Hindi thrillers. To some that is an oxymoron. And I can see why. Rarely do big banners produce thrillers. They're not as popular as they used to be. So usually the thrillers come from Hindi-Indies but independent cinema in Bollywood is not the same as independent cinema in Hollywood. In Bollywood, you have lesser-known stars, redundant music and cheap acting. Yes, Emraan Hashmi, I'm talking to you! But Johnny Gaddaar reverses all of that. Finally, a small movie makes a big impact with ferocious performances, a surprising story and a thrilling execution. Starring Dharmendra, Zakir Hussain, Vinay Pathak, Ashwini Kalsekar, Govind Namdeo and Rimi Sen, JohnnyG (as it's known on the IMDB boards) marks the debut of Neil Nitin Mukesh, grandson to that immortal singer Mukesh. According to Wikipedia, Neil Nitin Mukesh was named after Neil Armstrong and the name was suggested by Lata Mangeshkar. Hmmm. Anyway, JohnnyG has an innovative soundtrack by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, which some consider to be their best. The film is directed by Sriram Raghavan, who debuted a couple of years ago with Ek Hasina Thi, which we all know to be a great film.Vikram (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is a part of a gang of five men who work together to make quick money using shady methods. Though not much is known of the gang's history, what we can tell is that they are a rocky bunch. Mr. Sheshadri (Dharmendra) is the widowed leader of the gang. Prakash (Vinay Pathak) is the owner of a gambling club and a family man. His wife is Varsha (Ashwini Kalsekar) and she owns her own beauty parlor and she does not approve of his activities. Shardul (Zakir Hussain) is a sleazy man whose streets smarts don't translate to charm when it comes to his wife Mini (Rimi Sen) who is having an affair with Vikram. When an opportunity arises for the gang to acquire 2.5 crores, Vikram decides to steal it all for himself and Mini and run away to Canada. Shiva (Daya Shetty) is the muscle of the group who is assigned to carry out the deal. Vikram secretly follows Shiva and knocks him out to steal the money. Shiva accidentally is killed. How this one death leads to other accidental deaths and some not so accidental ones forms this tale of murder, greed, loyalty and (in the words of the Swedish pop group ABBA) money, money, money.
The movie is inspired by the mystery novels of James Hadley Chase. I have never read them but I read that the plot is a homage to Chase's plot devices. Since I'm not familiar with these novels I can't say if JohnnyG is a rip-off but I don't think it is. Vikram is seen reading the novels and possibly getting ideas from them. Usually rip-offs like to deny any connection to the original source not parade the connection. Another inspiration is from the Hindi thrillers of the 1970s, especially Parwana, starring Amitabh Bachchan. This seems to be one of his lesser known works and so I applaud Sriram Raghavan for not using an overrated Bachchan film as an inspiration. Yes, Farhan Akhtar, I'm talking to you! I don't mean to say that there's nothing original about this film. Its execution is stellar. Great music, exceptional cinematography, awesome costumes. Also, the way the scenes are strung together is very interesting. For example, there is a scene where Prakash and Varsha are at home watching an Amitabh Bachchan movie. The camera shows the movie on the tv and you think we're still in Prakash and Varsha's living room but the camera cuts to Vikram watching the same movie. It's clever things like that which make the movie a level above the rest. Aside from JohnnyG, I like to call this film "The Sweet Redemption of Rimi Sen." Why? After a hilarious performance as Sweety in Dhoom, Rimi Sen was cast in roles of lesser meatiness. Everything she was in turned to box office gold (Hungama, Deewane Huye Paagal, Garam Masala, Golmaal - all big hits), but this was just a coincidence. She became a sort of lucky mascot but she specifically did not contribute to these successes. So when I saw her name on the DVD case, I was like "whateveeeeeer." Much to my surprise and delight, she gives a very strong, confident performance despite her lack of screen time. I will mention her final monologue at the end of the film--great work, Rimi!
The other female lead, Ashwini Kalsekar, delivers a fierce performance as well. I have never heard of Ms. Kalsekar but, as Varsha, she completely is on fire and completely challenges whoever with whom she is onscreen. Her last scene as well is a triumph. Dharmendra is good in the film but I just cannot stand him. He annoys me for some reason. Vinay Pathak, after seeing him in Aaja Nachle, is excellent in this film as well. He mixes the sensitivity of a family man with the danger of a crook to create a complex character. Zakir Hussain is also great as the sketchy Shardul. His scenes with Rimi Sen are well-written and perfomed. Govind Namdeo, as the police friend of Mr. Sheshadri, is chilling in his ruthlessness to solve the mystery of Shiva's and others' deaths.
This brings me to the man of the hour, debutante Neil Nitin Mukesh. Not only does he have striking good looks and piercingly expressive eyes, but he is exceptional in his dialogue delievery and body language. And he has motivation to do what he does and kill who he does. You never once question his actions even if you are gasping in surprise. This sexy and surreal debut is exciting because this actor's future is very promising.
If you have lost your faith in independent Hindi cinema, this smart, funny and surprising film will restore it. I mean when Neil Nitin Mukesh becomes a huge star, you don't want to just be joining the bandwagon. You'll want to have been there with him from the start. And of course, the rest of the cast and the crew are above average as well. In all respects, this is a must-see thriller.
Johnny Gaddaar rates a 10/10.
