Lokesh Kanagaraj brings together the espionage-filled world of Kamal Haasan's 1986 film Vikram and his own Kaithi's action-filled world of drug lordala and cops in Vikram, a predictably plotted action film that is more interested in expanding its universe without really immersing us into it. It holds the mysteries of a spy film and provides the thrills of an action film to some extent, but it doesn't feel wholly satisfactory and fails to leave us with the adrenaline rush that a film with such ambitions promises. The film does gets starts off intriguingly, when Karnan (Kamal Haasan), the father of a martyred cop Prapanchan (Kalidas Jayaram) is killed. 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, or a womaniser or much more? More importantly, is he dead or alive? Vikram works best in its first half, when we see Amar and his team trying to make sense of the murders and track down the killers. Even though these portions have very little of Kamal Haasan, we keep sensing his presence, both as the character and as the actor. There are nods to Kamal's ouvre, from Nayakan to Anbe Sivam, and spotting them offers some minor thrills, especially if you are a Kamal fan. The actor, who is in action star mode here, also gets a whistle-worthy moment, which leads to the interval. And Vijay Sethupathi seems to be taking off from where he left in Master, playing a ruthless villain. In fact, the juxtaposition of the events in this portion recalls a similar setup in Master. But once the mystery around Karnan is cleared (actually, it is one that's easy to guess for us, the audience), the narrative becomes rather straight-faced. A small bunch of cops should hold out against an army of gangsters. It's something that is similar to what we got in Kaithi, but here, it is less effective. To his credit, Lokesh tries to provide an emotional undercurrent, with a sub-plot involving Karnan and Prapanchan's baby, but it doesn't affect us hard enough. And the arcs involving Amar and Sandhanam turn too predictable. Fahadh gets more or less written off while Vijay Sethupathi comes across as trying too hard to make his character feel different from what he did in Master. Narain, as Bejoy, the honest cop from Kaithi, is also given the short shrift. Even the much-publicised cameo by Suriya, which acts as a set-up for the next installment in what's now being called the Lokesh Kanagaraj Universe, is a tad underwhelming. The action scenes, while solidly choreographed, never leave us with a rush. There are a couple of cool shots, like a zoom out and zoom in which Karnan and Amar switch places, but after after a point, the stunts leave us unmoved. In fact, in a film filled with action heroes, the biggest mass moment comes in a stunt scene involving a female character. Vikram needed a few more such moments to have been truly memorable.Read more

After an explosive trailer, all eyes were on Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram, which brings together three powerful performers - Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. Vikram is a part of the Kaithi universe and Lokesh Kanagaraj made it official just hours before the film’s release. So, those who are not familiar with Kaithi (Lokesh’s second film) might feel disconnected from Vikram. In Vikram, Karnan (Kamal Haasan), Amar (Fahadh Faasil) and Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) are at loggerheads. Multiple police officers die and a masked group of men claim responsibility. While Amar carries out the investigation, we are curious to know how they all came together. It is here that the ‘ghost’ gets exposed and transports us right into the story. Who or what is this 'ghost' and whether Amar and Sandhanam succeed in their mission, forms the story. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram has his stamp all over it. In several interviews, the filmmaker spoke about his love for Kamal Haasan. Every frame in which Haasan appears will make you sit up and take notice. Though Kamal Haasan has less screen presence in the first half, he manages to keep us intrigued. After him, it is Fahadh’s show all the way. The investigation scenes in the first half pull us together when the film gets too generic. Vijay Sethupathi as Sandhanam seems like an extension of his character from Master. Vikram is not a film without flaws. The action entertainer takes its own sweet time to establish the story, which tests our patience. But, once it does, there’s no stopping Vikram. The film has several whistle-worthy moments which will make you hoot for the actors. Watch out for the brilliant interval block and the lead up to it. Similarly, Suriya’s cameo as Rolex stole the show even though he appeared just for five minutes. The action sequences are tastefully done and it is brilliant to see Kamal Haasan perform them with so much ease. In fact, it was such a delight to see Ulaganayagan back in action after four years. He scores in the action sequences as well as the emotional ones. The supporting characters played by Kalidas Jayaram, Narain and Chemban Vinod Jose work extremely well. Vikram is also a technically sound film. Be it the cinematography by Girish Gangadharan or the crisp editing by Philomin Raj, the technical department worked in tandem. Another hero of Vikram is Anirudh Ravichander’s explosive background score. There’s variety and oomph, which helps in elevating important sequences. Vikram, however, suffers from an uneven screenplay. If only the first half were etched in a taut manner, the film’s impact could have been a notch higher. The second half makes up for the negatives, though, but is it enough? Overall, Vikram is a film that has some terrific performances and makes you inquisitive about the Lokesh Kanagaraj universe. Some of the scenes don’t land, but there are plenty to cherish and rejoice in.Read more