A couple of months back, Nishikant Kamat directed Rocky Handsome, with a certain Johnny Handsome (John Abraham) who had his whole chiseled body on display but couldn’t be bothered to play anything other than a log of wood.
Things however, are different this time around. Nishikant Kamath ke paas Irrfan hai and he alone saves Madaari from being a complete washout!
A socio-political thriller, Madaari showcases the angst and frustration of the aam janta against a corrupt establishment. A high profile kidnapping angle brings in the necessary drama but sadly, a well-written script only makes a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in this one. The narrative meanders, badly sketched characters keep popping up at regular intervals and the unhurried slow pace makes for a tedious watch.
But all these flaws can’t overshadow the absolute brilliant performance by Irrfan Khan. It is at many levels a one man fight – against a corrupt system that has pushed a father to a frightening brink as well as a clumsy plotline that lets down an actor par excellence. There is also Jimmy Shergill, our modern day Iftikhar, who in his usual moustachioed avatar plays a cop! Shergill does a fine job too but the gaping holes in the narrative are too big to ignore.
133 mins long, the film doesn’t let us “feel” much. There are just too many words, long speeches, caricaturish representation of netas and TV news anchors; even the young 8-year-old boy (played by Vishesh Bansal) talking about the Stockholm syndrome seems a little out of place considering how the alleged bond between him and his kidnapper never really translates on screen.
Watch Madaari, knowing that this film works only sporadically and that too only when the camera is on Irrfan. I give it 2.5 QUINTS out of 5.
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