If it seems too good to be true, it is! But Johnny doesn’t think so. Thinking that opting for a vacation in Pattaya over jail time is a no brainer, Johnny (Kunal Khemu) chooses the path that will force him to take some tough decisions.
Bhaag Johnny has a good plot built on an exciting idea. We hardly get to see something different in Bollywood. The trailer of the movie got me hooked. The movie doesn’t disappoint in the first half. But that is it.
Even with a relatively short running time of 2 hours, the movie loses grip in the second half. Logical flaws apart, the fact that the movie has two protagonists to chase in parallel timelines should have been enough to keep the audience engaged.
Bollywood is not used to follow a story line like this. Showing the audiences two parallel timelines without making it complex was always going to be a challenge. However, what the movie falls short on are the basic things.
The editing seems abrupt as the director switches between timelines in the middle of a scene. This is not confusing, but it is unnecessary to exit in the middle of a high-tension sequence. Making the switch a minute later wouldn’t have made any difference in what the director wanted to show the audience.
The movie also has a number of logical flaws in the investigation of the crime. Moreover, the writer seems to have not done any research at all. ACP Pathan in Thai police seems a bit unlikely. But calling him ACP – a rank that is not a part of the Royal Thai Police – is downright sloppy. But we know Bollywood is not that big on research.
Over all, Bhaag Johnny has catchy tunes, the story idea is good, and the chase will keep you engrossed for a while. Kunal Khemu’s performance is good, but Zoa Morani doesn’t inspire much. Manadana Karimi was unnecessary – although there was no problem with her performance.