REVIEW: VIKRAM. 

ONE WORD: ‘Vikram’ is thrilling and engaging with terrific actions. 

• Language: TAMIL. 

• RELEASE DATE: 03/07/2022. 

• DURATION: 173 Minutes. 

• DIRECTOR: Lokesh Kanagaraj. 

• GENRE: ACTION THRILLER. 

• STAR CAST: KAMAL HASSAN, VIJAY SETHUPATHI, FAHADH FAASIL, NARAIN, CHEMBAN VINOD JOSE, KALIDAS JAYARAM, SHIVANI NARAYANAN, SURIYA and many more. 

• PRODUCTION COMPANIES: RAAJ KAMAL FILMS INTERNATIONAL. 

• STORY BY: LOKESH KANAGARAJ. 

• DISTRIBUTED BY: Red Giant Movies (Tamil Nadu), Thameens Films (Kerala), Pen Studios (North India), Sreshth Movies (Telegana and Andhra Pradesh) and AP International (Outside India) 

• MUSIC DIRECTOR: ANIRUDH RAVICHANDER. 

• CINEMATOGRAPHY: GIRISH GANGADHARAN. 

• EDITOR: PHILOMIN RAJ. 

• PRODUCED BY: KAMAL HASSAN AND R. MAHENDRAN. 

        REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI R. 

What’s GOOD: 

1. Kamal Hassan and his gigantic screen performance. 

2. Natural performance of Fahadh Faasil. 

3. Vijay Sethupathi’s shining villain performance. 

4. Engaging Screenplay. 

5. Storyline and its connection with Lokesh Kanagaraj previous film Kaithi. 

6. Background score.  

7. Cinematography. 

8. Editing. 

9. Thrilling Action sequences. 

What’s BAD: 

• Lengthy Dialogues are plenty. 
• Graphic works could have been done better.  

•Detail Explanation and In-depth REVIEW: 

What’s the Premise: 

In Chennai city a container filled with heavy drugs used for making cocaine will go missing and the missing drug is owned by Santhanam who is a big drug lord. At the same time in various places a group of masked men will conduct the killing of various government officials. So to find out who all are behind this an undercover officer named Amar will be brought into the scene. Soon Amar will find out that a drunkard guy named Karnan is connected with these killings and also connected with the missing drugs. So who is Karnan, where does he come from and what’s his story and how he is connected with the dreaded mafia is what the rest of the story of Vikram reveals. 

WON PLUS FACTORS: 

1: The script by Lokesh Kanagaraj was outstanding, it’s a well-crafted script and both the story and screenplay by Lokesh Kanagaraj made the film Vikram unforgettable. The plotline is simple but it was crammed with many occurrences and how these numerous events are happening and how it is connected and how the events make the root for its climax will make you keep on engaging and entertained. The unfolding events from one incident to another will make you thrill, many unexpected movements and occasions are properly brought and every scene was given a logical link and connection. 

2: The script is consecrated more to showcase the life of three major characters, their life, their past, their profession, their family and their unexpected tragedies were explained properly. When these three major characters come in contact the happenings are plenty so the writer was deeply conscious to bring out intriguing ideas and I didn’t find any of them repetitive or exaggerated. More importantly, the film is having a longer duration of nearly three hours but the amazing script and the clever making by the director Lokesh Kanagaraj will dominate your viewing experience and till the end, you will be contrived with the characters and happenings of Vikram without feeling any lag or boredom. The emotional angles play a crucial role in the film and it was crossed through the script cleverly. The sentiments and relationship values had worked out and they genuinely matched the ongoing situations to give an emotional impact. 

3: Lokesh Kanagaraj has given a tremendous fan tribute to his favourite star Kamal Hassan, the whole film was shining by his extraordinary making. The direction of Lokesh Kanagaraj was very impressive, his making style was having a dominating quality for an unforgettable theatre watch experience. In many interviews, Lokesh Kanagaraj has clarified that he is a big fan of Kamal Hassan. So as a fanboy how he did the film and how he used the skills of Kamal Hassan for Vikram was exhibiting the visionary of an intelligent director. He was very successful in giving the ideas for Kamal Hassan because throughout the film Kamal Hassan was seen acting authentically as per the instruction given by a visionary director. Lokesh Kanagaraj has victoriously used the stardom of Kamal Hassan, a proper hype was able to be seen and the anticipation was created by the skilful strategies of Lokesh Kanagaraj. Choosing Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil and Suriya was denoting the perfect casting and this teaming was automatically creating a big hype. So as a fanboy Lokesh Kanagaraj had given an engaging thrilling film for everyone and Kamal Hassan fans can celebrate this massive treat joyfully. 

4: The character development and the extensive detailing by Lokesh Kanagaraj in the writing had given me an extra influence. The roles played by Kamal Hassan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi are still stuck in my mind, it’s not just because of their brilliant acting, it’s because of the detailing given to their characters. Their character shades, their attitude, their aim, their personal life and their perspectives were contesting the situations and as a viewer, I was able to connect with their emotions and intentions. The investigation in the screenplay led by Fahadh Faasil in the first half was interesting, Kamal Hassan is hardly seen in the whole first half. So the characters of Fahadh Faasil and the villain role by Vijay Sethupathi took the responsibility to engage the first half and they had neatly done their job. In the screenplay from each incident, the next connecting scenes and events were promising for something big, and that momentum was stably maintained throughout the screenplay. The starting plotline itself was shocking, ‘Once Upon a Time There Lived a Ghost’ these lyrics kept on hooking my mind and the unexpected beginning was justifying the lyrics. The interval punch had created a big bang, still, it was predictable but the making and the way Lokesh Kanagaraj had treated the screenplay will shock you, the impact before the interval was giving goosebumps. 

5: The second half is unbelievable, we can see Kamal Hassan in his full energetic form. In the whole second half, the actions are plenty, some are extremely violent and brutal but in the end, it’s thrilling and will make you blow thistles and do applause. The second half was crammed with plot twists and the revealing of the actual identity of major characters in the second half was filled with moments of exhilaration and excitement. Here Lokesh Kanagaraj knows the pulse of the audience, what they need and what they expect was cleverly understood and he had executed the full making and writing with the style to please and satisfy the audience. The tail end was surprising, the last ten minutes is a promise of Lokesh Kanagaraj for something big, let’s wait and watch. 

6: The film ‘Kaithi’ directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj is one of my favourite films of 2019, it was an edge seat thriller. I won’t forget that thrilling theatre experience, Karthi as Dilli was an unusual character and also unforgettable. So here in Vikram, the storyline and happening of the film Kaithi do make some connections and the important characters of Kaithi make us some connection into the storyline of Vikram. So how Lokesh Kanagaraj makes this connection and how the characters in the film Kaithi make a connection to the premise of Vikram was interesting. Also how the storyline of Kaithi and how the plot happening of Vikram is connected to a new character will blow your mind. Suriya makes a small cameo appearance and as I said, in the end, the storyline of Kaithi and Vikram is associated with him but how did these links happen and how the character played by Suriya comes into the scene will keep you thinking till the end. The character played by Suriya holds the mood of eagerness, his 10 minutes appearance was just enough for something big. Lokesh Kanagaraj as a director can make many potential sequels and prequels with these connections and I am sure it will be a massive multistar film. 

NEGATIVE FLAW FACTORS: 

1: It’s not a major con, but the film follows the lengthy dialogues and in many crucial areas these lengthy conversations between the characters can be felt as little bit drag. So while watching proper attention must be given to the dialogue or else the chances of getting confused may occur. 

2: The love track between Fahadh Faasil and Gayathrie Shankar was ordinary, especially both calling themselves Baby in crucial scenes felt irritating and overdramatic. Some of the dialogues by Vijay Sethupathi were hard to understand, his accent was causing a little bit issue in the viewing experience. 

3: The graphics and visual effects in the film were not up to the mark, it was good but the scenes which had the blast and firework were not looking natural. The film was demanding some major graphic works but those scenes were made simply on a usual ordinary method. 

• HOW GOOD WAS THE PERFORMANCE:

Kamal Hassan was in his extraordinary form, it’s a strong comeback. The power and the grace in his performance were surprising and the energy he gave to the character will attract anyone. His action sequences are a treat to watch, the second half is all about his stunning performance. You can see Kamal Hassan with the cool action sequences and the style he showcased while doing the action sequences was eye-catchy. His powerful voice was strong to contrive our minds and the timing in delivering the dialogue was precise. You will be surprised by seeing the climax, Kamal Hassan gives the best action and fights for it and it will surely make you do loud whistles and applause. Fahadh Faasil as Amar was brilliant, his natural performance and expression were dominating the entire first half. He stole the entire first half with his incredible acting, the investigation and the emotional track on his character was making the viewers interesting. His dialogues and sharp looks through the eyes had justified the attributes of his character and the few romantic scenes were also attractive. Vijay Sethupathi as Santhanam was a charming villain who had given some tough fights. As an antagonist, he did a terrific performance and the characteristic quality and behaviour were effectively maintained without any errors. The negative shade on the character was acted out genuinely by Vijay Sethupathi and the looks he expresses in the important scenes was showcasing his acting skills. His fights and action were good and the combination scenes with Kamal Hassan in the climax were fascinating. Gayathrie Shankar as Gayathri Amar did a notable performance, the romantic track had worked out with Fahadh Faasil and she neatly did an impressive role with genuine acting. Narain as Inspector Bejoy, Kalidas Jayaram as PrapanchanSanthana Bharathi as Uppiliappan and Elango Kumaravel as cab driver did complete justice to their respective supporting roles. Suriya appears in a cameo role, it’s brilliant and further explanation will lead to a spoiler so expect him, his presence is promising for many promising sequels. 

• WHATS BEHIND THE FILM: 

The background score of Anirudh Ravichander felt different, all the background tunes for top-notch to set the mood. The use of trance style of music impressed me and it suited well for the situation in the first half. The action sequences were also backed up with the fitting background tunes and it was enough to grab our attention to get thrilled. The Vikram title track was wonderful and among the songs “Pathala Pathala” sung and written by Kamal Hassan turned out to be my favourite. The cinematography by Girish Gangadharan was remarkable, all the night shots looked sharp and accurate with superb lighting techniques. The camera movements in the fight sequences and the close-up shots used to showcase the different expressions of the actors looked flawless. The editing of Philomin Raj was faultless, the transition of scenes from one to another was synced nicely and the colour grading was meticulous to set the desired mood. The actions and fights choreographed by Anbariv were mind-blowing, the fights of Kamal Hassan were unbelievable and the style and how the actors performed during the fight sequence were having the quality and power to make us thrill. The production design was amazing and the locations also matched perfectly for the script. 

• CONCLUSION:

So overall the film Vikram had given an unbelievably thrilling cinematic experience, I had enjoyed every single bit of Vikram and without any doubt, I will strongly recommend this film for every type of audience. The direction and the dominant script by Lokesh Kanagaraj are the major plus factor and it is followed by the powerful performance of Kamal Hassan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi. The technical quality and the theatre experience that the film offers are hard to explain so without thinking much, book your tickets for Vikram and don’t miss this must-watch thrilling experience. 

• VERDICT: OUTSTANDING 

• RATING: 4/5