Review : Johnny Gaddar

Review : Johnny Gaddar
Rating : Very good (4.3/5)
Genre : Thriller
Year : 2007
Director : Sriram Raghavan
Cast : Neil Nitin Mukesh, Vinay Pathak, Govind Namdeo, Zakir Hussain, Daya Shetty, Ahswini Kalsekar, Rimi Sen

JOHNNY GADDAR : YOU SAY PULP, I SAY FICTION

Johnny Gaddar is not your usual who-dun-it. It’s more of a we-know-who-dun-it , but did-he-get-away-with-it ? It reminds me of the “James Hadley Chase” genre. We know who the criminal is (aren’t they all ?) and what the crime is. We also know that the plan has gone horribly wrong. What we don’ know is how it will end.

Our protagonist is a very unlikely one. Quite probably a person you’d take at face value, no undertones to this one. A handsome young man, clean, good-looking – the world to conquer and all that. And honest you know ? Not one to cheat or rob his friends, you know ? Keeps his word, that one. Only there’s a woman he’s involved with. She’s in a hard place and there seems to be no way in this world for the two of them to be together. Unless, unless of course, he takes this one risk. Just this one, oh, only one risk. And they’ll be free. Free. And no one will be able to touch them. Just like that . . .

One crime, then two, then . . . And its not like he’s a hard, resilient criminal either; at being threatened and beaten the man crumbles, weeps, repents, says he didn’t want to do it, but circumstances forced his hand. What was one to do after all ? He didn’t want to do it, didn’t he say ? It was all an accident, a big mistake, didn’t he say ? It just happened . . .

Neil Nitin Mukesh, is the hero here, if you will, our very unlikely protagonist. He plays Vikram, the junior-most member of a gang of 5 men running gambling/fencing activities and other small con jobs. The other 4 are Seshadri (Dharmendra), Shardul (Zakir Hussain), Prakash (Vinay Pathak) and Shiva (Daya Shetty). When a large money-making opportunity presents itself to Seshadri via his police detective friend Kalyan (Govind Namdeo), he shares it with the other four.

Now Vikram is having an affair with Mini (Rimi Sen), Shardul’s wife. And they can think of no better way of getting away from vicious Shardul than going abroad where no on will find them. However going abroad takes money, and that Vikram can get only one way – by turning double-crosser . . .

JG is the kind of film you wait an year for. January, February . . . the months go on, and it’s all a vast desert. JG finally is the oasis. Quite certainly the definition of pulp fiction in desi cinema, JG marks a new twist in the hindi thriller genre. It’s style is quite cut and dry, and engrossingly so. We do know who’s the bad guy so to speak, the unknowns come later.

Neil M. makes his debut with this film and it is not un-impressive. Making good use of his choclatey-soft looks, Neil adequately portrays Vikram. There is a lack of finesse in his acting, but if this is the begining , the future definitely looks bright. Rimi Sen, she of the heaving bosom, graces the screen, but heavy breathing is what she brings to the film. I’d have preferred someone who could act without sounding like she was succumbing to hyper-ventilation. The other female in the film, Prakash’s wife, played by Ashwini Kalsekar, is quite fantastic in her limited screen time. Playing by turns, the shrew, the nag and the desperate wife at the end of her tether, Ashwini brings her character to life.

Not much need be said about Vinay Pathak, Govind Namdeo or Zakir Hussain for they present immaculate performances. Dharmendra as the aging Seshadri, is OK. And so is Shetty in his small role.

The film pays homage to it’s inspirations – Vikram routinely reads or atleast pretends to read James Hadley Chase novels, and snatches of dated Hindi cinema appear throughout the film. Sriram Raghavan, the director, who in his earlier film, Ek Hasina Thi (which is #2 in my Top 10 Suspense hindi film list), dealt with the ire of a woman scorned, takes on a totally different subject and does a wonderful job with JG. The story’s interesting, screenplay tight, and the direction deft. I wish the acting had been superb instead of average, but one can’t have everything, can one ?

It’s not just this film, but the general trend nowdays in thriller/crime, negative-toned desi cinema is for the film to feature an unlikely protagonist. The criminal is no longer a snarling Neanderthal, but a suave, soft-spoken, clean-profiled young man with spunk and brains (Don etc.). He looks the guy next door but nicer, and if you could hear his thoughts it’d make your blood run cold. So much more interesting than outright evil. He could almost be the hero, except he’s not. He’s the anti-hero. And yet you can’t hate him. Subtlety finds it’s niche, and intelligent cinema is born.

A very adult-themed film, JG features sexual situations/references and bits of gory violence, and is unsuitable for children. For the grown-ups however, the best thing about JG is it’s absolute unpredictability; just when you think you have it all figured out, it turns and goes the other way. And if that is not enough for you, let me also add that the film finishes up beautifully, because it delivers the kind of justice I find most satisfying – the poetic kinds. I have waited quite a while to see Bollywood do a John Travolta. And to it’s credit, this film, a must-see, makes the wait worth-while.