Johny Gaddar: Celebrating Bollywood!! review

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The best parts of the movie is-it's a thriller with a sense of humor! How Johny Gaddar gets his name is hilarious and very well fits into the scheme of things, writes Bikas Mishra

After all the hype and hoopla around some of the worst movies from Bollywood, if you've lost hope, it's time to watch Johny Gaddar. A refreshing, witty and engaging film, Johny Gaddar keeps you on the edge throughout and exuberantly celebrates the Bombay film industry.

The film is aptly dedicated to Vijay Anand, whose "Jewel Thief" redefined the genre thriller in Bollywood and novelist James Hadley Chase. The film draws its skeleton from the perpetual plot of Chase novels where the protagonist attempts to commit a theft that leads him to commit murders. The talented director adds flesh and blood to this plot and the entire movie turns out into a joyous celebration of Bollywood.

For all those who suggested Dharmendra to stay away from the Industry, after watching him in "Life In A Metro" will be pleasantly surprised. He's the only big star in this film however the film also marks the beginning of a budding star Neil Mukesh. You could mistake him for Hritik Roshan at times but this starry eyed boy has a style of his own.

Okay, so Johny Gaddar's plot revolves around five characters. Dharmendra plays the mastermind. They pool in Rs. 50 Lakh each to make a deal that will make them richer. While four of them eagerly wait to see the deal through, one of them has different plans. We know all along who the rat is however the characters on screen pay the price of this knowledge by their lives, one by one and that keeps film moving forward.

The final shot of the film looks like a tribute to the director Sriram Raghvan's debut film "Ek Hasina Thi". It looks quite different from the rest of the film. The final murder also stands apart for the reason that it comes from nowhere. It looked slightly imposed on the script.

The film never gets into the detail of the deal and it's depicted in a matter-of-fact style, something that I admired. The script plays on unpredictability and each character gets time to carry the story forward. This is why the tinge of the film keeps changing along with the character who is going to be killed. What binds all these together is protagonist's quest for the two and half Corers and the dreams of a happily married life with his beloved.

The best parts of the movie is-it's a thriller with a sense of humor! How Johny Gaddar gets his name is hilarious and very well fits into the scheme of things.

Characters are beautifully written and all the actors especially Zakir Hussein and Vinay Pathak make them memorable.

It's very reassuring to see a second good film from Sriram Raghvan. He's a director to look out for. And Johny Gaddar is a movie to celebrate our very own Bambaiya cinema.