 |
| Video Songs | Reviews | Wallpapers | Events | Gallery | Trailers | Exclusive | Contact Us |
|
|
|
Home > Bollywood Movie Reviews > Johnny Gaddaar Good Performances, Engaging Thriller APK | September 30, 2007 Rating: ***.25 (***** Very Good, **** Good, *** Fair, ** Average, * Bad) User comments Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni, Hardkaur & Nilesh Mishra. Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Script & Director: Sriram Raghavan. Producer: Adlabs Films. Release Date: 28th September, 2007. Johnny Gaddaar is Sriram Raghavan's second movie after the unconventional Ek Hasina Thi. This movie belongs to the same genre, but it is a better movie than his first flick. It also marks the debut of Mukesh's grandson, Neil Nitin Mukesh. Plot A gang of five illegal businessmen need to invest money for one shady deal. Shiva's (Daya Shetty) job is to deliver it to policeman Kalyan (Govind Namdeo), friend of gang member Sheshadri (Dharmendra) in Bangalore in a train. Vikram (Neil Nitin Mukesh) gets greedy and wants the whole sum for himself. He is also having an affair with Mini (Rimi), wife of Shardul (Zakir Hussain), another gang member. He gets the money but kills Shiva accidentally and the trail continues.  Story, Screenplay and Direction The style and taking of Johnny Gaddaar is a sleek retro version. The influence of James Hardly Chase's novels is evident, and it seems to be a sort of tribute to that genre of story-telling. Movies from the 70s go on in TV sets throughout the movie; in fact the plot Vikram hatches is from Bachchan's Parwana. The twists in the movie keep the viewer engaged, even if the pace is slightly laidback for a thriller.The characters are well-written, well-cast and well performed. Sheshadri is still in love with his late wife, Shardul and Mini, Vikram and Mini, Prakash and his beauty parlor owner wife are interestingly tackled. The first half is extremely engaging and needs the undivided attention of the audience. Vikram's character works for the movie, and debutant Neil is enigmatic. It's a dark film, and the cinematography elevates the intensity. The performances and the consistency in the direction are the highlights in the movie. If you've seen and remember the end of Ek Hasina Thi, then the suggestive violence of EHT is present in one sequence in this movie too.  Performances Neil Nitin Mukesh has a very strong presence and his performance in this movie is flawless, especially looking at the fact that it is his debut. Vinay Pathak as Prakash and Zakir Hussain as Shardul steal the show. Ashwini Kalsekar as Prakash's wife is very good and Daya Shetty in a brief role as Shiva does a good job. Dharmendra is charming, but somehow looks and feels like an outsider in the movie. Rimi doesn't impress.Music The background score is good, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's songs are cleverly interwoven with the main plot without breaking the momentum. Last Word Paisa Vasool Thriller. |