There is a difference between thrillers by Abbas Mustan and thrillers by Sriram Raghavan. In the former it is a whodunit situation. In the latter it is sheer thrill. In Johnny Gaddaar (just like in Ek Hasina Thi) the viewer knows who the ‘gaddaar’ is right at the beginning. And then begins a tale of crime, betrayal and murder. Heavily borrowing from the noir genre of films, Johnny Gaddaar belongs to the director and no one else. The story is filled with murders of different types, some accidental, some intentional and some vengeful.

Story:
The story starts with one of the gang members Seshadri [Dharmendra] getting an offer to make a fortune in four days. All the gang members [they’re five in all] are up for it as this is the deal that will catapult them into the big league.
The youngest member of the gang Vikram [Neil Mukesh] plans to disappear to some unknown city and start his own life with his love Mini [Rimi Sen], when a devilish thought crosses his mind. What if he grabs the entire jackpot? Vikram decides to double cross his partners.

Performances:
Director Sriram Raghavan took a risk by taking a new comer as the central character but Neil does not let him down. Neil does a good job as a young member who is caught in various unforeseen circumstances. The only let down could possibly be his meek voice but that cannot be improved upon. Dharmendra as Seshadri is damn good. He looks like a sensitive, mature man who is a good team leader. Vinay Pathak takes up a role that is most unexpected of him…one of a gambler and does well. He has his comic moments which we all know him to be an expert at. Zakir Hussain who was in Raghavan’s debut film ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ as well does a good job as an insensitive slub owner who knows nothing about investments and loves being a wannabe. Daya Shetty is hardly there. Ashwini Kalsekar does a wonderful job, a talented actress that she is. Rimi Sen is just about alright but that is largely due to the constraints of her role. Govind Namdeo is good in a short role.

Pros:
1) Screenplay and direction are possibly the biggest positives of a film and Johnny Gaddaar has that to its advantage. The story moves fast and you don’t get bored for a minute.
2) Well etched characters and good casting is another huge scoring point for this well made thriller. Everyone fits his/her role to a T except possibly Rimi Sen who barely has a role.
3) No songs. Yes, the film has no songs which means the viewer does not lose focus or deviate on the central plot even once.
4) Great cinematography by Muraleedharam C.K. who has earlier shot films like ‘Naina’, ‘Ek Hasina Thi’ and ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’. He uses many close-up shots and mid-shots to provide maximum tension. An essential in a thriller.
5) Fabulous lighting adds to the effect of some scenes…like the one where Rimi walks down the back stairs from Zakir Hussain’s office.

Cons:
1) The scene where Dharmendra is shot is taken very simplistically. Who on earth would leave the gun on a table like that after discovering the ‘gaddaar’.

Good scenes:
Actually all scenes are good. But if I were forced to choose….
1) The train sequence between Daya Shetty and Neil Mukesh.
2) The scene when Dharmendra discovers who the ‘gaddaar’ is.
3) The climax.

My Verdict:
A definite recommendation for lovers of noir films. Johnny Gaddaar does not disappoint. It makes a few points clear…. ‘CRIME NEVER PAYS’ and ‘MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL’. Do watch it ASAP.

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(4 votes for this post, score: 4.5 out of 5)

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