‘Madaari’ is the story of a father seeking justice after being rudely awakened by the flaws of the system, or the politics of the times that we are living in, and have been living in, since India became an independent nation. There is a similarity between ‘Madaari’ and Kundan Shah’s cult comedy that released in 1983 – it involves a bridge that collapsed because of corrupt politicians. Sad as it is, but looks like the country is still stuck in that time and age, only that things have become far worse, or so it seems. It came as a surprise when the makers have pointed out the flaws in the present day ruling party, without it being muted by the CBFC – watch the film and you will know what we mean. And yes, using social media as a tool to push the story forward was really refreshing.
Without giving away too much about ‘Madaari’, one can only say two things – films like these are important, they need to be made and watched by one and all. Also, if you have Irrfan Khan in your film, it’s more than half the battle won. Worth a mention here are Jimmy Sheirgill, who plays the role of Nachiket Verma, who for no substantial reason is chosen to crack this case, Tushar Dalvi who plays the role of the Home Minister, and child actor Vishesh Bansal, who plays the role of his son. These performances will hopefully be remembered, as they are few and far in between. There’s a song that sticks out like a sore thumb, but there’s another that adds to the euphoria of the second half, towards the climax, but they don’t really belong to film of this genre.
To cut the long story short, Nishikant Kamat’s ‘Madaari’ is a must watch this weekend, if only for Irrfan Khan’s terrific strike as the common man once again, and the unpredictable second half that will leave you biting your nails.