MADRAS CAFE ★★★★★★★★★☆ As a young boy I remember adoring Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. His assassination will always remain a dark spot in the history of this country and in India's efforts to bring peace on the sub-continent and in Sri Lanka's civil war through its peace keeping forces.It forever changed the history of this nation. And the movie more than lives up to this tag line.That said, Madras Cafe is not just a movie. It is more of a documentary on the days and events leading up to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.There are no songs. There is no item-number. It is 2 hrs & 10 minutes of nail biting history like it was never told before.This is not an escapist movie. It is hard reality and it is blunt.Engrossing, gripping and amazingly edited it makes you wonder what if....? And that is where it succeeds.Shoojit Sircar succeeds in making you ask yourself what if...? He also makes you understand the age old saying that one man's revolutionary is another man's terrorist.In the end we walked out moist eyed, saddened by one man's destiny with death and the failure of those who wanted to save that one man even in the face of the ruling Govt's opposition and traitors in their own midst.The best and most emotionally moving scene comes in the end when a tired senior RAW agent walks into his home and his wife in tears asks why did they kill Rajiv... he was so young.His reply is what hits you, listen to his tired voice as it chokes with suppressed emotion. The great TV Game Show Host Siddharth Basu, shows us with just one simple line what the covert operatives in this country face each night as they crawl in their beds, lives and hearts devoted to this nation.Watch it without expectations. And John, I forgive you Shootout at Wadala... You can come home from the Madras Cafe.

Madras Cafe is one of the very few Bollywood movies that is based on a true historical event. The producers must be applauded for taking the chance and Madras Cafe is a tight movie with some good editing. However, the main problem is the performance of John Abraham, who is playing an Army Soldier. The acting leaves a lot to be desired and it is one of the disappointing aspects of this movie. It is nice to see movies that are not mindless and require the viewer to be attentive. There are no songs that break out of nowhere which is a relief. The action sequences could have been better considering the number of killings that occurred in Sri Lanka during the period. My overall rating of this movie is 7/10 and I recommend this to those who like movies having a storyline instead of the usual Masala Movies that are dominant in Bollywood.

While the story is splendid, and plot is solid but some major actor (John Abraham(a model after all) slipped up in acting at many points simply reading straight from scripts at times. The story could hit you, the conspiracy might seem suspenseful but... it was all so obvious from the beginning. I feel that the director mistakes in showing that side of story that should've been hidden till the end.. and should come up hitting you straight on your face "shit john knew everything and it's just the lack of political assistance that led to the death of Sri Lankan prime minister bla bla". Back stabbers, double crosses, political corruption, the movie has it all, just not present the right way. ANd that steals the points. Nargis Fakhri as always looks beautiful, John Abraham handsome, but it's a movie and not a fashion show so no browniee points for that. OK plus 1 for Nargis. One time watch (if you can stand mediocre acting and directing)

Wanted so much to like it. Definitely appreciate the effort that has gone into it, from the perspectives of the screenplay, direction, performances, cinematography, soundtrack and choice-of-subject, not necessarily in that order. Sircar has made a movie in a similar genre, the under-seen 'Yahaan', and IMO, makes as many mis-steps in this one as he did in that, as well as in his sophomore effort, 'Vicky Donor'. IMO, one of the main problems here is casting, and I'm sure he had a big hand in that as well. I am not a fan of biopics in general, that it has nothing to do with the dramatic effect of real-life lives - it has more to do with the fact that I always know what's coming next, and how it all ends. And I don't enjoy that. I'd rather stay home and read a book, a good one even! And that's why I loved the hell out of 'Inglourious basterds', cuz I was sucker-punched by the 1-2 ending.Back to Madras Cafe, which was originally called 'Jaffna', but had it's title changed later - Certain sequences seemed too abrupt, as if Sircar couldn't wait to get to the next sequence, and the next, and the next. He just couldn't let the movie, and his audience, breathe. Ordinarily, I would not have a problem if it served the plot. However....Except for a couple (Belawadi's a scream, eating up the scenery in every scene he's in; and Abraham himself, who plays to his few strengths, except in the raconteur sequences - we were all laughing out loud at the pathetic lines being spoken, the scenario itself, and how it finally played out; and that is NOT a compliment), all performances are stilted, inconsistent and bereft of confidence, as in, on the brink of earnest amateurishness. A couple of takes more might have helped. Strangely enough, I can't place much blame on producer-star John Abraham, though one would expect that. Sircar could watch how Dibakar Bannerjee managed to keep the audience on tenterhooks in the heavily underrated 'Shanghai', and a few notes from 'Kahaani' wouldn't hurt either.However, give all those masala movies a miss, and give Madras Café it's due on the big screen fo sho; then start with your nit-picking (like I did).Heavily overrated, in spite of being a cut above other potboilers. Wish it were done better.