‘Madaari’ is something you've seen before. It takes a courageous stand to highlight everything that's wrong with the system of Indian democracy. The state of corruption, the indifference towards the common man, and much more, everything is said out loud in this film. And when you get to see something like this through a Hindi Cinema, it gives you much more sense of realisation. And the person who solely does this is none other than superstar Irrfan Khan. He on his broad and capable shoulders manages to deliver the right punch in every frame. The main problem is that where the treatment of the film by director should've been subtle, you get to see complete opposite direction. He chooses to engage the drama with loud noisy background music with thundering effects. Nishikant tries to tackle two plots at the same, but fails in doing justice to both. After a point of time, the flick is completely predictable and scenes seem to be dragging a lot. Inspite of all the flaws, Irrfan Khan has that magic that makes us leave behind everything else, and just live every emotion with him. Watch ‘Madaari’ for Irrfan Khan, for his powerful and impactful act and the different concept that must be realised by every citizen.

Madaari, directed by Nishikant Kamat, makes the right noises about the state of the nation and its people owing to the machinations of avaricious and insensitive politicians and crony contractors. However, the methods that the film uses in order to do so are rather fanciful, if not outright harebrained. Irrfan, at the top of his game as an actor, goes all out to inject some energy into the narrative. Madaari is obviously all about rustling up the latter scenario, but it does not deliver the expected thrills consistently enough to count as a humdinger. Despite Irrfan's controlled star turn - he moves from sorrow to sarcasm, and from shock to scorn, with effortless ease - the film makes rather heavy weather of its progress towards a bizarre climax in a Mumbai chawl that brings the audience back to the falcon and chick scenario. Madaari isn't the first Hindi film to advocate a brand of vigilantism that borders on the fascist. Nor is it likely to be the last. But its point about the deadly distortions of democracy is terribly laboured and sketchily articulated. Terms like instant justice, kangaroo court, media trial, rule of law and ideal voter are bandied about. They do not eventually add up to much because the tale of loss and retribution that Madaari sets out to narrate is lost in a heap of cliches. Besides its distractingly loud background score, the film's biggest drawback is the superficially defined character of the abducted boy (Vishesh Bansal). Unfortunately, by the time Madaari gets there, the hero's life and death gambit turns into a disappointingly tame, mechanical rigmarole. But all said and done, Madaari might be worth the price of a multiplex ticket solely for Irrfan's flawless one-man show.

Do we commend a film because it takes, head on, an issue that is destroying the very essence of our nationhood? Do we praise a film because it takes stylistic chances in an attempt to engage our attention? Do we applaud a film because it has an actor who is, in general, fantastic and makes us resonate with the characters he plays? Or -- bottomline -- do we fall in love with a film because it manages, somewhere, to touch something within us? To evoke a reaction that we can’t ignore? Those of you who have watched the Madaari trailer – and probably waited for the film – would have a fair guess at the plot. There are some really, really nice moments between Irrfan and Vishesh Bansal, who plays the lad who is kidnapped, the politician’s son. Madaari does not make you cringe. It does not make you angry. It does make you, at least for the few hours that you are in the theatre, want to stand up and do something about the system. It is not a film that will stay with you as you, in your day to day routine, succumb to the pressure and become part of the corruption that ails our system. Because a film like Madaari is a film that needs to be made. We need movies that will hold up a mirror to us and force us to look at the kind of society we are content to live in today. Unfortunately, the well-intentioned Madaari fails to make it to that space in our hearts.

Turns out, Nirmal holds the corrupt politicians responsible for what happened to his son. He now seeks answers from those accountable. Kudos to Irrfan and Nishikant Kamat for daring to make this poignant, provocative and politically incorrect piece of cinema, that makes its point unabashedly. Though predictable and a tad stretched, the emotional crime drama unfolds like a thriller. It tears your heart out by exposing the plight of the Middle-class citizens and their 'aukad' in the eyes of those in power.  However, more than its social relevance, the highlight of Madaari is Irrfan's awe-inspiring performance. His portrayal of a single father, torn between loss and revenge brings a lump to your throat. He moves you to tears, in that spectacularly heartbreaking hospital scene, which will go down in movie history as one of the finest tragic moments. You feel his anger, pain and guilt. Jimmy Sheirgill, once again plays the honest good cop and fits in perfectly. Tushar Dalvi is competent. Kamat's execution falters a bit though. He tries too hard to be ambiguous at times, when a simple storytelling could have been as effective. However, overall, his intent deserves an applause as Madaari shames the trend of rising apathy that is often misconstrued as resilience.