MADGAON EXPRESS is a decent entertainer

Madgaon Express Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating

Director: Kunal Kemmu

Madgaon Express Movie Synopsis:
MADGAON EXPRESS is the story of three friends in trouble. In 1998, Dhanush Sawant aka Dodo (Divyenndu), Pratik Garodia aka Pinku (Pratik Gandhi) and Ayush Gupta (Avinash Tiwary) of Mumbai are in Class 10 and they dream of going to Goa after their board examinations. Due to their parents’ reluctance, they are unable to do so. In 2003, they once again plan the trip after their graduation. Sadly, the car meets with the accident as soon as they begin their journey. The plan is yet again put on the backburner. A few years later, Pinku moves to Cape Town while Ayush migrates to New York. Both succeed in life and their pay package also increases. Meanwhile, Dodo is not able to have a steady job. He keeps in touch with Pinku and Ayush on social media and sees that they have become stinking rich. Hence, Dodo uses Photoshop to paint a false picture that he resides in a penthouse and is having the time of his life. In 2015, Pinku and Ayush decide to fly down to Mumbai. They inform Dodo about it and also tell him that they’ll stay at his ‘penthouse’! Dodo obviously gets tense and hence, he suggests that as soon as they land, the three of them should fulfil their plan of going to Goa. Pinku and Ayush agree. Since Dodo can’t afford expensive flight tickets, he books three tickets in Madgaon Express under the pretext that they should travel like they would have, had they gone to the beach state in 2003! Pinku and Ayush hate the idea but give in. Sadly, for them, things go wrong even before they board the train and soon, they find themselves being confronted by dangerous criminals like Kanchan Kombdi (Chhaya Kadam) and Mendonza Bhai (Upendra Limaye). What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Madgaon Express Movie Story Review:
Kunal Kemmu’s story is crazy. Kunal Kemmu’s screenplay moves at a fine speed – neither too fast nor too dragging. He peppers the narrative with some hilarious and outrageous moments, which will bring the house down. However, in the second half, the writing could have been more imaginative. Kunal Kemmu’s dialogues are one of the USPs of the film and add to the madness.

Kunal Kemmu’s direction is supreme. As a first timer, he handles the execution like a seasoned pro. He puts effort in establishing the characters and the setting before taking them to Goa. While doing so, the entertainment quotient remains the priority. He also keeps the emphasis on physical comedy. Viewers haven’t seen that in a long time and that goes into the film’s favour. The villains are well fleshed out and increase the humour quotient of the movie.

On the flipside, there are too many songs in the film. In the second half, the film dips. The track of Dr Danny (Remo Dsouza) doesn’t work as intended. The chaos that ensues at Kanchan Kombodi’s base is intriguing but could have been funnier. The film, at this point, also gets quite violent and it might put off the family audience. Kanchan could have been the next Bholi Punjaaban but she hardly gets to show her funny side. The climax is unexpected but after seeing so much crazy stuff in the film, one would expect the finale to be next level. That doesn’t happen and this might leave audiences a bit shortchanged.

MADGAON EXPRESS starts on a great note. The manner in which Dodo starts giving a false impression on social media is too good. The fun begins once he meets Pinku and Ayush in 2015 and pretends to purposely roam around like a middle-class person. The sequence at the station and train are too funny. But once Pinku has an overdose of cocaine, the madness goes many notches higher. Post-interval, the scene of Mendonza Bhai’s interrogation takes the cake. The airport scene in the end will leave the audience in splits. The film ends with the promise of a sequel.

Madgaon Express | Official Trailer | Divyendu Sharma | Pratik Gandhi | Avinash Tiwary | Nora Fatehi

Madgaon Express Movie Performances:
All three actors succeed but Pratik Gandhi takes the cake. His character is the most interesting and during the cocaine overdose track, he is outstanding. It’s also good to see him in such a space for the first time in a Hindi film. Divyenndu gets into the humour zone after ages and is terrific. Avinash Tiwary, too, puts his best foot forward and keeps his act restrained, as per the requirement of his character. Nora Fatehi (Tasha) looks lovely and delivers a decent performance. Chhaya Kadam rocks the show. Her character is novel and she does full justice to it. One wishes she had more to do in the film. Upendra Limaye plays a character which is a bit similar to what he essayed in ANIMAL [2023]. Nevertheless, he’s entertaining. Remo D’souza looks dashing and is fair though a more popular actor would have been appropriate for this part. Umesh Jagtap (Constable Santosh Sathe) and the actors playing Ganpath and the senior cop are fine. Kunal Kemmu is adorable in a cameo.

Madgaon Express Movie music and other technical aspects:
The songs are average. ‘Raaton Ke Nazaare’ is the best of the lot and comes at a significant juncture. ‘Baby Bring It On’, meanwhile, is played in the end credits. ‘Hum Yahin’ is well-utilized in the film. ‘Not Funny’ is forced. ‘Bohot Bhaari’ and ‘Who’s Your Mommy’ are relegated to the background. Sameeruddin’s background score is in sync with the film’s mood.

Adil Afsar’s cinematography is praiseworthy, especially for the scenes shot in confined spaces. Prachi Deshpande’s production design is realistic. Sabina Halder’s costumes are authentic and the ones worn by Nora are glamorous. Aejaz Gulab and Vikram Dahiya’s action is a bit gory. Anand Subaya and Sanjay Ingle’s editing is satisfactory in the first half but could have been slicker in the second half.

Madgaon Express Movie Conclusion:
On the whole, MADGAON EXPRESS is a decent entertainer and has the potential to work among the youth. The four-day weekend can also go in its favour.