2007 was the year this movie called Johnny Gaddar released. I went to see this movie only because it is directed by Sriram Raghavan (who had earlier made Ek Hasina Thi) and really, no movie has managed to surprise me as much as Johnny Gaddar has. So let’s take a moment to celebrate this underrated gem and list down the best parts about this movie!
1) The opening credits!
The opening credits set the mood for the mayhem that was bound to happen! The music, the graphics and the tone… everything about the opening credits of Johnny Gaddar said one thing: BADASS.
2) The homage to Johnny Mera Naam.
Vijay Anand‘s 1970 classic inspired this caper. From the alias Neil‘s character Vikram uses (Johhny) to the scenes of the movie playing on the TV screens whenever Vikram was up to something, Johnny Mera Naam was everywhere and I loved it!
3) The dedication to James Hadley Chase
From Vikram reading the brilliant author’s book in his introductory scene to little easter eggs from his stories being used in the narrative, James Headly Chase was the true star of this movie!
4) Neil Nitin Mukesh’s unconventional debut
Where is this guy? I fell in love with his grey character in Johnny Gaddar, but after that he made some rather poor movie choices. We still forgive him because he made his debut with this movie, and this movie is special.
5) The thrills
From the start to finish, Johnny Gaddar was a roller coaster ride and I loved every minute of it.
6) The music
Admit it, whenever Hard Kaur‘s voice would start asking you to move your body, you’d bloody well move that body!
7) The supporting cast
Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain, Dayanand Shetty, Govind Namdeo, Rimi Sen and Dharmendra. All of them got roles meaty enough to bite into and all of them did justice to their quirky, dishonest and compelling characters.
8) Dharmendra
This man is star. ‘Nuff said.
9) The hidden references
Not only Johny Mera Naam and works of James Headly Chase; Johnny Gaddar made multiple references to Amitabh Bachchan‘s Parwana and Stanley Kubrick‘s The Killing amongst other things. This movie should really be revered.
10) The ending!
The twist ending of Johnny Gaddar was perfect. At the risk of ruining an 8 year old spoiler (shit, I’m old) Neil dies after getting shot by Ashwini Kalsekar. Why does she shoot him? Because she thinks he was Shardul (the character played by Zakir Hussain) who she thought was her husband’s (Vinay Pathak’s) killer. Confused much? Watch the movie!