Madras Cafe (2013)

An Indian intelligence agent journeys to a war-torn coastal island to break a resolute rebel group and meets a passionate journalist.

Director:

Shoojit Sircar

Writers:

Shubhendu Bhattacharya (story), Juhi Chaturvedi (dialogue)

Stars:

Nargis Fakhri, John Abraham, Prakash Belawadi

12 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nargis Fakhri	...	Jaya Sahni
John Abraham	...	Vikram Singh
Prakash Belawadi	...	Bala Krishnan
Rashi Khanna	...	Ruby
Avijit Dutt	...	Swarup
Leena Maria Paul	...	Tamil rebel
Dibang	...	Informer, bangkok
Kannan Arunachalam	...	Shri
Ajay Ratnam	...	Anna Bhaskaran
Sanjay Gurbaxani	...	Former Prime Minister
Siddartha Basu	...	Robin Dutt
Agnello Dias	...	Sri Lankan minister
Piyush Pandey	...	Cabinet Secretary of India
Vinod Kumar	...	Informer
Tarun Bali	...	Rishi

Storyline

An Indian Intelligence agent (portrayed by John Abraham)[9] journeys into a war torn coastal island, to break a resolute rebel group. He deftly maneuvers his resources to make significant breakthroughs, amidst a scenario where the enemy has no face and the only counsel is 'Don't get caught.' At various junctions, he meets a charismatic and passionate journalist (portrayed by Nargis Fakhri) who is following her will to reflect the truth behind the civil war. The story unfolds as their quest for the truth reveals a deeper conspiracy, by a faceless enemy, united to seize a common nemesis - India.

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Plot Keywords:

agent | conspiracy | patriotism | adventurer | plot | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

23 August 2013 (India)

Also Known As:

Jaffna

Filming Locations:

Delhi, India

Box Office

Budget:

INR 350,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

J.A. Entertainment, Rising Sun Films, Viacom18 Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is set in the late 1980s and early '90s, during the time of Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war and assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

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Goofs

Towards the end of the movie, Vikram sends a Jaffna Documents to Jaya. The title of the documents is written in Calibri font typeface. Calibri font was added to Microsoft Office in 2007 and was not present before.

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Connections

Features Aashiqui (1990)

User Reviews

This café serves a exceptional 'espionage thriller'

Review of MADRAS CAFE

*** This café serves a fantastic exceptional 'espionage thriller' ***. There is no spoon feeding in narration. So, Be alert. & when they starts to serve on screen,be ready to fill mind's cup with all the thrilling elements.

WHAT'S GOOD :- • Script & screenplay • Fast & furious pace • Awesome blend of history & fiction • Under played characters, not a single actor went overboard. • Twist & Turns at right time, with right amount. • Well shot scenes, real treatment.

WHAT'S BAD :- BAD, This word does not exist in Shoojit Sarcar's vocab. Yahaan, Vicky Donor, Madras Café. All the three films prove it.

LOO BREAK :- Yes, there is a tiny moment,the so called 'Interval' for that.Use it,if u feel like.

SCRIPT ANALYSIS :- script writers--'Shubhendu Bhattacharya & Somnath Dey'. Dialogue -'Juhi Chaturvedi'.The movie, which is set against the backdrop of Sri Lankan civil war, revolves around the serious subject of terrorism and shows how the characters are caught in the political turmoil. In this movie, a important piece from the war history of India & neighborhood is taken, which is then mixed or blended with fiction to give it a shape of script. And what an amazing mixture, it turns out. In the first half, a buildup/set up is provided for the upcoming events regarding war's violence, political conspiracies, disguised investigation, emotional sacrifices, betrayal and assassination. Lots of things unfold in this part at a smooth pace, in context of film. So, go with flow. Don't let yourself, get behind. Because 2nd half is just simply awesome. Due to the fantastic set up provided in 'before interval session', Interesting & gripping Events unfold and follow each other at a very rapid speed in this post interval part, which is most important spice to make a thriller. Some great things needs special mention like, whole things are done without any sort of melodrama. Correctors and situations are written and kept very real, which keeps the audience engaged till the end. Dialogues gives a good support to showcase the intensity of situations and language is used for different correctors by keeping in mind the background of those correctors.

Overall, this is a superbly written, well researched, out of box type script. Which presents a new genre and awesome entertainment without compromising on quality.

PERFORMANCES :- John Abraham, An actor is tried to present in this movie by Shoojit and john grabbed this chance with both hands. He is fully into his corrector of an Army investigation officer, who is appointed by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in the War Zone. he has kept his tone down and underplayed it, which works in context of movie's real setting. Nargis Fakhri is playing a war correspondent. Whatever screen space is given to her, She has done good job. She has sort of re-discovered herself as an actor after a near miss performance in 'rock star'. Siddartha Basu as R.A.W Head is fitted to the bill and comes out with a good performance. Rashi Khanna as John's wife looks graceful and gives a caring wife role full justice. Prakash Belawade, who plays John's superior Bala, is a delight to watch. Gestures and Restlessness as demanded by his corrector, is totally reflected on the screen. Great work.

MUSIC:-'Shantanu Moitra'. There are no songs in the movie as such,everything is played in the background. And in that department Shantanu passed with flying colors. Superb job in background score. Special mention:- Real bullets use in sync sound leaves an incredible impact, it does bring authenticity to the film.

EDITING:-'Chandrashekhar Prajapati'. This man has done mind blowing job. For a thriller one ingredient is must, pace. He has given it. Every cut, every frame looks apt for the movie. Not a single scene feels forcefully kept. super work.

DIRECTION:-'Shoojit Sarcar'. He is a game changer, that's confirmed. If there was any 2nd thought regarding that, in any mind. This movie is going to clear it. What a direction, just awesome work. His movie has touched always out of box zones, Madras Cafe is not behind. Although this movie has a theme like real war backdrop & deals with some historical incidents. And playing with history is like playing with fire, because if it gives u edge, it can burn the whole project too (if does not come right). But this critical and intense theme is well handled by the director. he has brought out great performances from his acting team and has pulled off a very difficult film. Job well done sir. Canvas of this movie looks international, and credit for that goes to Shoojit sir and to one more person, Kamaljeet Negi(director of photography), Shoojit's vision has been superbly captured by him, which is visible on the silver screen. Great camera-work.

VERDICT:- Well, it's almost a home run. A great thriller backed by a killer script. Sure shot A game changer. As real, as it can get. Yup,Giving 'MADRAS CAFE' 9 out of 10. This movie is not a regular spicy potboiler. Don't expect over the top action, big dialogues. If u like to watch real hard hitting cinema, go visit this CAFE. Otherwise give a skip.