wanted: in which i reveal the importance of keeping an open mind and discuss how marketing is probably useless

So, over the course of the past few weeks, I've been musing aloud here on the blog about the two big films that released on September 18th:  Dil Bole Hadippa and Wanted.

And for the most part, having watched the publicity for both films, I felt certain that the film I would really want to see, that I would really enjoy, that I would find the better film, well, I was certain it would turn out to be Dil Bole Hadippa.

Yesterday, I finally got to see Wanted.  And I have to say, I take it ALL back.  Every single thing I typed about the film.  No, wait, not the bit where I wrote that "Jalwa" was a terrific track and the picturisation with Govinda and Prabhu Deva would be faboo, I meant that, and it was absolutely and completely true.

Oh, okay, I also didn't like the picturisation for "Love Me, Love Me", or at least the clip I saw.  And although I will say that it's my least favorite picturisation in the film, the full version comes off better than the edited promo clip.  I still find some of the choreography clunky, and I still don't like much of what they've dressed the gorgeous Ayesha Takia in, but overall, the entire clip was all right.

And sure, I poked a little gentle fun at the song "Ishq Vishq", but you know what?  It wasn't even in the film. 

But I have to say:  Wanted was absolutely terrific.  I didn't find the posters appealing, I didn't find the trailer appealing, and only the "Jalwa" promotional clip provoked any interest at all.  But a few people I know whose opinions I trust went to see the film and raved about it.

So I went -- or, rather, the Tech Guy and I went.

And we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Wanted is one ripper of a film.  It's well written, the story is terrific, the dialogues are funny and wonderful, the whole package is great.  Even the songs, most of which didn't excite me terribly when I listened to the soundtrack, the songs are great in the context of the film.  There are lots of them, I liked much of the choreography, and frankly?  I haven't had this much fun in the cinema in a good long while.

Even Salman Khan -- I've stated here before, I'm not a huge Salman fan for a variety of reasons, but he was, in all honestly, just brilliant in the film.

Of course, all of this has me thinking about how films are marketed and how we as an audience perceive the publicity and how we use it to make choices about what we'll see -- and about how sometimes we're wrong.  I had been fully convinced that Dil Bole Hadippa would charm me and delight me, and although bits of it did (and certainly, as I wrote previously, Rani Mukherjee did with her performance), it turned out that the film I initially had no desire to see would turn out to be the film that blew me away with it's brashness, boldness, and general chutzpah.

Now, mind you, I'm a little worried about next week -- when Do Knot Disturb releases. I have been so excited to see what David Dhawan and Govinda will do, I'm about ready to plotz.  I'm thinking, after my Wanted/Dil Bole Hadippa experience, that maybe I should spend the next week lowering my expectations just a little bit.

Comments

[Teja]

I agree, the hindi audience haven't seen a film like 'Wanted' in quite a while. Wanted depends completely on the leading actors starpower. And Salman was upto the task. Check out the original telugu Pokiri. Mahesh Babu was even better. It was his film all the way.

[katherine]

I do intend to see the original at some point, several folks (including yourself) have mentioned it's actually better (which I can totally believe).

Thanks for adding your voice, though, always good to be pointed in the direction of good films!