<p>Madras Cafe <br />Hindi (U/A) ¬¬¬<br />Director: Shoojit Sircar <br />Cast: John Abraham, Siddharth Basu, Ajay Rathnam, Nargis Fakhri, Dibang<br /><br />If there is one director who is willing to push the envelope it is Shoojit Sircar. Yet, he seems to be a man unconcerned with final results, consumed as he is with journey of the making. So his films have found different resonances each time — be it Yahaan (critically acclaimed with moderate success at the BO); Vicky Donor (a critical and commercial hit which made a neat Rs 40 crore plus) and now, Madras Cafe (MC) whose fate too should be good, barring the slow pick up. <br /><br />Its subject (assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi) is so obvious that it is indeed strange that nobody from mainstream Hindi cinema thought of picking it up earlier — with the exception of Santosh Sivan who made The Terrorist. While Sircar admits that the film revolves around the assassination, he also states that the plot is fictitious.<br /><br />Abraham does his best, playing a military man doubling up as a RAW agent Vikram Singh posted in Jaffna, but could have done better. He is supported well by Nargis Fakhri playing a war journalist and who finally seems at ease in front of a camera. <br />Quiz master and TV producer-turned-actor Siddharth Basu is a poor choice for Robin Dutt, Abraham’s boss, while TV journalist Dibang is credible in a cameo as an informer. Madras Cafe is an ambitious project bringing together espionage, civil war and political undercurrents and Sircar has done justice to it. <br /><br />Whether it is real weapons like the Berettas and AK-47s being used or Sri Lanka being recreated in Thailand and Southern India or serene landscapes which turn bloody at a trigger-touch, Sircar has left no stone unturned to unravel his plot at a rapid pace. He makes no excuses for dumb audiences and refuses to explain the obvious. As a result one is left marvelling at the editing by Chandrashekhar Prajapati and the narrative runs back and forth, without losing its seamlessness. <br /><br />Key moments — such as the shooting of Singh’s wife Ruby; or the impatience of some guerilla cadre (dispatched to do away with Singh) is reflected in only tapping of the knuckles — are handled with finesse and subtlety. No unnecessary music mars these scenes and sound design complements the quietude of the placid sea, contrasting the mood of one against the other. <br /><br />Shatanu Moitra’s music and Kamaljeet Negi’s cinematography are definitely the high points of Madras Cafe. Make time out for this one. <br /></p>
<p>Madras Cafe <br />Hindi (U/A) ¬¬¬<br />Director: Shoojit Sircar <br />Cast: John Abraham, Siddharth Basu, Ajay Rathnam, Nargis Fakhri, Dibang<br /><br />If there is one director who is willing to push the envelope it is Shoojit Sircar. Yet, he seems to be a man unconcerned with final results, consumed as he is with journey of the making. So his films have found different resonances each time — be it Yahaan (critically acclaimed with moderate success at the BO); Vicky Donor (a critical and commercial hit which made a neat Rs 40 crore plus) and now, Madras Cafe (MC) whose fate too should be good, barring the slow pick up. <br /><br />Its subject (assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi) is so obvious that it is indeed strange that nobody from mainstream Hindi cinema thought of picking it up earlier — with the exception of Santosh Sivan who made The Terrorist. While Sircar admits that the film revolves around the assassination, he also states that the plot is fictitious.<br /><br />Abraham does his best, playing a military man doubling up as a RAW agent Vikram Singh posted in Jaffna, but could have done better. He is supported well by Nargis Fakhri playing a war journalist and who finally seems at ease in front of a camera. <br />Quiz master and TV producer-turned-actor Siddharth Basu is a poor choice for Robin Dutt, Abraham’s boss, while TV journalist Dibang is credible in a cameo as an informer. Madras Cafe is an ambitious project bringing together espionage, civil war and political undercurrents and Sircar has done justice to it. <br /><br />Whether it is real weapons like the Berettas and AK-47s being used or Sri Lanka being recreated in Thailand and Southern India or serene landscapes which turn bloody at a trigger-touch, Sircar has left no stone unturned to unravel his plot at a rapid pace. He makes no excuses for dumb audiences and refuses to explain the obvious. As a result one is left marvelling at the editing by Chandrashekhar Prajapati and the narrative runs back and forth, without losing its seamlessness. <br /><br />Key moments — such as the shooting of Singh’s wife Ruby; or the impatience of some guerilla cadre (dispatched to do away with Singh) is reflected in only tapping of the knuckles — are handled with finesse and subtlety. No unnecessary music mars these scenes and sound design complements the quietude of the placid sea, contrasting the mood of one against the other. <br /><br />Shatanu Moitra’s music and Kamaljeet Negi’s cinematography are definitely the high points of Madras Cafe. Make time out for this one. <br /></p>
