Madras Cafe

Madras Cafe is an Indian political thriller set in the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war and assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The subject matter of the film is one which has not been dealt with in the past and thus gives us an insight into the sensitive political ties that we share with our "other" neighbour (besides Pakistan). It depicts the story of Sri Lankan war and the tension that arose from this conflict, which many young viewers would not have known. The story is well directed and superbly narrated. The movie does not take much time to get on with the story and starts to unfold right from the word ‘go’. This is race against time. This is a smart movie and leaves you engaged throughout.

The movie is set in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Vikram Singh (John Abraham) is an Indian Army Officer who is selected for a covert mission in Jaffna. He is sent to Sri Lanka to fight LTF militants who call themselves revolutionaries. The situation gets intense and every strategy of the Indian Peace force, that has been sent to resolve the pressing matters, seems to backfire. As things proceed Vikram finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy. He realises that there is something wrong within the team and all details are being leaked to LTF. During his mission he meets a British war journalist Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakri) who wants to cover the war and uncover the truth behind the on-going war. She helps Vikram with some information that changes the course of his mission. But before he can act on it, he is kidnapped. Why has Vikram been kidnapped and who is behind the information leaks?

Performances are impressive. John Abraham justifies his role and is commendable. The fear, tension and the situations faced by the protagonist look real. This time I feel Nargis Fakri has been given a role that suits her best. She is best suited as British journalist. It was also a welcome change to see the veteran quiz master Siddharth Basu and ad man Piyush Pandey in important roles. They played their part well and looked real while dealing with the crisis as RAW Chief and Cabinet Secretary respectively. Overall performances are good. There is not a dull moment in the movie. There is only one aspect that is unclear…. It does not explain clearly why John Abraham is secluded and lives in oblivion. Or the reason behind his apathy and his confession in the church. I would certainly recommend this movie as a must watch and as money well spent. Surely to be watched in theatres.

From now on I will be rating movies basis the factors such as story/plot, performances, entertainment quotient and length of the movie. Keeping these factors in mind, I would rate the movie 4.5/5

Nidhi

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara

The most famous and stylish gangsta is back in Mumbai…Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara (OUTIMD) is a sequel to the 2010 hit Once Upon A Time in Mumbai. It is always interesting to watch underworld and mafia movies. They have an aura of their own and keep the audience involved. But this time, OUTIMD fails to create the same magic as its prequel. The story is dull and the characters are seen dealing with their own emotions and personal dilemmas. There is lots of drama and a lot of unimpressive dialogues. Some characters are undefined and leave us wondering about the purpose of their role. The movie will be disappointing for the fans of the original movie who may be looking forward to some more gangster action.

The movie takes a leap from the prequel and brings us to a time where Shoaib (Akshay Kumar) is the undisputed king of Mumbai underworld and has also expanded his territory beyond Mumbai. He handpicks his men. One such apprentice is Aslam (Imraan Khan), picked from the slums of Mumbai. Aslam believes in everything that Shoaib does and will die for him. Shoaib has his set of enemies who challenge his rule over Mumbai. They are willing to go to any extend to overthrow his reign. Amongst the nasty fights and the messy dealings with the police, there is something that catches Shoaib’s attention. He begins to fancy an upcoming actress Jasmine (Sonakshi Sinha). The story takes a turn from here and shifts gears to become a love story. While the Don is set to win over his damsel, there is someone else he has to fight with to win her. It is Aslam. Jasmine finds a fan in Aslam too. Aslam is equally smitten by her. But what does Jasmine want? Is she really in love and who is her choice? There are no prizes for guessing here…but the wait is a test of patience.

This is the first time when I am not sure of the positives in a movie (if any). The movie is lengthy and slow. The plot stretches unneccesarily for 160 min and has some lousy direction. I kept wondering as to why the essence of the series had been taken away in the sequel? The story has no connection to its prequel. There are some meaningless dialogues and stereotyped performances. There is no match for Ajay Devgan when it comes to such genres. Ajay Devgan was phenomenal in the prequel and could carry off the heavy dialogues with panache. Imran Khan is too suave to be a gangster. It does not suit his persona. As for Sonakshi Sinha, she did a decent job. Personally for me Akshay Kumar was the only saving grace in the movie. He is a fine actor and is only getting better with age. But I would like to see him in a more thrilling action movie or a comedy. Unfortunately the movie did not work for me and would not recommend it to anyone. However... I leave it to your discretion and judgement.

Nidhi

Chennai Express

The much awaited journey has begun with Chennai Express being finally released.... and with much fanfare. This has been one of the most awaited movies especially for Shah Rukh Khan fans...I have been personally awaiting its arrival for sometime now as I am a self confessed SRK fan. Chennai Express is an action comedy movie with it's fair share of drama, humour, love and action. The movie showcases the journey of the protaganist Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) from Mumbai to Rameshwaram. What makes it interesting are the incidents that occur on this journey.

The story begins with Rahul who is still a bachelor at 40 and is still staying with his grandparents. His life revolves around them and vice-versa. His grandfather however passes away on his 100th birthday and to fulfill his last wish of immersing his ashes in Rameshwaram, Rahul sets off on a journey in Chennai Express. But his plans are soon ruined by a Tamilian damsel Meenama (Deepika Padukone) who has been kidnapped and is being held captive by her cousins. Her father, it turns out, is a very well-known don in Komban village. While trying to escape Rahul witnesses a murder and is forcefully taken to the village. As for Meenama, Rahul is all that she has to help her escape from her village and her impending wedding to Tangaballi (Nikitin Dheer). What follows next is not hard to guess... but fun to watch.

Chennai Express is a likable movie. It starts off well with good humour and is engaging but gradually loose it's plot and gets slow in its approach. Deepika delivers a great performance while Shah Rukh Khan is charming as ever. Deepika looks lovely and her accent only adds to her overall performance. SRK is surely the undisputed King when it comes to romantic movies. He has proved that he can still play romantic roles at 40 without faltering. The movie has some beautiful locales and great cinematography. A disclaimer - the movie is PURELY for SRK loyalists and for those who like masala action movies. It is a one-time watch with low expectations. And if you watch it without being cynical, it is fun. It may sound biased but I would still say…GET ON THE TRAIN BABY!!!

Nidhi