Madholal Dubey (Subrat Dutta) is one of millions living in Mumbai who go about life with a spring in their step no matter what. Working as a security guard in the city, the only ‘friends’ Madholal has made are the ones who meet him everyday in the local train he takes to work. In between the friendly banter of the train friends, his loving wife Kamla (Neela Gokhle), the obligatory tension of getting his daughter, Sudha (Swara Bhaskar) married, Madholal’s life comprises of hanging out with Anwar (Pranay Narayan), the friendly neighbor whom Sudha secretly loves and dreaming of a better life. Things change forever when Madholal becomes a victim of the heinous Mumabi train attacks and his happy existence is washed away like a sand castle. Physically crippled and mentally scared for life, Madholal starts becomes a ghost amongst others and finds it difficult to accept things. Just when Madho starts to get along with life he gets to know that Anwar might be the mastermind behind the blasts.
Madholal Keep Walking starts off with a long and expounding dialogue laden scene, very reminiscent of Nishikant Kamat’s Dombivli Fast, which not only establishes the main players but also sets up the tone of the film. While the friendly repartee amongst Madholal and his fellow passengers in the local train has some light moments, Madholal Keep Walking is fraught with dialogue that might be very real but comes across as highly forced.
Director Jai Tank’s Madholal Keep Walking depicts a personal tragedy of a faceless man who could be anyone in the millions compelled to play their part and carry on irrespective of what happened. While this ode to humanity has its heart in the right place some where the film seems to lack the conviction in its own belief. Madholal’s pain of his life falling like a deck of cards seems to be visibly noticed by everyone around him but for some strange reason no one seems to feel it. There seems to be a great disconnect between the Madholal and everyone else; while he is reticent and contemplative his family and friends seem to be a tearing hurry for him to get back in the groove. The post tragedy scenes have too much talk where everyone’s stating the obvious besides a song (Naina Lage) that has three versions and yet fails to rouse any emotion.
Jai Tank, who has co-written the film with Sachin Darekar, uses Mumbai’s fabled local train as motif of life and employs it as a device to convey that life, no matter what, has to carry on. While using the train as microcosm of a multicultural existence is an interesting tool, Tank never really explores the power it has on people’s lives. Having set up the train as an integral part of Madholal’s very existence, the film works towards the climax where Madholal would have to fight the weight of the memories of his last ride that changed the course of his life. But the manner in which Madholal overcomes his fears rather brazenly mocks the very human spirit this film pays a tribute to. To say that the trains started just three hours after the blasts and Madholal was a coward to stay away for such a long time might represent the spirit of Mumabi is conveying the message in a very simplistic and insensitively escapist manner.
In spite of scenes that seem to strangely strung, the actors chip in decent performances. Subrat Dutta as the protagonist looks a little young to play a college student’s father but is compelling; well poised and blessed with a great voice, Swara Bhaskar switches between playing a loving elder sister to a daughter who grows overnight into the breadwinner for the family with ease. In spite of the manner in which it ends Madholal Keep Walking is rather an honest film that could have been a very different film if it weren’t besieged by songs and a confused screenplay.
Rating: 2/5
Cast: Subrat Dutta, Neela Gokhale, Swara Bhaskar, Pranay Narayan
Written by: Jai Tank and Sachin Darekar
Directed by: Jai Tank
Image- www.madholalkeepwalking.com
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