A very contemporary drama for our times.

'Madaari', directed by Nishikant Kamat, is a story of an aam aadmi who is compelled to commit a crime as his son's unfortunate death in a bridge collapse leaves him relentless for justice. The plot of the story seems to be pushed forward by convenient cinematic liberties. The film qualifies as a thriller though the plot unfolding isn't exactly nail-biting. There are no punches delivered which is why the film will appeal only to a niche audience as it plays on the tendencies of easy outrage of the middle class.

Nirmal (Irfan Khan) loses his only child in a tragic accident, when a bridge collapses in Mumbai, that's where the government comes into the picture. He receives a check as compensation, but justice seems to elude him. He orchestrates a crime in a bid to shake up the system. He kidnaps Rohan(Vishesh Bansal), the son of the home minister played by Tushar Dalvi. Madaari means 'ringmaster' and he keeps the unit headed by Nachiket (Jimmy Sheirgill) on their toes. He calls the minister and mentions in one of his several phone calls that his being the common man keeps him unidentifiable.

The film's story written by Shailja Kejriwal is very mediocre but very relevant, its screenplay penned by Ritesh Shah's keeps the audience in a hesitance as to which side they are on. Irrfan Khan's performance is terrific, even when he is simply sitting on the bench.

Madaari is definitely a very contemporary drama for our times as it critiques the disposition of the system and the heavily media-driven environment. It stages a vigilante solution as Nirmal intends to convene a public court where he would use the kidnapping to get the guilty party to admit their criminal negligence. It tries to chart an agenda for a "better world" as it gets the corrupt politician and an ordinary man in a face off.   

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