Run Lola Run and Sliding Doors are two movies from the West that employed a theme of multiple timelines. So you have the same character in the same situation but the way the story moves forward differs over the two timelines. In Bhaag Johnny you have the protagonist going through two distinct renditions of the same story. One where he commits a crime and the other where he abstains from murder. It's not every day that you get such an experimental subject in Hindi films. But where the idea is novel, the execution is trite and amateur.
Kunal Khemmu plays Johnny, who's basically a playboy in a fancy office in Bangkok. Back home, his mother has a premonition that her son is about to run into trouble. She consults a godman who proposes intervention in fate with the use of Tantra Vidya aka Black Magic. Johnny runs into trouble with his boss for insider trading. His boss, Ramona Bakshi (Manasi Scott) blackmails him into murdering a girl named Tanya (Zoa Morani). Just when Johnny is dealing with his predicament, a Jinn (Vikram Bhatt) appears out of nowhere. He claims to be sent by the godman Johnny's mom had consulted. And this Jinn offers Johnny a chance to live two outcomes of his situation, one where he murders the girl and one where he saves her.
The freshness of the concept doesn't last beyond the 30 minutes of setup. As soon as the two timelines begin, the film becomes a hotchpotch of storytelling. Johnny's character starts off as oversmart but he's also scared of the situation he finds himself in. Once the timelines split he transforms into a martial arts and sharpshooting expert. The Bangkok police is as dumb as the Indian police in Hindi films. Inexplicably they have an Indian ACP named Pathan (Mukul Dev), who doesn't even believe in uniform. Iranian actress Mandana Karimi just shows up and instantly becomes the love interest for the murderous Johnny.
Kunal Khemmu does a lot in the film. He's romancing, dancing, fighting doing everything you'd expect of a Hindi film hero. He's even playing two shades of the same role. His efforts are truly let down by mediocre filmmaking. Manasi Scott as the bad girl is superb. Zoa Morani and Mandana Karimi don't have a lot to value add.
The direction nearly goes haywire. A lot of things don't make sense in this ambitious project about differing timelines. The songs especially pop in without notice or need. The characters behave erratically and the story doesn't make too much sense either. The predictable climax is a real disappointment. A classic case of wasted opportunity.
More on: FilmfareSHOW COMMENTS
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7XLpp2aqpVjsLC5jqucr6GVrMBwuc6voJ5loprDqrHWZpmhmZGcequ7x6elsmVhZYN0hI2hq6ak