Ranjeet). Soon enough, Bhargav is attacked by Bhaskar's goons, and beaten up. Manya jumps in to save him, while Manya Surve clutches one of the goons. Bhargav stabs the goon and he dies on the spot. On the day of Manya's exam results, before he can discover his grades, Manye and his brother are arrested by Insp. Ambolkar (Raju Kher) and end up in Yerawada Prison. In prison, another convict named Munir (Tusshar Kapoor) saves Manya from being attacked by a goon named Potya, during lunch time. In this assault, Bhargav is killed. Munir befriends Manya and another convict named Veera, trains Manya to become stronger. Manya trains and then eventually is challenged by Potya. Manya takes the lead by staying in front of Potya during the whole fight. Soon enough, Potya backfires and beats Manya up, in which response, Manya stabs Potya to his death. Later on, both Manya and Munir escape from the prison while they were working on a railway track and try to tie hands with two brothers who rule Bombay's deals. The first brother, Zubair Imtiaz Haksar (Manoj Bajpai) is cool, who is impressed by Manya. However, the second brother, Dilawar (Sonu Sood), disapproves of Manya and dislikes him. After this act Manya forms his own gang which consists of him, Munir, Veera and Gyancho, a sharpshooter, brought by Munir.

An average movie

[dineshprakash · 5/10 · 3 May 2013]

Score 5/10 Director Mr. Sanjay Gupta work is good. Movie starts at a very good pace but after that it slows down so many times. It was very difficult to remember the period, which are being shown by supers in date, month, year and place format. So, sometimes it gets difficult to understand the time lapse or connection between the incidents. There are lots of characters, who create confusion. Character also gives jerks at places, i.e. Anil Kapoor is a Police Inspector , who goes to any extent for keeping his promise to a victimized girl,( The girl whose husband got killed by goons in Hotel) then why does he break his promise and even cheats Vidya (Kangana Ranawat)?. It creates inflection in his character. Love track is just OK but it transforms in a lust story somehow at the end. Dialogues by Milap Zavery, are very good but at places it go beyond the character and premises of the film. Performance wise John Abraham and Manoj Bajpai are very impressive. Anil Kapoor and Tussar Kapoor are good. Mahesh Manjrekar wasted. Sonu Sood and Kangana Ranawat are OK. Music, especially " Laila teri le legi.." is very good. Rest tracks are average.

Typical gangster tale, a mass entertainer

[ssvikas · 6/10 · 8 May 2013]

Sanjay Gupta and Balaji Telefilms are back with another Shootout. After their 2007 film that was based on an incident of 1991 that took place in Lokhandwala, this time, they portray the 1982 killing of gangster Manya Surve. An incident which is known as the first ever 'encounter' by Mumbai Police, which triggered a series of them.

Based on the book 'Dongri to Dubai', the film tries to bridge between fiction and real life incidents and attempts to make it as real as possible. However, barring the lead character, the rest of the names have been changed for obvious reasons! Also, since the title itself reveals what the movie is all about, there is no suspense there.

The story starts off with a scene in Kirti College, Mumbai where a studious Manohar Surve (John Abraham) is writing his exam paper and refuses to show his paper to his girlfriend and classmate Vidya (Kangana Ranaut), thus establishing him as an honest-to-the-core character. He is keen to avoid the murky past of his father and his step-brother and seeks to make an honest living after completing his studies.

However, a freak incident changes it all and Manya is falsely implicated in a murder case along with his step-brother who actually committed it. With dreams shattered, and a hard time in prison, he bulks up, learns to fight and Manohar turns into Manya. While serving his sentence, he teams up with a fellow convict Sheikh Munir (Tusshar Kapoor) and the duo stage an escape after having done time of around nine years.

Manya returns to the Mumbai and seeks employment with the Haksar brothers Zubair (Manoj Bajpai) and Dilawar (Sonu Sood) who are seen as a challenging force to the Pathans. When he is denied entry, Manya decides to form his own gang and challenge them to the supremacy towards proclaiming himself as the 'Baap' of the city.

On the side, his love tale also evolves, since Vidya is now a widow and the couple rekindle their romance. And this eventually proves to be his Achilles heel when a cop Afaaque Baaghran (Anil Kapoor) along with his colleagues Tambat (Ronit Roy) and Shinde (Mahesh Manjerekar) chooses to eliminate Surve and his likes.

The movie attempts to portray the dark days of Mumbai when gangs ran the show and how an innocent college lad turned into a fearsome goon, thanks to the pathetic justice delivery mechanism and the corrupt establishment. The story shows how cops wait on the sidelines as one gang tries to eliminate the other. And when it comes to picking a target for an encounter, they obviously pick the easier one.

What stands out in the film are some good performances. John Abraham looks the part as the goon who was once held the title of 'Mumbai Shree' as a professional Bodybuilder and delivers an honest performance. Manoj Bajpai does well as usual while Sonu Sood delivers a powerful performance. Anil Kapoor is good enough too.

Among other actors, Kangana Ranaut readily fits the bill of the 70's and 80's look and acts reasonably well. Tusshar Kapoor does OK and his character does bring out occasional laughs. Shakti Kapoor's son Siddhant makes his debut as one of Manya's gangsters. Bollywood's noted yesteryear villain Ranjeet, who was last seen in Housefull 2, makes an appearance as Bhaskar Dada, who has a skirmish with Manya.

The songs aren't memorable, except that they are played repeated on television. The oft repeated ones are its three item numbers, one each by Sunny Leone in 'Laila', Priyanka Chopra in 'Babli Badmaash' and Sophie Chaudhary in 'Aala Re Aala'. Well well, no prizes for guessing which of these three is better!

Verdict: When a movie has good acting and item songs, and yes, dialog loaded with swear words, there is a tendency of such movies to gravitate towards mass appeal. Nonetheless, for all that it offers, 'Shootout at Wadala' is a decent watch.

A spellbinding action thriller.

[LuciferJustin · 7/10 · 29 March 2020]

Shootout at Wadala is entertaining and exhilarating, with a mixture of blood, guns and crime. It's packed with nonstop action, along with some really surprising twists about Mumbai's underworld during the 80's, that make it a spellbinding action thriller. ✝👮✝

Blood, Guns, Crime...

[andre_rox99 · 2 May 2013]

SHOOTOUT AT WADALA is a crime/thriller directed by Sanjay Gupta, and starring John Abraham, Tusshar Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Manoj Bajpayee & Kangana Ranaut.

The film revolves around the life of Manohar Surve (John Abraham), who was a simple boy, interested in a good education. His brother gets into a fight with a crime lord, and due to his girlfriend's incessant begging, he helps his brother out. However, he didn't do anything although his brother killed him. The police come and take Manohar to prison for life under Section 302, even though he begs them to let him go because he didn't do anything. In prison, he befriends Sheikh Munir (Tusshar Kapoor), where they plan their escape which proves later to be successful, turning Manohar Surve to Manya Surve, on an ambition to become the don of Mumbai. The rest of the film involves Manya, involving himself with crime lords like Dilawar and Zubair Imtiaz Haskar (Sonu Sood and Manoj Bajpayee) as well as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran (Anil Kapoor), an honest cop trying to put an end to all of the crime in Mumbai.

Okay, so when I saw the trailer to Shootout at Wadala, I totally wanted to see it. So I booked my ticket for a late night show recently when it came out. The movie was given a strict A rating which I expected. So when the movie started it was pretty normal, but then the gore started. There's stabbing...shooting...killing. It's all pretty much that. And I was alright for it for a while, but then it got a little disturbing. Like, shoving a guy's head into a gola machine. However there are just two scenes like that in the film. This movie is a gang movie, we are supposed to expect that, and well that's the reality, since this movie is based on the real life of Manya Surve, with a few people's names changed like Dilawar Imitiaz Haskar, who was actually Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar in real life. The movie is a little bit disturbing at times but its not a bad film to watch. I feel Sanjay Gupta has directed it EXTREMELY well, considering he managed to make us all see that this is the reality of the case. But even if we cut out the gore, the one thing that also bothered me was the item numbers. Take for example, 'Laila'. Sunny Leone is a pornstar in real life, and they needed a prostitute for the film. They really didn't need to take her. She was extremely unneeded, and her dance moves were extremely vulgar, which really annoying me. The one with Priyanka Chopra, 'Babli Badmaash' was extremely good. It wasn't vulgar, and it was a normal item song, which I appreciated after watching Sunny Leone dance around in her fashion.

The acting is EXTREMELY good, considering its start cast. John Abraham actually did really well as Manya Surve. He always has to scream but at times I really felt he was really Manya and I don't think I am going to see him in Desi Boyz the same way next time. He did his role fantastically as a man who was so innocent and how a simple underestimation turned him the wrong way. Anil Kapoor did well as usual. His role as ACP Afaaque Bhaagran was quite a serious one- an honest cop. So in my eyes, he did it well. Manoj Bajpayee and Sonu Sood, always a pleasure. And Tusshar Kapoor actually did well in this one. Kangana Ranaut was pretty unused in this film, however whenever she was on screen, she did her role well.

On whole, this movie is a treat. If you want to know the whole story of Manya Surve and the first Mumbai Police encounter, see it. But do not see it if you are feint-hearted- its got a lot of gore, honestly. The movie's not as grand as SHOOTOUT AT LOKHANDWALA, which has no relation to this one, but its an alright time if you are watching this movie for the facts. Don't see it for entertainment, because halfway through the film, you may feel disgusted.

So, I'm just going to give this movie a 6/10. It didn't live up to the hype, COMPLETELY, but it did give me some of what I wanted.

Make way for "Bombay ka naya baap, MANYA SURVEEE!"

A fine popcorn movie with song and dance

[hassan1497 · 6/10 · 3 May 2013]

The prequel to the smash hit, Shootout At Lokhandwala, is based on Hussain S. Zaidi's bestselling investigative book – Dongri to Dubai. Adapting a non-fiction book into a film requires special skills because of the need to sieve all the facts presented in the book into the film's narrative and all this while, keeping the film entertaining! This is exactly the reason I was intrigued to watch this film and to see what Sanjay Gupta had done with the subject material. Story: The story is centered around the first Hindu gangster of Mumbai, Manya Surve (John Abraham) and his meteoric rice and his subsequent fall. Tusshar 'the-producer's-brother' Kapoor is Manya's confidante in this journey. Siddhant Kapoor (Shakti Kapoor's son) makes his debut playing a member of Manya's gang and is called Gyanchod! Every gang has an enemy gang. The opponents here are Zubair (Manoj Bajpai) and Dilawar (Sonu Sood). The cops are also a part of the story. Afaque (Anil Kapoor) and his team members do everything they can to tackle crime in the city. And oh, Manya also has a love interest (Kangna Ranaut).Direction and Miscellaneous: Delving into a subject as serious as this and not messing it up must have been the ultimate challenge for Sanjay Gupta. And to a very large extent, he doesn't mess it up. He keeps the proceedings flow freely. The film doesn't sway from its path and is thoroughly enjoyable thanks to the way Gupta deals with the subject. But why 3 item songs, Mr. Gupta? The cinematography by Sameer Arya is one of the high points of the film. Sanjay Gupta has always been known to make stylish film and here again, Shootout at Wadala looks and feels stylish, thanks to Sameer's deft camera-work. What works as a deterrent for the film is its corny dialogues (by Milap Zaveri). The dialogues are stereotypical and there's an astonishingly large smattering of abuses just for the shock value. Being a period film, the production design and costume design is spot on keeping in mind the commercial aspects. Music and Background Score: The item song featuring Babli Badmaash, featuring Priyanka Chopra is a disappointing set-piece with a forgettable tune. Sophie's song doesn't stay with you for too long, either. Laila, starring Sunny Leone is the most fun of all the songs and Sunny looks sizzling in this one. The background score is strictly average. Acting: Yes, as was expected, SAW is John Abraham's best ever performance. And no, it is still not good enough. John gives it his best but the others in this film overshadow him fair and square. Anil Kapoor hams it up like only he can and that's not a bad thing at all! The best act of this film is reserved for Manoj Bajpai who shines as the cunny Zubair. Sonu Sood also makes a huge impression as Dilawar (the role is based on Dawood Ibrahim, of all people). This film could have been made without Tusshar Kapoor and that wouldn't hurt the film at all. Ronit Roy, Mahesh Manjrekar, Siddhant Kapoor do well in their parts. Kangna Ranaut is hardly there in this brawn fest and she does alright. Conclusion and Box Office Potential: If you keep your expectations in check and wish to be entertained, then you will be entertained. If you are put off by abusive dialogues, bad acting and sleazy item songs, then stay far away. This film plays to the masses with cheezy dialogues, quarter dozen item songs and a lot (A LOT!) of action. Barring any major mishappenings, Shootout At Wadala will be a good money churner for Ekta Kapoor. Positives: Stylish treatment and cinematography The entertaining plot The action set-pieces Manoj Bajpai and Sonu Sood The period sets done right Laila Negatives: Cheezy dialogues filled with abuses Poor acting by the main protagonist Babli Badmaash

Nice

[tushargupta-27286 · 5/10 · 29 November 2020]

This movie is nice and ok but one question why always police don't kill muslim don

A film showing how Gangsters are created in India

[sanjitpatel86 · 10/10 · 3 July 2013]

Based on the true story, the film doesn't favor either Gangster or Police, but leave it on viewers what they take out with them when the movie is over. Once a scholar student(from poor family) with a little ambition to live happily with his mom and going to be wife after graduating, traps into corrupt world of Indian Police and then gets turned into a Gangster and ultimately killed by the same corrupted police. This leaves viewers thinking how system works in India and how talent is turned into crime, and all gangsters out there were really gangsters from the birth? No, many of them are made by our corrupted Indian Police, which still hasn't changed much... I thank you director for making such an eye opening story, but I am sure NOT for our corrupt Indian Police..

Shootout at Wadala (DOLBY ATMOS) (A) Hindi ------------- my Rating : ★★★½ TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST ENCOUNTER IN MUMBAI

[yunusitboss · 7/10 · 18 May 2013]

Shootout at Wadala (DOLBY ATMOS) (A) Hindi The Great Gatsby (3D) (A) English I Don''t Love U (U/A) Hindi Complete Review and more Hot news .... LIKE THIS PAGE : English Hindi TAMIL TELUGU Facebook : Movie Review by Yunus Irshad https://www.facebook.com/YunusIrshadsMovieReview

Shootout at Wadala (DOLBY ATMOS) (A) Hindi ------------- my Rating : ★★★½ TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST ENCOUNTER IN MUMBAI

STRENGTHS :- * Casting and Action Sequences : Very good..... * Story Screenplay Direction : top class .... * Sound Editing : by resul pookutty was awesome in DOLBY ATMOS .... * Love making scenes : were hot and sexy too.... * Vulgar language : was real and they are much needed ....

FINAL VERDICT :- * Overall.... it is not a family entertainer ... but for good action pack .... watch it ....

The first-ever registered encounter by the Mumbai Police, which took place on November 1, 1982. Based on a true story.

Stars: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, Sophiya Chaudhary | See full cast and crew

Another crime-bio which went wrong.

[bestinall · 3/10 · 30 May 2020]

The movie lacks plot, typical bollywood action and slow motion which does not go well. This crime bio just contain bold scenes, meaning less songs, lacks actual crime and star cast assembled just to make a movie. Movie could have been written well and plot could've been made better. If you wish to watch your favorite star cast, then only it is recommended.

Slick action.. Watch in a single screen to fully enjoy it....!!!!!!!!

[ksreekar · 9/10 · 3 May 2013]

I went into the film with the hope of watching a good film because I heard John Abraham say that it was his "best performance" till date and it would be nice if he could win a "National Award" for his acting in this one.

To start off with the plot, it is about a college going boy named (Manohar) Manya Surve who, because of situations, becomes a gangster. Anil Kapoor is an honest cop who sticks to his word and is ready to fight evil with brute force. The plot unravels and leads to the first ever encounter in Mumbai Police history.

To talk about the positives of this movie, I will have to say that It does manage to engage you on an emotional level. The action scenes shot in slow motion do leave a lasting effect on you. The performances of the lead actors like John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Bajpayee, Sonu Sood are worth it. They do manage to hit the right chords.

The music is intense and does not slow down the pace of the film. They do add to the intensity and pace of the film. the soundtrack is, mostly filled with Item songs, but does not disappoint.

The screenplay is very taught and engaging. The camera-work in this film is really slick. It is very stylish and showing.

Now coming to the negatives, The plot, though very appreciable does tend to confuse you a bit. The film does jump back and forth in time and at times, does appear to be strangled. The number of characters also does not help. The characters mentioned above, each of them have an important role to play and therefore, are all important, hence difficult to keep track of.

The dialogues are filled with abuses and swear words. It is not the kind of film you want to watch with your family, but with the right friends, it can be enjoyable.

On the Whole, SHOOTOUT AT WADALA does live up to what it promises to be. A slick action film showing the underbelly of Mumbai. It is worth watching for the performances and for its slick style. I give it an 8/10

Becomes bearable just because of John Abraham and Anil Kapoor.

[bobbysing · 6/10 · 13 May 2013]

After watching this latest film from Sanjay Gupta, who already has more than 4 inspired gangster movies to his name as a director, I was honestly thinking that what could be the reason behind attempting such a clichéd, all seen before kind of film by him, at such a scale. Because even when there have been a number of films already made on the same subject in the past, the team feels no harm in trying it once again, taking WE the viewers as granted following the good old typical routine act of our Hindi film industry as usual.

Now though the narration of SAW begins with a promise of being different, showcasing some calm well directed scenes featuring John Abraham as a sincere student. The film simply moves on to a completely familiar path with nothing new to share with its audience as soon as the transformation of a common man into an underworld don is there. The technically sound director in Sanjay Gupta keeps surfacing repeatedly with promising scenes ensuring that something terrific is coming up soon. Yet that doesn't happen at all till the predictable climax of this 150 minutes long film and all those interesting build-ups truly fall flat without anything substantially novel happening on the screen.

Partly based on the book "Dongri To Dubai" by Hussain Zaidi, its once again all about the rise of gangster groups and their clashes with the police in Bombay during the 70s and 80s. But haven't we seen this all in many earlier films made by Ram Gopal Verma, Milan Luthria, Apoorva Lakhia and many others? And haven't we already made too many projects on this subject in the past decade or more?

Certainly the makers don't think so as they constantly go on making films on similar subjects only which sometimes makes me feel that, Isn't this glorifying the crime on screen in a certain way? And Isn't this encouraging the 'picking up a gun culture' in a subtle manner in the questionable social structure around us in the present times?

Because while watching it as a common man, frankly its very easy to get pumped up seeing the hero picking up a gun and shooting the other, in a well shot slow motion sequence along with some high voltage background score running at the back. And this point gets proved perfectly when Mahesh Manjrekar clearly says in one of his dialogue in the film that, "Yaar Yeh Amitabh Bachhan Ne To Sabki Baja Ke Rakh Di Hai".

Now he actually says so because that was the time (in the mid 70s) when Amitabh's angry young man image was being formed with energetic films such as ZANJEER, DEEWAR, SHOLAY, TRISHUL, ADALAT & more. And ironically in the film, an Ambulance is also used by the policemen to arrest the powerful gangster, just like Amitabh uses it in TRISHUL.

Anyway that subject has always been a debatable one since ages, so coming back to SHOOTOUT AT WADALA, it does give you some lively sequences to feel the magic of cinema. Such as the first murder committed with John's assistance, his brother being killed in the jail, Manoj Bajpayi & Sonu Sood's fantastic entry, Anil Kapoor & his team arresting the big goon in his own local area and Anil's conversation with Jackie Shroff towards the end. However all these good scenes fail to lift up the movie from an average platform due to its continuous monotonous tone which even tends to go boring after the interval.

Further as its seems, the makers truly knew that they were not having anything fresh in their script so maybe that's the reason of including not 1 or 2 but 3 item songs in it featuring, Sunny Leone, Priyanka Chopra and Sophie. And it really feels awkward writing Priyanka's names along with the other two. Moreover, I also felt that Sunny Leone was fast becoming the new age 'Huma Khan' of the film industry with all her item songs deliberately added to show her physical assets only. However this isn't all what is thrown in to woo the audience, as SAW also has many abusive dialogues spoken by the entire cast and then a steamy bedroom scene too of John & Kangna who is there just to fulfill the female requirements of a gangster film.

In the musical department, SAW has a forgettable soundtrack but a great background score which supports all its action sequences brilliantly. The flashback point doesn't really gel well but the film has been edited skillfully which always have been a merit of a Sanjay Gupta film in the past.

So then for what SHOOTOUT AT WADALA can be seen once? It can be seen if you are interested in watching the fairly realistic account of those decades in Bombay when the underworld was cropping up. And it can be seen if you really are a big fan of all those actions sequences being shown with a slow motion editing & pumping background score on the screen.

Plus it can be seen only because of John Abraham and Anil Kapoor together since they both have given their best to the film unarguably. Particularly its one of the career best performances of John whereas Anil once again makes you look at him with both surprise and praises together. Supporting them Manoj Bajpayi is in a class of his own,Sonu Sood surely takes a step further in his career and Tushar Kapoor tries hard to deliver the light moments in an otherwise tense script. The rest of the cast acts perfectly fine but its only the 'all seen before' and clichéd content of the movie which turns it into a mere average one in the end. Hence you can easily make a choice if that interests you.

Shoot out the item songs

[anupviswanath · 4/10 · 20 July 2016]

The director made a masala flick with lots of item songs. The shooting should have cut and gave away crap of item songs to make it worthy action/underworld movie. The item songs are the worst scenarios that brought down my review to 6. The songs loosened the grip of storytelling and narration, not only that it didn't allow us to feel pity/angered at the Manya character even though he deserved it. John abhraham feels too old in this movie don't know why while Anil Kapoor seems a lot younger than John. The movie had the right elements of emotions/action/thriller/story and characters which all got toppled by crappy item songs. Please make a bluray with title "Shootout at Wadala without songs" and the rating will climb higher and get more acclaim. The movie has the seen or portrayed character from a lot of gangster movie but it remains in the mud because of unwanted elements.

Perhaps the film would have been less confusing if I'd seen it in its original form..thought regardless it was hard to care about any of the characters.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 14 October 2013]

I watched this film on a British Air flight from Europe. I found it a tad confusing (the ending seemed rather vague). HOWEVER, when I looked at the film listing on IMDb, it appears as if the airline decided to trim quite a bit of the movie!! Perhaps this might explain my confusion. However, what still is in no doubt is that I really didn't like anyone in the film and didn't particularly care.

The film is apparently based on a book, "Dongri to Dubai", and I have never read it and know very little about it. However, I could tell by what I read about reaction to the film as well as the prologue (where they admitted much of the film might not be true) that the film is based on reality...to a degree. As a retired history teacher, I wish the film hadn't equivocated and simply presented the best and most truthful story--and stood behind it.

The character Manya Surve was apparently a real gangster who was killed by the Mumbai police in the 1980s. The film portrays him as an innocent man who was framed and sent to prison--where he learned quickly to be vicious in order to survive. So, this monster was created by the police themselves according to the film. I assume some police officials would probably take exception to this--though I really don't know. What I do know is that the story is very action-packed and very violent. And, since it was trimmed, the violence must have been pretty intense in the original--as it was still NOT a film for the squeamish. It also features a strange convention that I've seen in most every recent Indian gangster film--they STILL take time for song and dance numbers like you'd see in a traditional Indian romance. For me, this is a fun cliché for romances but seems completely out of place in gritty crime films. However, the film was NOT made for me but for a billion Indians--and the producer/director probably knew what they were doing. As for me, though, even without the songs I just didn't find the premise interesting and the characters seemed equally scuzzy--whether police, rival gangs or Surve's gang. Mildly interesting but not among the better Indian films I've seen--especially since after a while, the super-stylized action scenes seemed a bit too much.