India's Most Wanted (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''India's Most Wanted'' is a 2019 Indian
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
Raj Kumar Gupta Raj Kumar Gupta is an Indian film writer and director, known for his work in Hindi cinema. He made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed '' Aamir'' (2008). He then went on to write and direct ''No One Killed Jessica'' (2011), based ...
, and starring
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...
. The film is about tracking a terrorist in a secret mission and arresting him without firing bullets. ''India's Most Wanted'' is inspired by the arrest of proscribed organisation
Indian Mujahideen Indian Mujahideen (IM) is an Islamic terrorist group which has been particularly active in India. The jihadist group was founded as an offshoot of the Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) by several radicalized members including Iqbal Bh ...
(IM) terrorist
Yasin Bhatkal Syed Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa, known as Yasin Bhatkal, is a convicted Indian Islamist terrorist, who was the co-founder and leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen (IM). Yasin along with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal ...
, also referred to as India's
Osama Bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...
, near the India-Nepal border in August 2013. The principal photography of the film began in May 2018 and wrapped up in November 2018. The soundtrack was composed by
Amit Trivedi Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
, with lyrics written by
Amitabh Bhattacharya Amitabh Bhattacharya (born 16 November 1976) is an Indian lyricist and playback singer who works in Bollywood films. He shot to fame with the film ''Dev.D'' with the song "Emotional Atyachar" turning an instant hit. He sang this song under the ...
, and released under the
Saregama Saregama India Ltd. (Saregama refers to the first four notes of the Indian musical scale); formerly known as The Gramophone Company Of India Ltd. is India's oldest music label owned by the RP- Sanjiv Goenka Group of companies. The company i ...
label. The film was theatrically released in India on 24 May 2019, receiving mixed reviews.


Plot

A man quietly leaves The Pune Kitchen hotel after discreetly leaving a bag containing a bomb. Moments later, the bomb explodes, killing several people , and injuring many more. At the PMO, New Delhi, a heated meeting takes place where a top ranking official berates the spy agencies for the continuous failures in the intelligence causing more attacks on India in the recent times. A group, led by Prabhat Kumar, volunteers to track down the mastermind behind these attacks, Yusuf (nicknamed as GHOST), who according to an intel report, is hiding in Nepal posing as a doctor. His superior, Rajesh Singh, is soundly against this as Nepal is strategically important for India, but gives in finally but with an ultimatum of four days. The team, which consists of Shaumik, Javed, Amit, Bittu and Ravi, enters Kathmandu under the guise of tourists. There, Prabhat meets an informant known as Laluji who tells him that he might have seen the person who they are looking for at a house in Pokhra, a it near the capital. Meanwhile, ISI gets a tip of the agents as they become suspicious of their body language and the fact that they are in Kathmandu as tourists without any kids or ladies. They activate their sources, but it is of no use. Infuriated, they increase their manpower and ammunitions, just in case. On the other hand, Prabhat decides to go to the place where Laluji had seen GHOST. While following Laluji, Prabhat identifies Yusuf as the latter passes him on a motorbike. He alerts Singh, who is forced to tell about the ongoing developments with his senior management, who derides him for this hasty decision without keeping anyone in look, but decides to help the team. Things take a turn when Prabhat is alerted about the ISI following the team. With time running out, Prabhat decides to nab Yusuf on the same night. He requests a backup, and a three men local police team joins them, unpleasantly surprising him. As the team goes inside the house, the Indian ambassador receives a call that the person they suspected is a turbine engineer and not a doctor, creating more pressure on the team. A now visibly angry Prabhat calls the ambassador and gives him five minutes to call out the Nepal team or the team will go inside. In the meantime, the ISI realises that the Indians are there to arrest Yusuf from Pokhra, where he is hiding, and they leave to confront their Indian counterparts. With no option left, Prabhat and his team charges inside despite warning from the cop, and discovers Yusuf along with Maachis, another wanted terrorist. They take the two with them and immediately leave for India. The ISI are hot on their heels and they nearly catch up with the Indians, but Prabhat successfully manage to cross Nepal border and the gate is closed as the ISI approaches. It is revealed that the chief security officer was convinced by Prabhat to help them in this mission. The arrests of Yusuf and Maachis are made public, and the team celebrate it quietly.


Cast

*
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...
as Prabhat Kumar *
Sudev Nair Sudev Nair is an Indian actor and model working in Malayalam films best known for his performance in the 2014 film '' My Life Partner'', for which he was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor in 2014. He also starred in the 2019 ...
as Yusuf (based on
Yasin Bhatkal Syed Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa, known as Yasin Bhatkal, is a convicted Indian Islamist terrorist, who was the co-founder and leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen (IM). Yasin along with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal ...
) *Resh Lamba as Maachis * Rajesh Sharma as Rajesh Singh, Joint Director of Intelligence Bureau * Alexander Prasanth as Rudra Pillai *
Shantilal Mukherjee Shantilal Mukherjee is an Indian actor associated with Bengali-language theatre and films. Biography Mukherjee was born in Kolkata. He lost his father in an early age. He was admitted in Sarsuna High School from where he passed Madhyamik e ...
as Shaumik Biswas * Devendra Mishra as Javed Sheikh * Gaurav Mishra as Amit Gupta *
Aasif Khan Aasif Khan (born 13 March 1991) is an Indian actor, best known for his role as Babar in action crime thriller web television series ''Mirzapur'' (2018-2020). Early life Aasif Khan was born and raised in Nimbahera, a small town in Chittorga ...
as Bittu Sinha * Bajrangbali Singh as Ravi Bhakre * Pravin Singh Sisodia as Manish * Rajiv Kachroo as Dev Kapur * Jitendra Shastri as Laluji (the Informant) * Shakti Rawal as Fareed * Mihir Das as Pakistani Embassy Receptionist * Prashant Walde


Production

The film was announced in May 2018. After the success of ''
Raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...
'', Gupta confirmed that he was working on two scripts. Among them, one is a detective crime thriller.
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...
was the only choice for the leading role.


Principal photography

Principal photography of the film began in May 2018. The shooting of ''India's Most Wanted'' took place in
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
in
Gol Ghar The Golghar or Gol Ghar (गोलघर), ("Round House") is a large granary located to the west of the Gandhi Maidan in Patna, capital of Bihar state, India. History According to a contemporary inscription at its base, the Golghar in Patna ...
, Kali Ghat, NIT Ghat, Kargil Chowk (near
Gandhi Maidan Gandhi Maidan is a historic ground in Patna, near the banks of the Ganges River, in Bihar, India. The Golghar falls to its west. During the period of 1824–1833, under British rule, it was used as a golf course and horse racing track and was c ...
) and Bahadurpur Housing Colony. Some portions of the film were shot in
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
( Raxaul Nepal-India border of Birganj District of Nepal,
Pokhara Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...
and
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
). Principal photography ended in November 2018.


Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by
Amit Trivedi Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979) is an Indian music director, singer and a lyricist who works primarily in Hindi films. After working as a theatre and jingle composer and composing for non-film albums, he debuted as a film composer in the 2008 ...
, with lyrics written by
Amitabh Bhattacharya Amitabh Bhattacharya (born 16 November 1976) is an Indian lyricist and playback singer who works in Bollywood films. He shot to fame with the film ''Dev.D'' with the song "Emotional Atyachar" turning an instant hit. He sang this song under the ...
, and released under the
Saregama Saregama India Ltd. (Saregama refers to the first four notes of the Indian musical scale); formerly known as The Gramophone Company Of India Ltd. is India's oldest music label owned by the RP- Sanjiv Goenka Group of companies. The company i ...
label.


Marketing and release

The teaser poster of the film was released on 15 April 2019. Another teaser poster of the film was released on 16 April 2019.
Rajkumar Gupta Raj Kumar Gupta is an Indian film writer and director, known for his work in Hindi cinema. He made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed '' Aamir'' (2008). He then went on to write and direct ''No One Killed Jessica'' (2011), base ...
confirms removal of controversial religious references in India's Most Wanted. The film has been certified with a runtime of 123 mins by
British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of f ...
and released on 24 May 2019.


Reception


Critical response

Rahul Gangwani reviewing for ''
Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
'' rates the film with three stars out of five. He praised cinematography of the film for aerial shots, but feels that film was using more of national fervour and lacked craft. He terms the film as 'part-predictable and part-thrilling' fare. Ananya Bhattacharya of ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...
'' also praised cinematography of Dudley for Nepal shots and gave two and half stars out of five. She feels that the film suffers from a sluggish pace, but lives up to promise of telling the story of the nameless and faceless heroes. Shubhra Gupta writing for ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' gives two stars out of five. Terming it as 'a placid spy thriller', Gupta praised
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance ''Ishaqzaade'' which ...
for giving earnest performance. Priyanka Sinha Jha of ''
News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
'' rates the film with three stars out of five, and opines that the film has a good story, but it is not fully mined. She concludes, "It is more likely to make it to your stay-at-home-and-watch list." Meena Iyer of ''
Daily News and Analysis Publications established in 2005 Newspapers published in Mumbai English-language newspapers published in India Daily newspapers published in India Essel Group 2005 establishments in Maharashtra ...
'' concurring with Jha, says "the intention can be lauded, but definitely not the execution." And, she also gives three stars out of five. Nandini Ramnath of ''
Scroll.in ''Scroll.in'', simply referred to as ''Scroll'', is an Indian digital news publication owned by the Scroll Media Incorporation. It publishes content in both Hindi and English languages. Founded in 2014, the website and its journalists have won ...
'' feels that the manhunt film is overheated, undercooked and doesn't have enough substance to justify its flourishes. Renuka Vyavahare of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rates the film with three and half stars out of five, and says, "''India's Most Wanted'' is an earnest ode to the unsung heroes of our country – a story that deserves to be heard."
Raja Sen Raja Sen (born 10 November 1955) is an Indian film and television director and the winner of three National Film Awards from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the father of actress Rimi Sen. Career Raja Sen first received recognition with ''S ...
of the ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...
'' feels that this intelligence film is not bright and says, "...well-meaning thriller too restrained to be memorable." He rates it with two stars out of five.
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides ...
rates the film with three out of five, and says, "On the whole, ''India's Most Wanted'' is an average fare thanks to its poor writing and direction."


Box office

The film collected 1.75-2 crore nett on its opening day, and was the lowest-performing film among all others released in India on that day. The following day, it earned 2.5 crore nett. Collections on Sunday showed minor growth with earnings of 3 crore. The film had a heavy drop on Monday, with earnings of 9 million nett. On Tuesday, the film dropped further to 75 lakh nett. It earned 65 lakh nett on Wednesday and 40 lakh nett on Thursday. At the end of its theatrical run, the film's worldwide gross was 16.74 crore worldwide, with earnings of 14.17 crore in India and 25.7 million overseas.


References


External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, m/indias_most_wanted 2019 films 2010s Hindi-language films 2019 action thriller films 2010s chase films Indian action thriller films Indian chase films Films about terrorism in India Films set in Nepal Films shot in Kathmandu Films shot in Nepal Fox Star Studios films Films directed by Raj Kumar Gupta Films shot in Pokhara Films shot in Birgunj Indian films based on actual events Hindi-language films based on actual events Indian police films Indian Mujahideen Intelligence Bureau (India) in fiction