'Madaari' review: Promising crime drama for Eid viewers

Siraj us Salkin’s debut film is an engaging crime drama with memorable performances

KARACHI:

When a writer has spent enough time with his characters, they start operating like they were born in this world and not crafted for it. They seek answers, they look for escape, and they pause in silence, as if the entire cause-and-effect chain that made them possible on paper is being knitted in real-time, in front of the audience. 

More than just being edgy beings breathing life into the screen, such characters dominate our minds without giving up on their perpetual subordination to the plot, and that combination is what makes us stay in their minds instead of them just staying with us. To be able to grasp the audience’s heart and mind, as and when needed, without any known faces, is Madaari and director Siraj ul Salkin’s gift to Pakistani cinema. 

The film’s originality stems from the fact that it relies on a completely new set of trained actors, technicians and storytellers to tell a story that is gripping, relevant, and most importantly, doesn’t pretend to be something more complex. It’s a simple story that anyone can relate to, delivered with rawness and passion.

Raw, because it’s a low-budget film when compared to all that usually gets released in cinemas - particularly Pakistani cinemas on Eid - and it shows at places, despite the director’s effective use of space, time and the story world setting. There are also some editing choices, such as an overreliance on the slow-motion freeze frames and a rather unneeded epilogue that ooze of someone who is still trying to play around with what works and what doesn’t. However, Siraj’s tricks work most of the time and you’ll never regret paying for Madaari if you are a fan of quality drama.   

Spoiler Alert! The film is based somewhere in Karachi, although the references to Lyari are not very subtle, especially with the shot of a cheel flying in the beginning, presumably signifying the famous Cheel Chowk. Haris (Ibad Alam Sher) is a young and passionate kid in his late teens who is tired of living with and in his uncle’s (Paras Masroor) shadow. He is too street for whatever remains of his family, and that family is too lame and ordinary for him. 

The two things that can trigger him at any time are the mention of his father and his potential to be triggered, almost to an ecstatic level, by the monkey’s dance to the dugdugi. On the side, he occasionally tries to be a low-key criminal with his friend (Hammad Siddiq) and mostly fails. The label of being a failure all over irks him so much that he ends up with the job of a peon in a local lawyer’s chamber. Things escalate rather quickly the moment he steps into work and realises that the lawyer he now works for is also the murderer of his father.

From here on in the film, a number of new characters are introduced, and just when you think that the plot is perhaps being stretched beyond its limits, you see things falling into place. This is how Madaari always keeps you on your seat and never turns into a pain in your bladder.

As far as performances are concerned, Alam is clearly a promising new talent who got a brilliant script for a film launch. From his hair and makeup to his accent and body language, he is made to exude that main character energy without having the conventional height or presence for it. Siddiq has been the classic comedic relief at all of NAPA's plays and it was overwhelming to watch him - still a goofy character, but with a lot more layers and nuance. Although sometimes his needless blabbering gets to your ears as a viewer, as a whole, he was quite entertaining and should be considered a gift to our big screen.

All in all, I hope Madaari becomes the dark horse this Eid and fans of crime dramas show up in large numbers. I also hope that the Madaari set of actors now also finds bigger stages, directors and screens. The million-dollar question, however, is: are more filmmakers willing to spend as much time with the characters and actors like this new crop of filmmakers did? Not really.

Verdict: Go watch Madaari for the experience and your money won’t be wasted.

3/5