A wronged man takes on a corrupt system and anyone who comes in between. 'Madaari' is another addition to those films that give the common man power to topple the movers and shakers of society. The message: you alone can make things happen, if you take things in your stride. Over a decade ago, director Nishikant Kamat made the hard-hitting Marathi film, 'Dombivili Fast', which dealt with the trials and tribulations of a common man. In 'Madaari', he yet again sets out to highlight societal ills. Though the intention is right, the execution isn't.

With his last noticeable outing being 'Drishyam' in 2015, Nishikant Kamat is back to stun the audience with his new offering, Madaari. The film is an emotional journey of a father, who loses his young, 7-year-old son in a mishap and his subsequent saga of extracting revenge from the rotten political system. Nirmal Kumar (Irrfan Khan) is a techie, who starts life afresh after he's disowned by his father for marrying a Muslim girl.

That 'brashtachaar' is ingrained in every pore of our 'system' is a theme so often explored in the movies that unless it is done with some amount of verve, the word tends to sink into the woodwork. Madaari presents Irrfan in a role that he aces with such ease that it's hard to see he's 'acting'. But he's placed at the centre of a film which is so patchy and contrived that even he cannot rescue it.

Playing a person with eccentricities may be tough, but way tougher - as most actors worth their salt will tell you - is to play a regular Jo. That is what Irrfan Khan's character Nirmal Kumar is, in director Nishikant Kamat's Madaari: Sshhh Desh So Raha Hai. Khan (credited here, as in many of his films now, sans the surname) plays a techie who has the audacity to kidnap a top politician's son as revenge for his own child's death in a civic tragedy caused by corruption. "I was the ideal voter, so caught up in running my household and my life that I bought into every dream you sold me, I believed every word the media told me."

Turns out, Nirmal holds the corrupt politicians responsible for what happened to his son. He now seeks answers from those accountable. Kudos to Irrfan and Nishikant Kamat for daring to make this poignant, provocative and politically incorrect piece of cinema, that makes its point unabashedly. Though predictable and a tad stretched, the emotional crime drama unfolds like a thriller. It tears your heart out by exposing the plight of the Middle-class citizens and their 'aukad' in the eyes of those in power.

The last time that Irrfan Khan and Nishikant Kamat had teamed up for Mumbai Meri Jaan, we had been thoroughly impressed, which had created hopes that their latest film Madaari too would win our hearts. However, unfortunately, Madaari doesn't even come close despite a powerful lead actor and a story, which had immense potential.

The film starts off with the kidnapping of Home Minister Prashant Goswami's (Tushar Dalvi) only son Rohan Goswami (Vishesh Bansal) by Nirmal Kumar (Irrfan Khan). The kidnapping does not happen in a day's time. It's only after Nirmal 'studies' all the activities and movements of his 'target' Rohan, does he manage to kidnap him after drugging his food. Needless to say, this kidnapping shakes not just the Home Minister Prashant Goswami and his wife, but also his cabinet ministers. Being a high profile case, the razor sharp Nachiket Verma (Jimmy Sheirgill) gets chosen for the job of bringing back Prashant Goswami's son.

Madaari begins with Irrfan Khan's voiceover saying, "Baaz chuhe pe jhapta, use utha le gaya. Kahaani sacchi lagti hai magar acchi nahi lagti. Baaz pe palatwaar hua, kahaani sacchi nahi lagti magar acchi lagti hai." It almost sounds like a promise of a gripping social thriller. Starring critically acclaimed actors Irrfan and Jimmy Shergill, this is a vigilante story aimed at highlighting our corrupt system. Yet with all the ingredients for an intriguing thriller, Madaari is the perfect example of how to spoil the perfect recipe, director Nishikant Kamat its master chef.

Do we laud cinema because it seeks to be sensible? Do we commend a film because it takes, head on, an issue that is destroying the very essence of our nationhood? Do we hail a film because it tackles a subject we all need to open our eyes to, that we all need to take responsibility for, that we all need - in our individual capacities - to do something about? Do we praise a film because it takes stylistic chances in an attempt to engage our attention?

You have seen it in the trailer. The Home Minister (Tushar Dalvi)'s kid is kidnapper by Nirmal Kumar (Irrfan Khan) for very vague intentions. The police are unable to get hold of the culprit, as he is always one step ahead of them. When he finally calls the Minister for his demands, he asks him to find about his son who has gone missing'. Who is this man and what happened to his son? What is his real deal in kidnapping the Minister's son?

The protagonist of Madaari is driven by anger and anguish to kidnap a powerful politician's eight-year-old son. With that daring act, the man hopes to force the world to sit up and take notice of his plight, precipitated by a bridge collapse in the heart of suburban Mumbai. Two hours and a bit later, he achieves his goal: the minister and his cohorts are on their knees. But the bitter battle of attrition that he wages against a battery of opponents remains strangely unengaging despite a superlative performance from the redoubtable Irrfan.