Madgaon Express Movie Review: Excel Entertainment set a new precedent for new-age buddy films with Dil Chahta Hai and then followed it up with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara years later. The air of uncertainty looms large over Jee Le Zaraa but don’t worry because Madgaon Express is here. But truth be told, Kunal Kemmu’s directorial debut doesn’t quite fit into this list of modern day films about friendship because it’s so much more than that. While it definitely pays an ode to friendship, it also has drug lords and the world of crime and smuggling set against a not-so-glamorous backdrop of Goa seamlessly interwoven into the narrative, which renders the story a lot of novelty.
Madgaon Express is something that we’ve never seen before and thank god for that. In fact, it’s even tough to slot it into a certain genre. The film is whacky, loud and chaotic and unapologetically revels in its own eccentricities. The characters are all oddballs and you wouldn’t want to encounter most of them in real life. It almost feels like Kunal chose to tell a tale without adhering to any set structures of storytelling and yet there’s a method to the madness. It’s so all over the place and such an incredible hodgepodge of so many things that you can’t help but burst out into peals of laughter every now and then, and that’s Madgaon Express’ biggest win.
The film revolves around childhood friends – Ayush, Pratik (fondly known as Pinku) and Dhanush (referred to as Dodo by his buddies) – who aspired to take a boys trip to Goa since their school days. But they grow up and their lives take different directions with Ayush moving to New York and Pinku to Cape Town with his family. While they build credible careers and live their best lives, Dodo is stuck in Mumbai where he works as a pizza delivery boy.
A few years later, they reconnect on social media and soon plan on a reunion by taking a trip to Goa. Thus begins the most adventurous trip that turns their lives upside down. It also gives them the opportunity to accept one another with all their flaws. While Ayush appears to be the sanest and most level headed of the lot, Pinku is an over-protected, hypochondriac and accident prone Gujarati man who hyperventilates over anything and everything. Dodo, on the other hand, is a typical jugaadu who ends up causing more harm than good every time trouble erupts.
Thrown into this mix are some zany characters like drug dealer Mendoza, smuggler Kanchan Kombdi and Tasha, a young girl who claims to have solutions to all kinds of glitches. Ayush, Pinku and Dodo get entangled in a cat and mouse chase as they get their hands on a bag full of cocaine on their way to Madgaon on a train with Mendoza, Kanchan Kombdi and Tasha adding to their sorrows.
Kunal deserves applause for knocking it out of the park with his very first project as a director. He pens a screenplay that’s all kind of hilarious and it is packed with oodles of funny one-liners, repartees and situations. There are hardly any jokes that don’t land. It’s delightful to see physical comedy make a re-entry to mainstream Bollywood and successfully managing to tickle our funny bones. Even with a runtime of 2 hours 25 minutes, Madgaon Express keeps you hooked throughout the tumultuous and tizzy ride with the narrative almost never dropping pace.
Its music, however, is its weakest link. While Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara dished out chartbuster albums that achieved a cult status over the years, there’s barely any song in Madgaon Express that will stay back with you. In fact, its best musical piece is the instrumental theme of Dil Chahta Hai that is a reminder of the OG buddy film and the indelible impact it has left. However, for all those old-world Bollywood buffs who enjoy song-and-dance sequences packed into the narrative for no rhyme or reason, this film will make for a great nostalgia trip.
It’s said that good performances have the power to make a good film incredible and that’s exactly the case with Madgaon Express. Divyenndu plays Dodo with madcap abandon and despite his idiosyncrasies, you’ll find yourself rooting for him. After creating ripples with his portrayal of the middle-class Liquid in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, he once again proves that he has an impeccable comic timing.
Pratik Gandhi, who plays Pinku, steals the show every now and then. You’ll get to see a different side to the actor, who has proved his mettle for his sensitive and intense character portrayals. Pinku, who is otherwise the delicate darling in the gang, becomes a fierce lion every time he accidentally inhales cocaine and the pandemonium he creates will make you LOL or even ROFL. His Pinku gets the most delicious character arc and it would be interesting to watch Pratik take on more comic roles in the future.
It is Avinash Tiwary’s Ayush that falls short when compared to Pinku and Dodo. Having said that, he gives the character his all. He often acts as the mediator between his friends – one impulsive and the other, too careful and measured – and all their scenes are pure gold. Their camaraderie is palpable. Unlike the other two, his comic timing is more subtle and he perfectly complements them.
It’s the supporting cast – Animal fame Upendra Limaye as Mendoza and Chaya Kadam as Kanchan Kombdi – who will grab all your attention every time they appear in frame. It’s pure delight watching the sassy and fiery Kanchan Kombdi and her gang clad in Nauvari sarees, naths and aviators creating terror and fighting a gang of men with guns and filleting knives! Wish we got to watch such powerful women lighting up our screens more often. Mendoza, on the other hand, appears to be an extension of Freddy Patil from Animal but we aren’t complaining. He’s equal bit sinister and riotous.
And with Madgaon Express, Nora Fatehi gets to play yet another glam girl. Unfortunately, hers is a character that’s half-cooked and it doesn’t leave much space for her to perform. Ace choreographer and director Remo D’Souza is seen in a full-fledged role as Dr Danny, who cures patients from drug overdose without snitching on them to the cops. He sports cornrows, looks dapper and gets to do a little bit of action too. Spoiler alert: Kunal is also seen in an irrelevant cameo but he cracks you up every time he appears onscreen.
If you want to have a genuinely good time at the cinemas with your friends and laugh out loud with them, then Madgaon Express is for you. It celebrates its own mayhem and madness. Just let your hair down and let this rollercoaster joyride engulf you. You won’t regret it. Because films like this don’t get made very often. And you wouldn’t want to miss out on watching Divyenndu and Pratik draped in sarees, performing action and inadvertently redefining norms for leading men in Bollywood. As for Kunal, we’re waiting for what he creates next.