'' Madras Cafe '' is a 2013 Indian political action thriller film directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring John Abraham , Nargis Fakhri , Rashi Khanna and Leena Paul in lead roles . The film is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s , during the time of Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war and assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi . The film deals with an Indian Army special officer who is appointed by the intelligence agency R.A.W. to head covert operations in Jaffna shortly after Indian peace-keeping force was forced to withdraw
assassination
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Madras Cafe