Bollywood has made many heist and planning related movies, probably way too many to mention.  The Dhoom series of movies, which were heavily 'inspired' by movies like the Oceans' series,  movies like Awara Paagal Deewana and Cash which ripped out whole sections of plot from movies like 'The Italian Job' etc.  By far, the Bollywood formula that sells is not a plot in which the bad guy gets away with it, but one in which the bad guy gives the hero a tough time, but the hero always prevails, by the end of the movie.  Johnny Gaddaar (2007) was a movie that was very different.  It was neither a whodunnit and nor was a howdunnit; it wasn't even a 'let's see how it ends' movie;  like many non-linear movies, it gave up the ending, right at the beginning, so the movie was really about how it moved to the ending you knew.  A rather unusually made Bollywood flick,  right there.

The movie is a dark noir film about a bunch of small-time crooks and hustlers held together by Sheshadri aka Sheshu (Dharmendra),  a former smuggler who's mellowed over the years, but is still sharp enough to see and take advantage of a nice opportunity when it presents itself.  Along with his four other partners, he runs a club that doubles as an illegal casino.  The dramatis personae are as follow:

Sheshadri aka Sheshu:  The thinker and leader of the pack.  A former smuggler who has mellowed into a smooth operator. Shardul: Wealthiest of the lot,  heaviest investor in the club franchise.  Ruthless and selfish, he'll gladly cut the others out of their share of profits, given the slightest opportunity. Shiva: Tough guy, enforcer.  Originally spotted by and brought into the operation by Sheshu. Prakash: Owner of the property housing the club house. An impulsive and impatient man who acts first and regrets later. Vikram: Financial advisor with some insider information about the stock market.  A guy who want to get rich quick.  Introduced to Sheshu by Shardul.

An opportunity to make a profit of a cool 25 million rupees on the investment of the same amount presents itself and each of the partners is expected to pitch in with 5 million each.  One of them is chosen to deliver the money to their contact, but unbeknownst to them,  another one among them has other ideas; a plan to steal the entire cash kitty for himself.  Plans are laid out, alibis are worked out, but Murphy's law strikes and the simple operation gets complicated and from that point on,  things keep spiraling out of control and the partners keep getting bumped off, one by one.  The script avoids standard cliches and drives on at an unrelenting pace, never slackening at any time.  Neil Nitin Mukesh is extremely impressive in his debut role of Vikram, and Dharmendra, playing the role of Sheshadri, delivers a stunning performance which makes his short, but crucial role seem much meatier. Music by the famous trio of Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy is peppy and a couple of numbers, including the title track are really nice.