Madras Cafe is a 2013 political thriller film directed by Indian filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, starring John Abraham as an undercover Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent and Nargis Fakhri as an international war correspondent. Madras Cafe presents a whole new perspective on the tragic Rajiv Gandhi assassination, believed to have been carried under the orders of the now deceased Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, underpinning a whole new conspiracy angle to it.
So, what exactly is a conspiracy theory? Generally, whenever someone famous is assassinated (or, for that matter, in the occurrence of any other controversial event of national or international importance) the grapevine floods with loads of conspiracy theories. While every such theory is backed up by some sort of evidence, it is rarely concrete. Besides, if we were to go by the proponents of conspiracy theories, there are always powerful lobbies exercising their influence to keep such “truths” buried forever.
While the genre is infantile when it comes to Hindi cinema, it’s quite a successful formula in Hollywood. The fact that Madras Cafe is the first of its kind in India makes its success considerably important from cinematic point of view. Choosing to make a film on the sensitive and divisive subject of the LTTE takes courage, let aside realising a film that revolves around the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and throws in a brand new conspiracy theory angle to it. And the fact that films based on real-life sensitive issues and historical events in a country like India are believed to stir up political tension and cause chaos makes their effort even more commendable.
Overall, Madras Cafe proves to be a great viewing experience for the serious audience. The film touches upon themes that are often considered quite challenging and difficult to tackle in Indian cinema parlance. The movie is at par with any Hollywood product on the technical front. The acting ranges from average to good. While Nargis Fakhri appears to be quite comfortable in her role, John Abraham undoubtedly delivers his best performance ever. Though he may not be as toned down as he himself claims to be, he seems to fit into the shoes of the character quite well and even manages to bring in a much needed element of realism and machismo to his part. While the movie doesn’t appear to be taking any sides, its detractors may criticise it for implicitly creating a wave of sympathy for one political group in particular, especially with India’s general elections fast approaching. Madras Cafe is a thinking man’s espionage-cum-political thriller and is most likely to disappoint those on the lookout for voyeurism and masala entertainment. But, it’s a movie that every serious filmgoer must watch.