Operation London Cafe

Operation London Cafe opens with nearly two minutes of silent gratitude credits — an unusual choice that immediately tests your patience before the story even begins. Once it does, the film throws you straight into chaos: Kaveesh Shetty’s Keshav is brutally attacked, triggering a flashback that transports the narrative to a Naxal camp deep in the forest. From there, the plot shifts rapidly — from a village celebrating Bhavya’s (Megha Shetty) coming-of-age ceremony to the arrival of the Naxal group, to the story of a government employee defamed for upholding the law.

These early portions attempt to highlight oppression, misinformation, and systemic injustice. The Naxal group’s vigilante-style help for the wronged woman is one of the film’s stronger subplots, even as Bhavya begins to fall in love with Keshav after a dramatic rescue near the forest lake. Parallelly, the police and army tighten their net around the rebels, setting the stage for internal conflict within the Naxal group.

The second half reveals that Keshav was once Shourya, an army officer — a twist that should have elevated the emotional core, but the narrative begins to drag and the momentum dips noticeably.

On the technical front, the making is solid. The forest landscapes and river sequences are beautifully captured, and the background score adds grit to the heavier scenes. Performances from B Suresh as the senior Naxal member and Krishna Hebbale as the police officer lend weight to a cast dominated by Marathi actors, given the trilingual release. Virat Madake stands out among the Naxal leads. Megha Shetty brings a bright, lively charm that balances the film’s seriousness. Kaveesh Shetty, though tall and well-built, is limited by a minimal-dialogue role that doesn’t fully showcase his acting range. Shivani Surve and Ashwini Chavare impress as female Naxal leaders.

Despite its uneven pacing and a dragged-out second half, Operation London Cafe has strong ideas, striking visuals, and compelling performances — making it a film that’s definitely worth watching once.