Ride the Wave Johnny

A new Slumdog Millionaire? Popular director Sudhir Mishra's rollercoaster-ride of a film tells of Johnny, a young boy from the Mumbai slums who dreams of escaping to Dubai, but who instead must deal drugs supplied by a local mafia don to make a living. Through this trade Johnny comes into contact with a range of diverse characters, each living out their own drama in the backstreets of the sleepless city. These include Parvez (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a young man trapped by circumstances, who is having an affair with the wife of a corrupt and dangerous cop. Then there is Preeti (Soha Ali Khan), a young model who lives with her druggy advertising boyfriend, whose life is spiralling out of control. As these and other characters' stories converge and slide inexorably into robbery, violence and murder, Johnny seizes his chance to make his dream. With mostly hand-held camerawork, and lighting not unlike Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love, this film is visually stunning.

Cary Rajinder Sawhney