John is the story of a janitor who strives hard for a livelihood. Hailing from the Christian community, John (Aashir Wajahat) aspires to be a musician. He struggles on a day-to-day basis to survive in the cutthroat environment of Karachi. He likes Maria (Romaisa Khan) who works at his school. His life takes a drastic turn when he meets Dawood (Saleem Mairaj) who works for a local don. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
John begins on a thrilling note and instantly sets the mood. John’s introduction is engaging, especially the circumstances that compel him to work for Dawood. The first 40 minutes to 55 minutes don’t give viewers any reason to complain. Later, however, the film slows down a bit but picks up pace soon. Set in the backdrop of Karachi, John captures the raw and authentic portrayal of the city with top-notch cinematography.
Babar Ali’s story is fantastic and well-researched. The screenplay does justice to the premise. The biggest plus is that it’s quite fresh, it stands out and looks like a story of the present day. The film showcases a vast journey of the protagonist and it’s stitched together very well. Dialogues are quite impactful and suit the temper of the protagonist. The funny one-liners mostly delivered by Raza are quite witty.
Babar Ali’s direction is quite impressive and he helms this venture like a pro. One can feel the pain that John goes through and our heart goes to him. To manage to achieve this feat is no cakewalk. Though the film speaks about romance, action and thrill, etc. it never gets confusing. At the same time, it doesn’t attempt to spoon-feed the audience as well.
Aashir Wajahat owns the film. It won’t be wrong to say this is just the beginning of a future super star. Romaisa Khan fits the part and adds a lot with her fine performance. Her sequences with Aashir are exceptional. Raza Samo raises laughs with his scenes. Saleem Mairaj is outstanding and rocks the show. He is completely into his character and delivers an effortless performance. Faiza Gillani is effective in a supporting role.
On the whole, John is embellished with some wonderful performances. The extraordinary narrative and the convincing climax would be loved by the masses as well as the classes. Highly Recommended.
