Mumbai: The Salman Khan-starrer Wanted was released on this day 11 years ago. The 2009 thriller, which heralded Salman’s golden run of annual Eid blockbusters, is also widely considered the film that cemented the actor’s position as an action superstar.
Importantly, the film came at a time when several of Salman’s releases had fared below expectation. “Wanted”, a mass entertainer, helped him turned the box office tide in his favour.
Directed by Prabhudeva, “Wanted” was a remake of Puri Jagannadh’s 2006 Telugu blockbuster “Pokiri”, starring Mahesh Babu and Ileana D’Cruz.
“Wanted” featured Vinod Khanna, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Ayesha Takia in pivotal roles along with Salman. The film’s dialogue “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di, toh main apne aap ki bhi nahi sunta” continues to be a rage with Salman fans till date.
Recalling the film’s success, producer Boney Kapoor tweeted: “#Wanted marked the revival of single screen cinemas. The crowds were back and so was the old forgotten HOUSEFULL board. #11YearsofWanted #Trivia #MagicofCinema.”
Along with his post, he shared a picture of a crowd gathered outside a cinema hall in Pune at the time of the film’s release.