Madgaon Express

I managed to watch the third movie I was supposed to of the recent past, other than Crew and Laapataa Ladies: Madgaon Express. I was recommended it by I don’t remember who. I think I had seen its trailer at some point in my life. In any case, I am proud to have been a patron of such small films, even if it was not ground or mould-breaking in any sense.

If I was to describe it in short, I would just say it is full timepass. Something you expect to give you a few shitz and giggles and is a light-hearted fun watch. It ticks all those boxes of a passable and objective-satisfying comedy to go watch, even if the humour is not deep; but is neither cheap nor shallow. It hits the right spot – something like The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother, without their risk of getting repetitive.

I was told it is a Go Goa Gone lite. But an eighth into the movie, I thought it was a Hangover lite. It turned out to be neither, which was more than a pleasant surprise. I would not say it is original, no art is original, but it did hook me enough to want to watch the movie ardently. I wanted to know what happens next. It was unpredictable, which is more than what one can say of the big-budget films Bollywood churns out.

Whatever roles they were supposed to play, the actors did well. Their characters’ over-the-topness, as required, seemed natural in the way it was portrayed. So full points to them. In the context of the movie, the arcs were consistent, which means the director and writer also need to be given credit. The friendship was believable. The supporting cast steals the show though – Upendra Limaye (a terrific powerhouse in all kinds of roles) and Chhaya Kadam (whose skills are unmatchable) are chef’s kiss casting choices. Remo D’Souza is an excellent hippie. I would not say that they carry the movie, but when the leads falter, they save the ship from sinking. Mendoza Bhai and Kanchan Kombdi require their own miniseries (especially the excellently scripted Kombdi Gang). 

The characters as I said are well-fleshed out, with strong backstories. The fact that we don’t see Maryam’s face throughout. The random guy who thinks Goa is Pondicherry. The undercover policeman using the word ‘evidence’…We understand from this that he is a policeman. So does one of the characters. Nobody says this reason explicitly. Excellent ‘show not tell’.

Re: Nora Fatehi. She needs to bring something new now. Even her dance moves are repetitive. I have seen the music video of Manike from Thank God multiple times (for research purposes of course), and I could pinpoint steps which were Ctrl+Ved from there. Her expressions and for the lack of a better word, harkate, have a typecast. She could have been replaced by a Singh is Kinng-era early Katrina Kaif for all I care, and it would not have made a difference other than a significant dhakka to the budget. The songs are forgettable.

The audience around me was genuinely laughing, and that is always a positive review in itself. The movie is self-referential (“this only happens in movies”, “don’t make a moment here”) at many points without being jarring. In light of all of this, I’d say is not a continuous wave, but a series of discrete comedic moments, which somehow work because of the strong premise – three friends going to Goa, finally.

Definitely something you want to invest time in when it comes to Amazon Prime. I watched it in theatres, and for a ₹250 ticket, I would say, it was maybe worth it.

Rating: 2 beards/5