Get Off The Express And Hit This Cafe Baby

Director: Shoojit Sircar
Writers: Somnath Dey, Shubendu Bhattacharya, Juhi Chaturvedi(dialogues)
Cinematography: Kamaljeet Negi
Editing: Chandrashekhar Prajapati

Starring: John Abraham, Prakash Belawadi, Nargis Fakhri, Rashi Khanna, Siddharth Basu 

Music: Shantanu Moitra

Running time: 130 minutes

Budget: INR 35 crore
Revenues: Hopefully more than Chennai Express


Let it be known up front that I give this movie a rating of 5/5. This, simply put, is world class film-making.

Shoojit Sircar's Madras Cafe is a political espionage thriller set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It opens with an almost unrecognizable John Abraham, lumbering his way to Church, to confess that he could have prevented the assassination of India's Ex-PM (modelled on Rajiv Gandhi). Narrated by him, the film's first half does a fantastic job of getting the audience familiar with the two warring parties, the Tamil guerilla forces of the LTF, headed by Anna (Ajay Rathnam) and the Sri Lankan government/army comprising the Sinhalese people. Central to the story is India's role in trying to ensure a peaceful end to the strife, in the form of political elections. We find out how Major Vikram Singh (John Abraham) was appointed by the Indian intelligence agency R&AW to head its covert operations in Jaffna (a small island to the north of SriLanka, and the base of the LTF).

Vikram's meeting with his superior, the alcohol guzzling Bala (Kannada actor and director, Prakash Belawadi in a superb supporting act), is where the film turns it on, with Vikram being forced to take shots in the dark, unable to tell who's on his side and who isn't. R&AW, in its attempt to ensure an election, tries multiple strategies to dethrone the idealistic Anna, who rejects the idea of an election, believing that the army would swiftly eliminate his Tamil people, once the Indian authorities pull out. Parallel to this strife, Vikram's meetings* with British Journalist Jaya (a thankfully, solely English-speaking Nargis Fakhri) lead them to a massive conspiracy being hatched by international players and the LTF, complete with traitors cutting backroom deals at Madras Cafe, encrypted messages, and large sums of money to seal the deal.

While the first half focuses on the Sri Lankan civil war, the second half is all about the plot to assassinate the Ex-PM. Although you already know that this story does not have a happy ending, the unnerving pace with which the events unfold grips you till the very end. Saying anything more about the second half would probably ruin some of the magic for you. In the end, the film makes it clear that there are no winners in war, just innocent civilians caught in crossfire.

The cinematic beauty and tenderness with which the scenes depicting war and bloodshed are shot is reminiscent of Blood Diamond. There are absolutely no extra scenes in the entire movie.** It simply moves from one brilliant sequence to the next. Hats off to the phenomenal editing and cinematography for giving us 130 minutes of sheer brilliant story telling and visuals.

The actors all do a fine job, with John Abraham displaying remarkable depth in this role. A few of us noted a subtle South Indian touch to his accent, and kudos to him if it was intentional. Nargis Fakhri, slips into her small yet important role of a determined, wartime journalist (her minimalistic look accentuates her beauty). The unconventional casting of Siddharth Basu (more famous for his TV Quiz shows like KBC) as R&AW chief Robin Dutt works really well. So does Rashi Khanna as Vikram's wife Ruby, as she battles with her fears for her husband's safety.

So, stop wasting time and go catch this ASAP in a theatre near you. The teasers before the movie (Zanjeer and Boss) and during the intermission (Phata Poster Nikla Hero) will go on to reinforce just how amazing and different a film Madras Cafe is.


* Big shout out to the writers for resisting the temptation to let two of the most gorgeous people on the planet engage in a hot and intense one night stand, as they keep the relationship between Vikram and Jaya strictly professional and friendly.

**While some believe the 'blink-and-you-miss-it' love scene between Vikram and Ruby was unnecessary, I thought that it was the most likely thing that would have happened in a similar situation in a normal household. Also, can you blame innocent Ruby for wanting some action, when she rarely ever gets her hunk to herself?

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Jabtej Singh, Pavan Malhotra, Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta

Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Running time: 195 minutes

Rakeysh Mehra reclaims his place behind the camera for the much awaited “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”. The movie recounts the life of champion Olympic runner Milkha Singh and the events leading up to his final race at a friendly Indo-Pak athletic event while also throwing some light on the Indo-Pak split which was the cause of Milkha’s traumatic childhood . The first thing that stood out about this movie was of course the length. But strangely enough, the 3 and a half hour film did not really feel long until the last 30 minutes or so. The chapters were pacey and just as long as they needed to be. The movie followed a pretty standard storyline with Milkha’s tale being discussed by his coach on a train journey. This would have been pretty bland if not for Mehra’s beautiful visual narrative.

Rakeysh Mehra brought the story to life with the use of warm and atmospheric colour (and a very unexpected cameo). Milkha’s troubled childhood was bathed in a dull, melancholic haze while his days as a lovelorn teenage troublemaker were full of colour. Mehra brought back the ‘Rang de Basanti’ vibe with some attractive black-and-white transitions during the story of the death of his parents. This was coupled with some innovative shots including a sped up tracking shot of the 200m circuit. He summarized Milkha’s victories in a stylish sequence of parallel shots in slow motion; and boy does he LOVE slow-mo. The film was riddled with innumerable slow motion shots and few too many songs (for a ROM flick) which probably gave the film its extra hour. The jolly Punjabi vibe was welcome.

Desi me rollin'

Farhan Akhtar hit the sets after a year of training with a vein popping chiseled body and a commendable performance. Following some very average acting in his previous movies, Farhan showed us a different side to his abilities with some intense bathroom mirror moments and insane running on the track. But he was defeated by the brilliant performances of Jabtej Singh as young Milkha and Divya Dutta as his elder sister. Sonam Kapoor reprised her Delhi 6 role as the ‘chulbuli’ village girl and makes a quick exit (just the way I like it). Pawan Malhotra was charming but Yograj Singh was very disappointing as Milkha’s Olympic coach. Prakash Raj had minimal screen time and a character that did nothing but lighten the mood with an exaggerated Southey accent while speaking Hindi. 

The storyline was quite straightforward and had some very touching moments and well-timed comic relief. The Farhan-Sonam love story was short and bittersweet which really pleased me. However the key message of the film failed to come through. The film intended to focus on how Milkha’s success was a result of his determination, perseverance and hard work but the idea fell apart. In a nutshell, Milkha lost a race because he had an affair with an Australian girl (The gorgeous Rebbecca Breeds) and won all the subsequent races because he said no to the Indian swimming champion. Parts of the movie describe Milkha’s gruelling training and his resolve, but him pulling a tire around a desert till he collapsed from exhaustion was not very provocative. Additionally, the Indian coach telling the Pakistani coach to F*** off after Milkha’s victory was in very poor taste, even if it was muted. Despite these shortcomings, Milkha’s story invited a lot of applause and left us swelling with patriotism as we exited the theatre.

When the screen went blank, I was left with a pleasant warm feeling which faded away as I got into the car. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag gave people a cause to celebrate one of the country’s most respected athletes and is a good candidate for the Independence Day special on Zee TV but did not leave a lasting impression. 

3/5

Quotes: 

Pakistani coach Javed: "Milkha, Yeh tumhare zindagi ki Aakhri daud ho sakta hai"

Milkha Singh: "Aur daudunga vaise hi" 

No need to 'Dredd' this one!

Director: Pete Travis

Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle

Based on: Judge Dredd byJohn Wanger, Carlos Ezquerra

Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Wood Harris, Lena Headey

Run time: 95 minutes

Music: Paul Leonard Morgan

Release Date: 7th July 2012

PLOT

The movie is set in a post apocalyptic future where most of the world has now turned into a nuclear wasteland and most of the population now resides in mega-cities. With the explosion in crime rates, the traditional judicial system is no longer viable nor functional. Justice is now provided by 'Judges' who as the movie's tagline aptly says are the Judge, Jury and Executioners. In other words, let the gore-fest begin!

The story revolves around veteran Judge 'Dredd', an anti-character--who does not change or learn and his greenhorn partner as they're trapped inside drug-lord Ma-Ma's territory and must now find a way out. What follows is just 65 minutes of unadulterated splattering of blood and guts.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE MOVIE :

1. The movie has no pretensions

lesser than three ! lesser than three! lesser than three!
(for those of you who didn't get it,  that's < 3)

about itself. It's an action flick and it offers you just that. No complex plot with multiple story lines, no grand schemes and thankfully no food for thought . It's just 95 minutes stuffed to the brim with action and bad-freaking-ass!

2. Judging from the trailer (no pun intended), I expected it to be an all brawn and no brain kind of movie, which to an extent was true but the movie nonetheless does manage to keep you engaged throughout and to my relief does not have any, "Wait a minute! that does not make sense" moments. 

3. Olivia Thirbly.  I think the picture says it all.

4. Some of the scenes in the movie are pretty funny and it does manage to win a few laughs.

WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE MOVIE :

1. The cinematography

The drug induced slow motion scenes in the movie alone make it a worth watch. Never before has a guy getting shot in the head been made to look this aesthetically beautiful. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle has to be credited with some brilliant and innovative work behind the camera.

2. The soundtrack

A movie with so much ass kicking involved needs a soundtrack that supports it and keeps the adrenaline going and man-oh-man does this movie have an epic background score. Paul Leonard Morgan manages to create something that in his own words is, ' a cross between a modern dance track and evocative soundscapes'. Now, I have no clue what that's supposed to mean but I do love the music in the movie.

WHAT I HAVE MY RESERVATIONS ABOUT :

1. The violence in the movie does become overwhelming and excessive. Towards the end, I tended to close my eyes before a kill and am not really sure what EXACTLY happens to ma-ma. Maybe you can tell me after you've seen the movie.

2. The acting performance by Karl Urban is mediocre and there is nothing standout about his performance. The perennial frown and enigmatic guise does seem forced at times.

Yep! that's how law officials in the future are going to dress up.

3. That helmet is just ridiculous.In noway does this shit have any functionality! That being said, this was just an after-thought and does not really distract you during the movie.

Hopefully, I have now said enough to make you go watch the movie. Also, the fact that you're still reading this review says a lot about how bored you are. So go ahead and watch 'Dredd', you certainly will not regret it.

Isspessal chhabbis

After wanting to see it for quite a while, I finally got down to watching Special 26 (that's Chhabbis, and not twenty six for you wannabe firang junta). Directed by Neeraj Pandey (of A Wednesday fame), the movie opens with a CBI interview on March 18, 1987, being conducted by Ajay (aka Ajju) Singh (Akshay Kumar) and P.K Sharma (Anupam Kher). It then proceeds to the first of (a tad too) many flashbacks. Ajju and Sharma, accompanied by Joginder (Rajesh Sharma) and Iqbal (Kishor Kadam), are seen raiding a minister's home under the guise of the CBI. Soon after their departure, it is revealed that this was in fact not a CBI raid and that the minister had been robbed. SI Ranveer Singh (Jimmy Shergill) gets suspended for unwittingly aiding the conmen in looting the minister.

Hey Paaaaaaat! See the silver lining yet? 

Hurt by this rustication, Ranveer proceeds to uncover a series of similar robberies all over the country and realises that the brilliance of these robberies lay in the fact that it was black money and undeclared assets that were stolen in each case, leaving the victim unable to report the crime to the police. He reveals his findings to Waseem Khan (Manoj Bajpai), an officer with the CBI ("asli wali").

The rest of the film then unfolds at a brisk pace and with unexpected style, with Waseem trying to outthink, outsmart and outmaneouvre Ajju's eleven (or rather four in these case). The film culminates in a final act that is inspired by a real-life heist at the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri in Mumbai, on March 19, 1987.

An Akshay Kumar film with him neither jumping off a building nor laughing his trademark guffaw?! :-O 

All the actors are top notch, with no one overplaying their part or trying to hog the limelight. Also supporting the storyline is a cool background score and some nice dialogues. Completely unnecessary is the entire sidestory involving Ajju's love interest, Priya (Kajal Aggarwal). Her character is of no consequence, looks incredibly plain in a most unattractive manner but yet manages to hog the screen for a few songs. This however shouldn't be a problem thanks to <ctrl + right arrow key>. Mumbai Bombay of the 80s is recreated well with good attention to detail (barring a few poor background CGI shots). Waseem Khan asking his wife(Neetu Singh, in case you want to google her) to cover up and the fake CBI recruitment interviews prompt quite a few lulz.

Despite the fact that the film drags on for maybe twenty minutes too many post climax, this is still easily one of the better Hindi films made this year. A recommended watch, especially now that you have nothing to do but wait till the end of the holidays.

Memorable Dialogues:

1. Ishtud CBI applicant - I want to do...my country!
2. Waseem Khan - Yaha chullu bhar paani kaha milega?
3. Ajju and Sharma - Asli Power dil mein hoti hai
4. Sharma - Humaare time mein TV nahi hua karta tha

Ee toh matlab poora keh ke le li