Cast: Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Pran, Premnath, I S Johar (in a triple role), Jeevan, Padma Khanna, Randhawa, Sulochana, Iftekhar, Sajjan ...
Cast: Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Pran, Premnath, I S
Johar (in a triple role), Jeevan, Padma Khanna, Randhawa, Sulochana, Iftekhar,
Sajjan
Director: Vijay Anand
Music: Kalyanji Anandji
Release date: 11th November 1970
One of the finest crime thrillers that has come out
from the Dev-Vijay duo and has a repeat value ever after 55 years of its
release. The film is so fast paced and racy that one wonders whether the film
is a Hollywood thriller or not. The twists and turns especially in the long
climax has the viewers on the edge laughing and clapping with aplomb. Director
Vijay Anand with Teesri Manzil (1966), Jewel Thief (1967) and Johny Mera Naam
(1970) completes the best trilogy of crime thrillers in Hindi films ever.
His command over the medium is something to die for and so much so that JNM
inspired many such films in the years to follow, namely Sanjay Dutt's Thanedaar
(1990) and Sriram Raghavan's cult Johnny Gaddar (2007)- the title itself
inspired by JMN.
The film tells the story of two brothers separated
and how they unite in the end. Mohan and Sohan are the two kids of police
inspector. They excel in boxing (yeh le left yeh le right). Mohan sees a goon
killing their father hired by Ranjit (Premnath) and kills the goon and fearing
the law hides in the boot of Ranjit's car unknowingly.
Many years later Mohan (Pran), now christened Moti,
has become the right hand man of Rai Sahab Bhupendra Singh aka Ranjit who is a
notorious smuggler. On the other hand, Sohan (Dev Anand) becomes a CID officer
who is also a master of disguise. He takes the identity of a petty thief
calling himself Johny and infiltrates Moti's gang with the help of Heera
(Jeevan) whom the former had helped in the police lockup unbehest to Heera that
Johny was a CID Inspector. He also gets help from Rekha (Hema Malini) who works
for Moti but who is in search of her father Raisahab Bhupendra Singh (Sajjan).
However Heera comes to know about Johny's true identity and informs Moti. What
follows is the conflict and how they come to know about being long lost
brothers.
Dev Anand was at his suavest best and looks dashing
and debonair. Pran gets to play the bad good man and the elder brother of Dev.
He is marvellous. Hema Malini was very raw in the film but looks demurely
lovely. Premnath is superb and this is the time when
Premnath's second innings as the main villain made him the top notch
bad man of Hindi films. Jeevan was too good as Heera and the climax scene is
outrageous to say the least with ample twists and turns. Ably supported by
Iftekhar (Johny's Chief Inspector Mehta) and Sulochana as Johny and
Moti's mother. Padma Khanna was delicious in her role as Tara (her famous two
piece bikini song Husn Ke Lakhon Rang is still a craze). As Tara's lover
Babu, Randhawa leaves a huge mark. But the film truly belongs to I S Johar
essaying a triple role as Pehlaram, Dujarama and Teejaram. He literally brings
the house down with straight faced comic timings and one-liners. He won the
Filmfare Award for the best actor in a comic role that year.
The music by Kalyanji Anandji was brilliant. The
title and background music was simply stunning. The songs 'O Mere Raja',
'Pal Bhar Ke Liye', 'Nafrat Karne walon Ke' (all sung by Kishore Kumar) were
outstanding.
The brilliance of Vijay Anand along with Dev's dashing avatar and Kalyanji Anandji's fantastic musical score makes the film a revisit again and again with never a dull moment. Oh yes not to forget the scenic locales of the then virgin Nepal.
By Ayushman Mitra
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