In the UK we call it marmite (a food substance), you will love it, or you will hate it! Perhaps a more apt desi description is sweet or salted lassi. You either prefer sweet lassi, or you prefer salted lassi, or maybe even both. Hell, why not have a cocktail of sweet and salty! In any case that is the verdict with SOS. If you loved Wanted and Dabaang, or even Devgn’s own Golmaal series and his recent Bol Bachchan then SOS is definitely for you.

Sadly this is the case with Department, although RGV impresses with his use of cameras and shot compositions, the script hampers everything and ends up offering nothing new and is cliched in parts. What I would like to see is other filmmakers take up this method of filmmaking, but armed with more novel scripts. If you are a RGV fan, a fan of underworld films and an avid filmmaker then do check Department out, but be warned that it is not a patch on any of his earlier works. Otherwise you can give it a miss.

If there is one thing for sure this film is both a history and geography lesson of Wasseypur. As Anurag said himself as the London preview screening “If you Google search Wasseypur the place will not come up, only the film will!” He has clearly put Wasseypur on the map and I, like many, will reserve my final judgement until I watch the second part.

For me it’s a one time watch if you’re curious, best saved for DVD and will be quickly forgotten. A massive opportunity gone to waste!

…the film could have been tighter, with the two and half ours being trimmed to around two. Shootout at Wadala is not classic, nor is it a ‘great’ film, but definitely ‘very good’, particularly if you have read the book, or enjoy the genre.