A car pulls up in a dark, seedy lane and a man clad in all white steps out. He walks a few steps, and says, “Madam X ko mera salaam.” From the other end, she walks in flanked by two bodyguards, wearing bright, shimmering pink-and-gold attire, her face covered by a veil made of gleaming jewels. She stops a few feet away from the man and raises a gloved hand in acknowledgement. As the credits roll, “She is mysterious, she is wanted, she is coming....” plays in the background. The exquisite direction of this opening scene convinces you that you’ve made the right choice by deciding to watch Madam X.
Madam X is a powerful gangster feared by everyone and seen by a few, the latter because her face is always covered by a veil. Along with her right-hand man, Zaka, and close aide Champak Lal (Shakti Kapoor in his element), she terrorises the living daylights out of all her enemies, one of whom is Inspector Vijay, who swears that he won’t rest in peace till he captures her.
The one factor appealing about Madam X is its attention to detail. For instance, when money heists are being planned, there’s tribal music playing in the background. Painstaking attention has been given to Madam X’s lifestyle. She has a witch-like cackle, goes horse-riding on the beach, smokes cigarettes and wears boots that are brought to her in a tray by her beloved Zaka.
Fashion-wise Rekha takes this film to a whole new level. She dons blinding outfits, ranging from mink coats, spiked gloves, capes and long matching boots, with over-the-top headgear. There’s a blue outfit to go with a sequinned silver headgear that would put Lady Gaga to shame, and a pink velvet outfit with a huge embellished turban.
The movie is filled with one side-splitting dialogue after the other, like “Ek baar aasman toot sakta hai, par Madam X ka ghamand nahi.” And of course, the dialogue that she always says after emerging victorious: “Hum hai maut ki woh express, duniya jise kehti hai...Madam X”. Weirdly, she always refers to herself in the third person.
Oh, and then there’s Rekha number 2: a village belle, and Madam X’s doppelganger, making her the perfect candidate to replace and therefore, spy. The movie does save the best bits for the end, like revealing a “secret informer’s” identity. And the duel scene between the real Madam X and the village belle makes for a visual treat — what can be better than two Rekhas in outlandish outfits and engaged in a catfight?
Make sure you include Madam X in your bucket list.
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