Madras Cafe Movie Review: John Abraham Gets Real And RAW

Madras Cafe Movie Review-In Short:

A RAW agent on a covert operation in Sri Lanka discovers that he has to deal with a mole in his organization, who seems to be playing a bigger game.

Madras Cafe Movie Review-Verdict:

One of the best movies made so far in the political thriller genre, Madras Cafe is worth a watch for its realistic approach.

Madras Café Movie Review-Story Plot:

In the wake of the Sinhalese-Tamil struggle in Sri Lanka, the Indian government deploys a peace keeping force and a RAW agent Vikram (John Abraham) to run a covert operation and break the dreaded LTF headed by Anna Bhaskaran (Ajay Ratnam).

However, Vikram soon discovers that there is a mole in the agency, who is responsible for tipping off the opposition, which keeps them two steps ahead of everyone. As Vikram strives to find the mole with the help of war correspondent Jaya (Nargis Fakhri), he unearths a conspiracy, which is aimed at striking a major blow at the Indian administration.

Madras Café Movie Review-Performances:

After playing a loud and larger-than-life character in Shootout At Wadala, it is quite refreshing to see John Abraham in a restrained performance in Madras Café, where he becomes an actor and not a star. Spies are not like James Bond at all and John Abraham is more like a character from Frederick Forsyth than Ian Fleming. Nargis Fakhri too does a decent job, though she doesn’t get much screen time. Siddharth Basu as RAW head RD is a natural and Prakash Belawade, who plays John’s superior Bala, is a delight to watch. The rest of the cast has performed admirably.

Madras Café Movie Review-Direction:

Shoojit Sircar had delivered a winner with his last movie Vicky Donor and he repeats his magic with Madras Café. If there ever was a Bollywood movie, which was made on the lines of political thrillers that the West throws up, it is this movie. However, don’t expect muscular heroes fighting off a dozen bad guys and saving the day to walk in the sunset with the heroine. Madras Café is as real as it gets…and how! Moreover, Sircar takes the effort to masterfully educate the audience about the Sinhalese-Tamil conflict, which puts things into perspective, especially for viewers of this generation, who might not be aware of the issue.

It is quite evident that a lot of research has gone into the script and Sircar should be credited for giving equal focus to the way the film has been shot. Kamaljeet Negi's cinematography is like the icing on the cake and he makes the film look visually appealing without making it pretty. Make no mistake- Madras Café is all about death, violence, deceit and despair and yet, Sircar shies away from taking any sides, which means there are no traditional heroes or villains-just people caught up in situations. On the flip side, the first half of the movie has a documentary feel to it, as Sircar leaves most of the thrills for the second half but with such aplomb that even when you know that the assassination plot is going to be successful, you hope the film would end differently.

Madras Café Movie Review-Final Word:

For fans of the political thriller genre, Madras Café is a must watch…However, if you are expecting a dashing spy to avert global annihilation after having a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred), you are advised to stay away.