Madgaon Express Review
Kunal Khemmu's directorial debut is a mindlessly hilarious, bromance-filled rop that sustains the fun throughout.
The Good
- Mindlessly funny
- The bromance between the leads
- Sustained fun
The Bad
- Tepid music
- No Logic
The Hindi movie Madgaon Express is directed by Kunal Khemmu and stars Divyendu, Pratik Gandhi, Avinash Tiwary, Nora Fatehi, Upendra Limaye, Chhaya Kadam, Remo D’Souza
Where can you watch Madgaon Express in the UAE?
Watch Madgoan Express on the best cinemas in Dubai, such as VOX Cinema and Reel Cinemas.
Some movies promise great things on paper but don’t successfully transition to the screen. Some films may have sounded absurd at the writing stage but can work well on celluloid. Madgaon Express, we feel, happily belongs to the latter category.
Actor Kunal Khemmu, who has turned a director with this film, makes a near-implausible scenario work as he fills the screen with one absurd and wacky situation. It is a thing-edge sword in this ridiculous comedy genre. With one wrong tweak, they collapse into silliness. But it can be a laugh riot with the right cast and assured handling. Mercifully, that’s the case with Madgaon Express, as the fun never stops thanks to the main leads who make us buy into all their over-the-top, scarcely-believable escapades in the sizzling and happening Goa.
The story is a mix of (in spirit) buddy-bonding movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Dil Dhadakne Do and a bit of Jalwa (which in itself was a re-tooling of Beverly Hills Cop) thrown in for good measure. Three school friends harbour a desire to travel to Goa and dip into the fun which the beaches-filled land promises immensely. But their childhood dream never materializes. The three Dodo (Divyendu), Pinku (Pratik Gandhi) and Ayush (Avinash Tiwary) end up in different situations. Pinku lives in Cape Town, Ayush in New York, and Dodo in Mumbai.
Ayush is the level-headed among the three, Pinku is a clumsy but worrywart Gujju, and Dodo is the typical carefree, doing-everything-on-the-fly type. They reconnect after many years and inevitably decide to rekindle their old plan. The trip to Goa is pulled off in their usual slipshod way.
In Goa, things unfurl in a mind-bogglingly crazy way. Their grand trip hits both highs and lows in more ways than one. Happenstance ensures that they run into bizarre characters: Tasha (Nora Fatehi), a dealer of the stuff. The zany smuggling duo Mendoca (Upendra Limaye) and Kanchan Kombdi (Chhaya Kadam) are also met. The gangsters’ stash ends up where mistakes are never far off from the trio. The three are in a mess, and their plans to pull themselves out of it become messier every time. It is a no-holds-barred amusing ride.
The film rides on the easy and organic camaraderie between the three leads. Their bromance is easy to buy into because it is entirely believable. Among the three, Pratik and Divyendu are especially terrific. The lies and the preposterous pretexts they unfailingly come up with are rip-roaringly funny. The friendship is tested, and the three find themselves and each other in those situations. Upendra Limaye and Chhaya Kadam as the couple who have fallen out but still after the ‘goods’ are also delightful. The character of Nora Fatehi feels a bit underwhelming.
Kunal Khemmu shows a fine hand of humour and witticism. The lightness of touch comes naturally to him. If the film had better music, it could have become more memorable. Kumal Khemmu, all said and done, has managed a tightrope walk with some assurance.