Vikram- If only about story, BAAP of KGF & RRR

Some elements from Nobody referred as Ghost, cool

Okay before I get down to reviewing this movie I Want to mention a few words about the actor Kamal Hasan.

• Started off in 1959 at the age of 4 as a child actor — Dance Assistant — Supporting Actor — Assistant director- Hero- Singer/Lyricist — Choreographer- Makeup Artist- Master Technician-writer-Producer-Director-Television Presenter-Politician & many more. There are many titles associated with Kamal Haasan. Please bear with me as I introduce you to Kamal Haasan.
• As of now its been 6o years in cinema he is still here entertaining us
• Won president’s gold medal at the age of six
• Acted in more than 230 films in six languages
• Received Chevalier award by French government
• Honored with Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan
• Over 110 awards for various fields of cinema
• 4 national awards
• 9 TamilNadu state film awards
• He is the only actor who has won the Filmfare best actor award for 5 languages
• In 200, he wrote to the Filmfare organization requesting not to award him further
• He is the only actor to have the highest number of Oscars submission from India
• Actor filmmaker with more cult films

Kamal, the pioneer, and encyclopedia literally or figuratively speaking opened up possibilities for cinema, both literally in the form of various subgenres as well as by giving platforms to a young generation. In essence he eats it, resists it and breathes it — he is a huge cinephile.

So in Lokesh’s style introduction,

One actor with many titles still nails every role, the king of the spy universe is seen in Vikram. To be brutally honest, it’s undoubtedly one of the rarest of movie experiences where hardcore fans of Kamal Haasan can sit back and enjoy the action play out right in front of them as the actor‐turned‐politician himself reminisces his rich legacy while having a blast.

Putting up this film, you could say truly is a whole different world. Don’t want to bore you with the details but Lokesh took his inspiration from Kamal Haasan’s cult classic Virumaandi (2004) to create a story of a man who had served time in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and just got out, only to save the entire police force, which has come under a ruthless attack plotted by the drug mafia. (indian express)

Lokesh wanted to make an action film by using Kamal’s 1986 movie Vikram. After hearing Kamal’s plot idea, Lokesh fell in love with it, so he decided to add it to his own movie. He planned the whole thing, which became “Vikram”.

The film is set in the same universe as Kaithi, the writer has crafted a thoughtful, expansive, action-packed conflation of the many facets of Kamal Haasan’s life and roles. The result is a compelling 3-hour ride that brings an entirely new experience to the big screen!

It’s a tightrope walk when working on the casting of a film. The tricky part is that Vikram can be a standalone movie on its own. Every person in the cast has their own unique role. Vikram comprises some of our most talented actors: Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahad Fassil and Suriya. Although each personality catches your eye upon first glance, they are working with one another.

Vijay + Suriya VS Fahad + Kamal Haasan

Vikram is a ghost. Fast forward to the first act: there’s a big explosion! During this exciting scene, we also learn the plot of the film without any unnecessary exposition. Then, we observe Vikram’s backstory through vignettes showing his interactions with people in his present life.

Fahadh Faasil– a secret agent in the government’s Black Squad– assembles different parts of the puzzle together. We also get to meet drug lord Vijay Sethupathi referencing his character to that of Pablo Escobar is missing a vital consignment (set up in “Kaithi”) and is being harassed by an unseen menace named Rolex.

Apart from the characters, there are many things featured which adds to the sumptuous detailing of the film and moves it in a classic way towards a tight climax. In each scene, there is action in both the foreground and background. The movie has several loud moments and are paralleled. It also contains many delicious moments. For example, people are sharing recipes for biryani during the movie. Such a tasty feast!

The hand to hand combat sequences remain among my most memorable moments in an Indian film and I think they really highlight what an incredible talent Kamal Hassan is. The way he performs like someone in their mid-twenties with his age-defying abilities really makes me feel awestruck overall. Vikram almost takes on a meta-quality in its second half as the actor himself references his older films.

I pity Bollywood because their attempts to do justice in a multi-starrer movie generally fail! However, the South industry is at a level where even the makers of “The Expendables” “Tropic Thunder” would envy them.

This film didn’t get much publicity in Hindi, and it didn’t need to. It is the highest grossing film in Tamil Nadu alone. If Hindi audiences are missing out on this movie, then it’s their loss.

Overall, this film is a tribute to Kamal Haasan. The movie lives up to his versatility and great acting skills… and that’s no easy feat in itself. Fans of the thriller genre will quickly gravitate toward this rare gem.

P.S — I wonder how the censor board allowed such violence. I loved seeing such raw scenes, but was surprised that this would be accepted. Good for the movie, otherwise it would have lost its appeal. Do watch out for “Suriya” aka ROLEX Epic moment. Excited for the faceoff in part 2. Movie Deserves at least 3 spin-offs in the same universe.

Author: Hawrry Bhattarai

Few moments close to,