Get ready for Wanted on September 18th, when Salman Khan and Ayesha Takia will been on the big screen together for the first time. Produced by Boney Kapoor, Wanted is directed by master choreographer Prabhu Deva. In describing the film Kapoor told MidDay, “Wanted has a good mix of romance, comedy, music, songs and obviously, action. The film caters to all kinds of audiences but I won’t call it a commercial potboiler. It is much more than that.” In fact, he has called the flick his “most ambitious film” yet!
Wanted is a remake of the Tamil film Pokiri, which was a super hit, and Kapoor says the South films work for him, “I strongly believe that all films have some degree of similarity to each other. South films have worked for me and I like their sincerity. Sometimes my gamble of bringing a regional film to Hindi cinema has backfired, but that is a part and parcel of this risky industry.”
As for choreographer/director Prabhu Deva, Kapoor says he has worked with him before and trusts his vision, “Prabhu choreographed a song with Sridevi in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and subsequently did songs for my films Pukar, Shakti and Khushi. When I heard he had directed Pokiri, I decided to go ahead and make Wanted with him. Prabhu is hot property in the South and I hope he’ll be equally sought-after in Bollywood,” he said to Times of India.
On his part, Prabhu Deva is worried about how he and the film will be received, “I’m nervous, I’m opening my account in Mumbai with this one and I’m quite anxious about the film’s fate. I’ll only breathe easy after it has been declared a success.”
Wanted, has a new jodi with Ayesha Takia and Salman Khan and though some consider it an odd pairing Kapoor has full confidence in it. “Prabhu and I considered many actresses but Ayesha brought a certain innocence. We wanted a soft-spoken and middle-class looking girl and she fit the bill. Her simplicity compliments Salman well in the film. Recently Salim saab (Salman’s dad) and Salman’s sister, Alvira saw the film and they both have great things to say about Ayesha’s performance.”
Kapoor also has nothing but praise for the hero of the film Salman Khan, “This will be one of Salman’s most watched films. Not only has he excelled in the action sequences, he has even danced like a dream.”
The film actually ran into some legal trouble and was almost prevented from being released. Of course, it all came down to money with LMB Holdings, a B4U group company, taking Kapoor to court over an unpaid Rs 10 crore loan. Originally a lower court ruled that Kapoor had to deposit the entire amount before the film could be released but the Supreme Court heard the case and has said that if a Rs 2 crore security deposit is made by September 16th the film can be released on time.
