Ever since I read the critics rating of the film Johnny Gaddaar, I had wanted to see it.  And got the time to do so only last night.  And yes, it is a different film altogether.  A thriller.

Neil Mukesh’s debut film ‘Johnny Gaddar’ is a thriller, straight from one of the famous novels of James Hadley Chase.  Those who have read his books will surely like this film. 

An unconventional film with no unnecessary songs and mushy sentiments.  The pace is just right with some touches of old Hindi movies and old things that have been out of use like the telephone instruments, the tape recorder, and the doorbell. 

It starts with a gang of five members of a gang involved in shady dealings with Dharmendra as their leader both loved and respected.  And the youngest member of the gang is Neil Mukesh who is involved in a stormy affair with the wife of another fellow member Rimi Sen. They want to get away to a haven of their own for which they need money.  So our man turns into a traitor and hatches a plan inspired straight from a Hindi movie he watches by name ‘Parwane’.

But things don’t really work his way, despite meticulous planning. And he commits a murder by accident.  And like the proverb ‘To hide one lie, you have to lie a hundred times’, our man, to hide one crime commits a series of crimes that is murders of his own fellow members, one by one. And just when he is close to victory, he is mistaken for someone else and shot from behind. 

The gang works in close harmony with the police so they get away with all the shady dealings and murders. 

Except for a raunchy number in the gambling club run by one of the gang, there are no songs to spoil or deter the story from moving forward.  The title track sung in the background has apt words suited to the story line. 

And the title ‘Johnny Gaddar’ is also well chosen like the intelligent titles James Hadley Chase had for his books.  Tittles that had weird names that the reader realizes its relativity only in the middle of the novel or in the last chapter.  I, for one, always found the titles fascinating.  Some titles, I can recall right now are: ‘No Orchids for Miss. Blandish’, ‘Safer Dead’, ‘Like a hole in the head’, ‘I hold the four aces’, ‘He wont need it now’, ‘Paw in the bottle’, ‘Do me a favour, drop dead’, ‘Miss Shambway waves the wand’ and so on.

Directed by Sreeram Raghavan, the film has been underrated because it does not, sadly, contain the masala a Hindi movie is supposed to have, the star studded cast to carry the film, steamy romance, a dance number or the sentimental mush.  In Hindi movies, sometimes, star power sells and the film becomes a hit despite having absurd stories.  And songs sell too.  

Here, except Dharmendra, the rest of the crew is not very popular.  They are one time television actors like Govind Namdeo, Daya Shetty, Zakir Hussain, and Vinay Pathak.

Sreeram Raghavan has paid a tribute to two thriller masters ‘Vijay Anand’ and ‘James Hadley Chase’.  And yes, it is so much like one of the books of Chase.

Maybe the next thriller will have the right proportion to make it to the box office.  Good luck to Raghavan!!

Film recommended to thrill lovers and to those who have loved reading books by Chase. 

My rating of the above film: ✮✮✮✮