Watching Lokesh Kanagaraj’s action thriller Vikram makes it easy to understand why the film has enjoyed such phenomenal footfalls across the globe. It traverses new ground for Indian commercial cinema and is a fitting tribute to one of India’s most versatile and talented actors, Kamalhaasan.
The film has a complex webbing of interrelated plots that gradually unfold. Amar – played by Fahadh Faasil – leads a top secret investigative team that is investigating the gruesome execution of three people. How these people are linked and why they were killed forms the basis of the initial investigation, but as Amar and his team painstakingly unveil dark secrets, the stakes – including personal ones – get much higher. The only certainty about it all is that nothing is as it seems.
Vikram takes the Indian film goer to a new level of commercial action films. The screenplay is intricate, well-crafted and great attention has been paid to even the smallest details. The beginning and end of story arcs and the opening and closing of brackets in the screenplay leaves one totally in awe of its depth. This provides an appropriate platform for the writing talents of Lokesh Kanagaraj and Rathnakumar in a script that is punchy and witty in healthy doses that do not impede the pace of the film.
The framework provided by the script and screenplay produces some outstanding acting performances. Kamalhaasan, who is also the producer of the film, graciously stays in the shadows of the first half, giving centre stage to the screenplay and to other members of the cast. Despite his delayed contribution, he towers above the others with his screen presence and with the level of emoting one has grown to expect from him. Fahadh Faasil is in mesmerising form in his powerful portrayal of investigative head, Amar.
Vijay Sethupathy succeeds in shaking off the mannerisms of Bhavani from Master in his role in Vikram despite also playing an antagonist. It is a highly charged performance that is further testimony to his apparent ease in portraying complex characters.
Surya, in only a cameo, completely takes over his scenes with a super-charged performance as Rolex.
Narain as Inspector Bejoy, Kalidas Jayaram as ACP Prabhanjan, Santhana Bharathi as Upilliappan and Vasanthi as Tina all deliver electrifying performances. This is not to suggest that the others do not reach a high level of acting prowess. The best of the others in principle roles are Gayathrie Shankar as Amar’s fiancee, Elango Kumaravel as a weapons expert in the Black Squad and G Marimuthu as the Commsioner of Police.
A lot has been said about Anirudh Ravichander’s background score and none of the praise is exaggerated. It is easily one of Anirudh’s best achievements in background scores and would probably have sounded a few hundred times better in a theatre. The songs are well-placed and do not, in any way, impede the narrative.
Girish Gangadharan’s cinematography and Philomin Raj’s editing have set new standards for Indian commercial cinema. Gangadharan’s creative angles and his innovative use of light is a sheer delight while Philomin Raj has already cemented his place as one of Indian cinema’s most exciting editors.
Stunt director duo, Anbu and Arivu provide some of the most hardcore body-to-body sequences seen on the Indian screen with action sequences that leave one yearning for a slow-motion replay.
Despite the artistic brilliance of the screenplay, it is not a perfect one. Some cinematic liberties have been taken with the physical showdown between Karnan and Sandhanam as well as the scene involving Karnan’s grandchild, but these are minor glitches in an otherwise standard-setting screenplay.
Another negative aspect of the film are the very poor CGI effects and this is too glaring a flaw to be ignored.
Despite some minor flaws in VIKRAM, director Lokesh Kanagaraj is easily the most exciting talent in Indian cinema at the moment. The accuracy of the timeline with Kaithi and the links to the 1986 Vikram are minor achievements of this exciting director who has now created the Lokesh Cinematic Universe, a novel concept in Indian cinema. The depth and style of the narration has raised the bar for commercial action films and is certainly a source of pride for Indian cinema.
Vikram scores 8 points out of 10.