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Madras Cafe is an important chapter in Indian history set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan crisis. Based on true incidents, Madras Cafe, which is a work of fiction, recounts the story of Major Vikram, an accomplished para military officer, who is recruited to RAW with the mandate to execute certain covert Intelligence operations with the sole mission to ensure the success of the Indo-Lankan peace accord in the face of a civil war. Amidst chaos, violence, bureaucratic exchanges and secret missions, Vikram gets entangled in the political turmoil and has to tackle an assassination plot with only Nargis Fakhri's foreign journalist, Jaya, being the level-headed voice through it all. But the question is, can Vikram handle it? In a game without rules, can our intelligence officer keep his sanity alive and the truth intact till the end? What happens to Jaya? What happens to Vikram? What happens to his wife? All form the crux of Madras Cafe. John Abraham has presented a story that the audiences must know. The espionage drama is set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war in the 80s and 90s. Few films, if at all, have been made on the topic. That alone makes it worth a 'dekho'. The first hour is beautifully shot by Kamaljit Negi and is world class. Madras Cafe opens with montages one could just as well see on the evening news. Except that these are not censored. The film takes you to the heart of the conflict, in the never-before-seen underbelly which you see through the eyes of the protagonist. The second half is fast-paced, strong and gripping. Actor-producer John Abraham, has definitely come a long way from being the sexy hunk in yellow trunks to the lean intelligence officer in Madras Cafe. The actor, no doubt, seems to have seamlessly made the transition. This will definitely go down as one of his best roles yet. Nargis Fakhri, as the tough war correspondent, bounces back as Jaya. Raashi Khanna, Siddharth Basu, Piyush Pandey, Prakash Belawadi, Ajay Ratnam, Sanjay Gurbuxani, Kanan Arunachelam and Agnelo Dias make their presence felt. -- Published on August 24, 2013
