VIKRAM (2022)

Critic No. 282

Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj

Written by: Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rathna Kumar (dialogues)

Produced by: Raaj Kamal Films International

Casts:  Kamal Hassan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Narain, Chemban Vinod Jose, Kalidas Jayaram, Gayathrie

Music: Anirudh

Language: Tamil

Genre: Action, Thriller

SYNOPSIS: 

Following a series of murders of police officials, a black ops cop led by Agent Amar (Fahadh Faasil)  goes after a mysterious gang of masked men, which has declared war against the government officials who are protecting a fearsome drug lord.

REVIEW:

During the release of Master, Lokesh admitted in an interview politely that the film was designed to be 50% Vijay, 50% Lokesh Kanagaraj film due to the star’s request and self claimed audience taste. However, the same Lokesh has declared recently that Vikram is 100% his film and in fact Kamal who is always talked about as a ghost director has completely submitted himself this time as a sheer actor. Of course, Lokesh, being a die hard fan of Kamal inserts some easter-egg references like the name Stephen Raj (Vetri Vizha) or Prabanjan (Kamal Haasan's writer-friend) and even toys on the most famous lines from Nayakan (1987) and Kuruthipunal (1995). There are many homages like these that he pays to the star so we can say that the spirit of Kamal Haasan hovers over the film like a… Ghost, in a good way.

The film kicks off on a shocking note as we witness Karnan (Kamal Haasan), the father of a martyred cop Prapanchan (Kalidas Jayaram) is killed by a mysterious gang. We learn that there has been a series of such killings with a group of masked men taking responsibility for it and calling it their war against the system. Police chief Jose (Chemban Vinod Jose) brings in a black ops team headed by Amar (Fahadh Faasil), who starts digging into Karnan's life. The chief suspect is Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi), a fearsome drug lord with a large family, who is searching for a shipment of raw material that could make him a kingpin. Meanwhile, Amar is puzzled by the many versions of Karnan. Was he an alcoholic father grieving over the loss of his son, a womaniser or much more? More importantly, is he dead or alive?

The film’s first half is designed as a solid investigative thriller as Agent Amar tries to crack the case and find out who are the people behind the mysterious killings. It is interesting to see such a big star as Kamal giving the entire space in the first half to the two other leads as the film  builds on to tell us about Karnan’s character. The story leads to a terrific midpoint, landing as one of the best interval sequences we would have seen in a recent Indian film. The three leads try to outbeat each other’s performance which results in an explosive scene for the audience. 

Once the suspense air is cleared in about Kamal’s character, the film does move slightly faster but of course all the notes feel a little predictable. But that doesnt affect the engagement of the scenes, thanks to the solid performances obtained by Lokesh. Rathna Kumar’s dialogues are sharp and the major throwbacks that he has inserted come in at the right time to enthrall us. It is truly an ambitious idea to create a multiverse with his previous films (and films he has planned for) but the writing is really focused and layered to deserve one. If it is done well, Lokesh might end up as one the biggest filmmakers in Indian cinema, in the future. 

Lokesh tries to infuse a little emotional undercurrent to each of the characters which work only to a small extent. Due to the limited screen time to the other supporting characters, the stakes of them do not really get amplified in us. The sub-plot involving Karnan and Prapanchan’s baby, does not feel affecting enough and the arcs involving Amar and Sandhanam, too, turn predictable.

Kamal is solid as usual and he stuns us in the action scenes at the age of 67. Fahadh Faasil’s character feels like the real protagonist of the film (as the mission starts with him) and has done a great job displaying a rollercoaster of emotions in the film. Vijay Sethupathi looks and sounds different. He looks menacing but I just felt the character needed more writing weight. Even though Chemban Vinod Jose’s portrayal felt a little caricaturistic to the tone of the film for me, he does a decent job with his light hearted villainess. Gayathirie adds on to the urgency of the plot through her subtle yet impactful portrayal while other actors like Santhana Bharathi, Elango Kumaravel and Vasanthi (Agent Tina) are really good in their brief roles. I really wished that the info about Surya’s presence in the film had never leaked but nevertheless, he ends the film off powerfully with his charisma. 

Technically Vikram is a real Beast (no pun intended). Be it the nail biting stunts by Anbariv duo, or the exhilarating camera movements of Girish or Pilomin Raj’s pacey cuts, Lokesh has painstakingly led to build a visual feast for the audience. The sound design by Sachin Sudakaran and team ensure that the explosive fights reach our heartbeats. Anirudh’s solid form continues in Vikram. Without relying and replaying the theme music for all the moments, he has tried to come up with small bits of score for each character and like Lokesh’s story, he develops an interesting story and character arcs through his music. 

Vikram might not be a perfect film but it is a much needed film for the salary/star driven Tamil film industry to learn and embrace the idea of multi starrer films from now on and again Kamal can say proudly in future, “Vitha naan pottathu (I planted the seeds - famous line from Kamal’s classic, Devar Magan).” Lokesh doesn’t overdo his fan service to Kamal by creating stupid glorifying lines for his idol but instead have worked thoroughly hard to give a memorable film that the actor truly deserves and regard as one his best films in his career. And we hope Lokesh never compromises his vision for any big star from now onwards as we see how powerful a 100% Lokesh film can be. It can only get better from now… 

VERDICT:

Lokesh Kanagaraj comes up with an explosive action thriller that races our heartbeat at each frame, spearheaded passionately by India’s strongest multi talented veteran actor, Kamal Hassan. 

CELLULOID METER- 4/5: