Johnny (2003 film)
Johnny is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language martial arts film written and directed by Pawan Kalyan.[1][2][3] Produced by Allu Aravind, the film starred Pawan Kalyan in the titular role, while Renu Desai, Raghuvaran, and Raza Murad played pivotal roles. The film revolves around a martial arts coach who decides to use his skills to win a number of fights and use the prize money to save his wife suffering from blood cancer.
| Johnny | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Pawan Kalyan |
| Produced by | Allu Aravind |
| Written by | Pawan Kalyan |
| Screenplay by | Pawan Kalyan |
| Story by | Pawan Kalyan |
| Starring | Pawan Kalyan Renu Desai Raghuvaran |
| Music by | Ramana Gogula |
| Cinematography | Chota K. Naidu Shyam Palav |
| Edited by | Yousuf Khan |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | K.A.D. Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 178 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Johnny was released on April 25, 2003 to mixed to mostly negative reviews. Pawan Kalyan acting was praised but film didn't do well at box office becoming one of the disasters in Telugu film industry.[4][3] It also became the first ever Telugu film to be released with over 250 prints worldwide including the United States.[5] The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India.[1][2]
Plot
Johnny (Pawan Kalyan) loses his mother (Geetha) when he was a kid. He runs away from his alcoholic father Ravishankar (Raghuvaran) and dysfunctional family. Years later, from a small time club fighter, Johnny becomes a mixed martial arts coach. One day, a woman named Geetha (Renu Desai) lodges a police complaint on Johnny for beating up a man. Later, she comes to know that it was a misunderstanding. Both become friends and eventually get married. After marriage, Johnny finds out that his wife is suffering from leukemia. He relocates to Mumbai to pay for her medical treatment and finds himself in dire need to pay for the medical expenses. While competing at an amateur kickboxing competition, Johnny is bought out by the organizer Tatya (Raza Murad) for a lump some offer to compete with two international martial artists. Johnny defeats them and earns a sum of 200,000 overnight, which he uses for Geeta's treatment.
Cast
- Pawan Kalyan as Johnny
- Renu Desai as Geetanjali aka "Geetha"
- Geetha as Johnny's mother
- Raghuvaran as Ravishankar Damle, Johnny's father
- Lillete Dubey as Johnny's stepmother
- Ali as Pathan Babu Lal
- Raza Murad (credited as Raja Murad) as Tatya
- Brahmaji as S.I.
- Mallikarjuna Rao as Anthony
- MS Narayana as Lingam
- Surya as goon who harasses women
- Satya Prakash as Karate Satti
- Harish Pai as Pandu
- Yaadi as Dayanand
- Aryan Khan (Parvez) as Nazir
- Shoaib as Laddu Yadav
- Usman as Mahesh
- Devi Charan as Chinna Ghouse
Soundtrack
The music for the film was composed by Ramana Gogula. The song "Ee Reyi Theyanadi" is based on the Chitti Chellelu song of the same name; that itself was based on the French song "L'amour est bleu".[6]
| Johnny | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | January 1, 2003[7] | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 30:33 | |||
| Label | Aditya Music | |||
| Ramana Gogula chronology | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go Johnny" | Ramana Gogula | 1:21 |
| 2. | "Dojo Music" | Instrumental | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Nuvvu Saara" | Pawan Kalyan | 1:57 |
| 4. | "Ravoyi Maa Country Ki" | Pawan Kalyan | 2:00 |
| 5. | "Dharmardha Kamamulalona" | Rajesh | 1:03 |
| 6. | "Cool and Lovely" | Ramana Gogula | 2:18 |
| 7. | "Naaraz Kaakuraa" | Ramana Gogula | 5:08 |
| 8. | "Ee Reyi Theyanadi" | Hariharan & Nanditha | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Ye Chota Nuvvuna" | Rajesh & Nanditha | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Naalo Nuvokasagami" | K. K. & Usha | 4:04 |
Distribution rights
Johnny worldwide distribution rights were sold for a record breaking amount of ₹81.0 million (US$1.1 million).[8] Johnny was released in 325 Theaters worldwide with digital print quality.
Box office
The film failed commercially, and Pawan Kalyan himself would later attribute it to his not staying true to the original script and trying to exceed the length by adding "needed ingredients".[9]
References
- "The Hindu : Metro Plus Hyderabad : Rebel without a pause". www.thehindu.com.
- hyrjm. "The Hindu : Tedious fare". www.thehindu.com.
- "The Hindu : Johnny comes to town". www.thehindu.com.
- hysni. "The Hindu : Breaking norms". www.thehindu.com.
- "The Hindu : Johnny jamboree". www.thehindu.com.
- Srinivasan, Karthik (28 August 2018). "How A 1967 Eurovision Song Was Ripped Off By A Pawan Kalyan Movie". Film Companion. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/johnny-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/928891252
- "Johnny sinks, but Pawan Kalyan remains afloat". rediff.com.
- ""I knew Johnny wouldn't work during shooting itself": Pawan Kalyan opens up on films at a book launch". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
Speaking about his learning curve in films, Pawan Kalyan stated that “I know failures are quite common in a creative field like cinema. However, during the shooting phase of Johnny itself, I knew that I was not staying true to the original script. I tried to exceed the length of the film by adding some needed ingredients and it eventually led to a failure. I expected this during the shooting itself.”