Filmmaker Sriram Raghavan’s crime saga Johnny Gaddaar completes 18 years today. This also marks Neil Nitin Mukesh’s 18 years in cinema as the movie was his big launch. Also starring Dharmendra, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Hussain, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rimi Sen and Dayanand Shetty, the film is considered a landmark crime thriller in Hindi cinema.
18 years of Johnny Gaddaar EXCLUSIVE: “I was told, ‘Tum toh singer ke bete ho, acting kar paoge?’” – Neil Nitin Mukesh; also recalls his grandfather and legendary singer Mukesh’s connection with his debut
In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Hungama earlier this year, Neil Nitin Mukesh looked back at the film and the roadblocks it faced. “It is 18 years since the release,” he said. “The shoot has completed 20 years. The film was stuck for around a year and a half because of financial issues. We started making it in 2005 and it got completed and released in 2007. Johnny Gaddaar is one of those iconic films that will always remain one of the top-billing thrillers to come out of Indian cinema.”
Neil had revealed earlier this year that he was offered two films to choose from for his debut – Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Johnny Gaddaar. Sharing why the choice was important for him, he said, “I knew that I was getting just one chance. I was told that I will get just one film. People had thrown a lot of questions at me, like, ‘Tum toh ek singer ke bete ho, tum acting kar paoge?’ So, it was very important for me to choose that film. It was important for me to choose a film through which maybe such questions are not raised on me again. And Johnny Gaddaar was that film.”
Neil was amazed by the final product. “Johnny Gaddaar was a brilliant film, not just because of the story or the way it was made and how people love it, but the journey was amazing,” he said. “I learnt a lot from Sriram sir, Pooja Ladha Surti (editor), Sanjay Routray (producer) and others. Technically also I got to learn a lot.”
He also added that it wasn’t a normal debut because of the unusual subject, the way it was told and the actors he was rubbing shoulders with. “We were making a story that was very different from the point of view of a debut,” he said. “I was put in the centre of all the action with such stalwart actors – Zakir Hussain, Vinay Pathak, Dayashankar Shetty, Govind Namdev, Dharam ji and Rimi Sen. It was such a great bouquet of stars. And all fantastic actors. So, you had to one-up them or, at least, match them.”
Johnny Gaddaar is also special for Neil because of a reason related to his grandfather and legendary singer Mukesh. “For me it was a dream come true that my debut was with Dharam ji because his first ever song was sung by my grandfather (Mukesh). So, it came a full circle there. He bridged the gap between me not being able to meet my grandfather ever. That was the kind of love he gave me,” he said.
Also Read: Neil Nitin Mukesh celebrates daughter Nurvi’s 7th birthday with adorable photos
More Pages: Johnny Gaddaar Box Office Collection , Johnny Gaddaar Movie Review
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