Bol kya naam hai tera. Johnny.. Johnny Kya? Jii? Accha Johnny G. Thats how the name Johnny G or Johnny Gaddar is coined in the movie.. And What a movie it is. A spellbinding, intriguing and fascinating work and without doubt one of the best movies in recent times. Not only is it different from the cliched stuff rolled out by now a days in bollywood, its also a well compiled movie. Almost everything about the movie is great- the direction, the story, plot, screenplay, the acting, the soundtrack. In fact the only bad thing about the movie which I felt was that why did it ever end. Yes I am not exaggerating. Thats the movie for you. Absolute masterclasse from a very talented director for I really liked Sriram Raghavan's previous work Ek Haseena Thi a lot as well..
The movie had one amazing strength in the choice of actors like Vinay pathak, Zakir Hussain, Ashwini Kalsekar, Dharmendra, Govind Namdeo and newcomer Neil Nitin mukesh. These are industry's best picks doing their job to perfection. Zakir Hussain is really outstanding and I feel more directors should realize his talent. Dharmendra is excellent in his brief role. Dharam paaji's talent has rarely been used well by directors and it was best utilized by the great Hrishikesh Mukherjee in "Chupke Chupke" where Dharam Paaji showed what he is capable of. And now director Sriram Raghavan uses him well in this film. That speaks volumes about this director. Neil nitin mukesh does a great job and best part is that he doesnt seem to be even trying to hard. He does it so naturally and simple like a pro. In between all the trill you can almost see the fear and anxiety in his eyes the same way as the character should be having. Ashwini and Vinay show their masterclass and Govind Namdeo- what an actor. The way he says- "do din.. bas do din Shardul" It must be said that these actors are God gifted and its sad our industry still looks for stars in Star children. So sad. Ok now for Rimi Sen, she does a bad job- no dialogue delivery sense, no expressions, almost zero sex appeal ( something the role demanded).. She is the only weak link in the movie cast.
What makes Johhny Gaddar a class apart is that every scene in the movie has a meaning and dialogues are not stylish but senseful. One would almost get glued to the screen. Not ready to be disturbed by anything. The first half is out of ordinary. Second half is good but could have been better. Overall the movie does what its supposed to do- cast a spell of suspense and excitement on the audience. The movie uses the old Amitabh Bacchan starrer Parwana as a trend setter for the chase in the most amazing way.
The soundtrack, i dont know if anyone noticed is magnificent. Nice catchy numbers, thrill immersed and pacy. Move your body is a great disc number but the Johnny theme track is great too.. Song Dhoka is again great to listen and comes at an appropriate time. Almost perfect.
The movie makes me feel great that even now we can see good quality movies in bollywood where talented directors are ready to experiment. And I feel great we have such actors in industry. At the sametime I feel pity and sad for the part of bollywood who have regarded this film as flop and are busy making starry children debut.. in romantic cliched stuff..
All those who havent seen Johnny G are losing out on the years' best movie..