Johnny (1980 film)

Johnny 1980 is a Tamil film directed by Mahendran. It had Rajinikanth and Sridevi in the main roles with Rajinikanth in a dual role.

Mahendran had a strong desire to make a film with Rajini at that time, hence he made this film simultaneously with Nenjathai Killathey. As the producer could not provide the equipment and facilities for the climax scene with a song, Mahendran was forced to use stock shots and manage to shoot with the limited facilities offered. However, by beautifully mixing the close up shots with stock shot, the scene came out well and was appreciated by everyone. This was the first time for which popular artistes Jayaraj designed the costumes. He first drew the illustrations of scenes with costumes and then got them stitched, bringing in newness and style in Rajinikanths look which attracted the masses. The scene where Archana proposes Johnny was shot in Ooty in a bungalow atmidnight. When the scene was shot, the whole unit was silent, they saw only the characters of the film, not Rajini and Sridevi. After the scene was shot, Rajini appreciated Sridevi acting and mentioned to Mahendran that though he tried, she overshadowed in the scene.The title Johnny gave the impression of an action based commercial entertainer. Hence, it disappointed the audience in the first week. However, the emotionally moving story, intense acting by Rajini and Sridevi and memorable songs attracted the audience, so the film picked up in the second week and became a success. Cinemalead wrote Johnny is a landmark film which illustrated the life of two lookalike characters and how their activities affect each other. .. Portrayal of a double role in a movie never been handled so aritstically till then as done in this commercially successful film, which is remembered even today for its beautiful making. This was one of the finest films in Tamil cinema for its making and songs. Rajini and Sridevi excelled in their acting and this film became memorable in their careers. Both got under the skin of their characters and made the film a landmark. Hindu wrote In a film where Rajinikanth played two con

Source: Wikipedia