Madaari movie review: Even Irrfan Khan can’t rescue this patchy film

Nirmal Kumar (Irrfan) describes himself as a ‘ideal voter’: a man involved with getting in the ‘dal-roti’, who believes what the ‘shaasan’ and the ‘media’ tells him, who is so busy bringing up his motherless son that he is no time for anything else. He’s a worker-bee, and he is happy to be ‘ruled’, till one day when the rule of law is destroyed, and all he can see around him is injustice and anarchy.

Big words, these. And big concepts. Their utilization in the film’s plot is too literal, first in the way Nirmal tries to avenge a personal tragedy by targeting a top politician through his son, and then in all the oratory.

Watch: Exclusive Interview With Irrfan Khan On Madaari, His Bollywood Journey & More

In between the speechifying is the action which involves Nirmal being on the run with a little boy (Bansal), a cop (Shergill) hot on their heels, a teary mum, and a bunch of fat cat ‘netas’ and contractors who are all part of the corruption that has eaten into our nation.

Also read | Kabali movie review: This Rajinikanth film is a drag

The idea has power. The execution has very little.