In ‘Madras Cafe’, Shoojit Sircar takes a historical actuality and along with screenplay writers Somnath Dey and Shubendu Bhattacharya weaves a captivating and compelling screenplay around it. He handles the sensitive subject matter with supreme care, prudence and sensitivity -- without being biased or opinionated. He restructures the civil war in Sri Lanka with authenticity, portraying the rebels and diplomats and also depicting India's involvement in the conflict that had ramifications on India. As a matter of fact, the storyteller tries to be as neutral as possible while narrating the tale and that's what makes the effort so credible and convincing. Shoojit comes to the point at the very start, enveloping a number of incidents and episodes that transpired during the bygone era. The danger, the vulnerability, the helplessness, the role of the Indian government, the politics and the conspiracies, Shoojit transports you into that milieu and environment with conviction. The sequences that lead to the hair-raising finale and the impactful winding up astonish you beyond words. What also needs to be highlighted is the fact that the Hindi movie spectator is used to a lot of spoon feeding, which discourages independent thought, but Shoojit abstains from indulging in it. John Abraham has often been labelled a director's actor and Shoojit makes sure he doesn't let the actor's strong persona overpower the challenging opportunity of depicting a law protector. Overall, ‘Madras Cafe’ is an earnest and honest effort, a terrific thriller, with several poignant moments and episodes that leave a stunning impact. It's a film that you should watch because it gives you an insight into an exceptionally pertinent episode of history.