Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, Narain, Chemban Vinod Jose, Kalidas Jayaram
Cameo: Suriya
Vikram has easily been Tamil cinema’s most exciting release so far this year. I’m not talking about the film itself, more on that later, but just the sheer hype and anticipation around the release. I lost count of the number of videos I saw uploaded on Youtube dissecting the older Vikram film, Kaithi and even Maanagaram which apparently had some Kamal Haasan references!
The hype is also probably helped by the now dwindling covid numbers. Theatres have finally opened up fully and people are thronging multiplexes in revenge mode. I watched a 7 30 AM show and it was housefull. Vikram is probably the booster shot the industry badly needed.
Though it’s a common trend in Bollywood, multi-starrers are a scarce commodity in Tamil cinema. And only a few of them actually work. The last well made Tamil multi-starrer that comes to mind is Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Master didn’t work for me unfortunately and Vikram helmed by the same director is a brave moonshot given that context.
How Vikram differs from Master though is in how Vikram is an out and out director’s film. Of course there is a lot of playing to the gallery here as well. But in Master, Lokesh was almost forced to compromise to accommodate a narrative revolving around Vijay and his persona. The clearest example of this shift is in how Fahadh’s Faasil’s character actually propels Vikram’s story forward and not Kamal’s.
We are first introduced to Kamal’s character Karnan. He is seen drowning in sorrow (and alcohol) after losing his son Prapanjan (Kalidas Jayaram), a narcotics cop, to a chilling murder. His infant grandson seems to be the only source of any meaning left in his life. Fate takes a nasty turn when Karnan himself is abducted and murdered by the same gang that killed Prapanjan.
Amar (Fahadh Faasil) is an agent in a covert unit and is roped in to investigate these killings. There is also another sub plot developing in parallel. A huge consignment of drugs has gone missing from the mafia supply chain. This causes a big problem for Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) who runs the distribution in Chennai. If he doesn’t recover the lost consignment asap, he risks an attack on his entire family by the national drug lord Rolex (played by guess who).
Amar’s investigation leads him to uncover chilling details. It becomes obvious beyond a point that Karnan is not really who he claimed to be. He had a secret past and there is also a doubt about whether he is really dead. The spree of killings meanwhile continues. Amar races against time to tie up all the loose ends and solve this baffling mystery.
There is no better director today than Lokesh when it comes to conceptualizing and staging action. Vikram is high on bombastic action sequences choreographed to excruciating detail (by Anbariv) and lit up by an array of blazing guns and cannons. Kamal is in top shape physique wise and fits like a glove into this explosive milieu.
Anirudh’s score is royal. It perfectly compliments the tone of the film and the tempo set by the editor Philomin Raj. The sound doesn’t just blend in with the visuals, it often elevates the scenes to another level. The score during the climax sequence and the interval block is especially rip roaring.
Fahadh Faasil is in top form. There is always an air of suspense around his character and his demeanor is just perfect to pull it off. His dialogue delivery is sharp for someone whose native tongue isn’t Tamil. The character of Amar itself is brilliantly written and undergoes a subtle transformation over the course of the film. This was definitely my favourite character from the movie.
Vijay Sethupathi is ominous as the badass drug distributor/addict Sandhanam. This was possibly the type of output Lokesh would have expected when he created the Bhavani character for VJS in Master. For various reasons, the Bhavani character didn’t quite come off, but the Sandhanam character does so resoundingly. My favourite scene was Sandhanam’s intro where he steps out of an overturned autorickshaw and spooks the onlookers with his mere appearance and glances.
Apart from the lead actors, Vikram is also about all the surprises, big and small. The big one-Suriya’s cameo-was unfortunately revealed before the film’s release. But there are plenty of others that will definitely put a smile on your face. Lokesh has been tight lipped in all his interviews and I’ll follow his cue. Watch the film to find out more. I’ll just provide a high level spoiler: I went in expecting the sequel of Vikram (1986) and this turned out to be the sequel of an entirely different film!
Vikram is a sumptuous entertainer from start to finish. I’m eagerly waiting for the sequel, whatever name they decide to give that film (you’ll know why I say this when you watch the film). As the end credits rolled, I was reminded of the lyrics of the opening song that went Pathala Pathala..as the translation suggests, I just couldn’t get enough of this awesome film.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
