By:
Joginder
Tuteja,
Glamsham
Saturday,
September
29,
2007
Expect
some
of
the
most
quotable
and
harmlessly
funny
quotes
to
come
from
Sriram
Raghavan
whose
Johnny
Gaddaar
releases
today.
On
being
asked
what
struck
him
most
about
the
film's
leading
man
Neil
Mukesh,
he
replies,
"By
sheer
chance,
I
saw
his
screen
test
done
by
Anurag
Kashyap.
And
thought
he
had
good
screen
presence.
He
could
be
vulnerable
and
edgy
at
the
same
time."
On
prodded
further
if
a
star
would
be
born
in
the
form
of
Neil
after
the
film's
release,
he
comments
(in
a
lighter
vein),
"Neil
is
not
my
cousin
or
brother
so
it's
not
that
we
are
trying
to
launch
a
star.
I
chose
him
because
he
suited
the
part.
He's
playing
a
complex
character
and
I
think
he's
pretty
good.
There
is
both
confidence
and
honesty
in
the
performance."
Coming
to
the
choice
of
actors;
Dharmendra,
Neil,
Rimmi,
Vinay
comes
across
as
a
unique
combination.
How
did
he
think
of
getting
such
an
ensemble
cast
in?
"My
dream
actor
whilst
writing
the
script
was
Dharamji
for
an
important
role.
I
was
not
sure
if
he
would
agree
but
he
did.
It
was
pure
heaven
working
with
him.
Once
we
short-listed
Neil,
then
we
just
looked
around
for
interesting
fresh
actors,
irrespective
of
any
other
calculations.
Zakir
had
done
a
very
brief
role
in
EK
HASEENA
THI.
Vinay
Pathak
just
loved
the
step
outline
I
gave
him
and
was
on.
Rimmi
is
a
terrific
actress
who's
strangely
slotted
in
comedic
roles",
he
explains.
When
it
comes
to
Dharmendra,
it
is
sacrilege
if
one
uses
him
scantly
in
a
film.
Has
he
done
justice
to
his
presence
in
the
film?
"I
really
hope
so",
he
says,
"It's
not
a
huge
role
but
it's
significant.
I've
grown
up
on
his
movies.
Everyone
knows
'Sholay'
and
'Chupke
Chupke',
but
there
are
so
many
other
movies.
'Naya
Zamana',
'Mera
Gaon
Mera
Desh';
I
remember
both
were
golden
jubilees
running
in
adjacent
halls
in
Poona."
He
further
questions,
"Why
doesn't
he
get
roles
like
Sean
Connery
and
Morgan
Freeman
do?
His
performance
in
APNE
just
blew
me.
In
Johnny
Gaddaar,
he's
playing
a
semi
retired
70s
style
smuggler
who's
both
tough
and
soft.
A
gentleman
crook
I
must
say."
Is
Rimmi
anything
more
than
a
glamour
quotient
in
the
film?
"She's
not
making
coy
faces
and
singing
songs
here",
he
smiles,
"It's
an
ensemble
film
so
everyone
who
is
there
has
a
vital
role
in
the
story.
She'll
surprise
you
in
the
film."
When
Vinay
Pathak
was
signed
on,
he
was
'just'
Vinay
Pathak.
Today
he
is
the
most
loved
idiot
on
this
side
of
the
planet.
Would
audience
have
enough
of
him
in
Johnny
Gaddaar?
"I
love
Vinay",
he
says
fondly,
"And
yes
there
is
a
lot
of
him
in
the
movie.
He's
an
asset
both
as
an
actor
and
a
bouncing
board
for
the
script."
Johnny
Gaddaar
promises
to
be
a
film
where
there
is
no
room
for
unwanted
love
songs,
no
'rona-dhona',
no
side
comedy
tracks
and
absolutely
no
beating
around
the
bush
-
In
short
a
'mantra'
which
any
and
every
caper
thriller
is
required
to
follow.
If
initial
indications
are
anything
to
go
by,
film
maker
Sriram
Raghavan
seems
to
have
ensured
all
of
that
and
much
for
his
second
directorial
venture
-
JOHNNY
GADDAR
which
releases
today!
Caper
thrillers
are
not
easy
stories
to
be
told.
And
that's
because
even
though
the
film's
plot
may
just
be
a
single
liner,
the
screenplay
needs
to
be
embellished
with
enough
twists
and
turns
to
keep
the
momentum
going.
Also,
for
an
audience
which
tends
to
get
restless
at
every
pause
in
the
screenplay,
especially
for
a
film
belonging
to
this
genre,
the
expectation
levels
have
to
be
constantly
matched.
As
the
first
show
commences
today,
one
would
get
an
answer
if
the
high
expectations
do
meet!