Vikram Movie First Impressions: Lokesh Kanagaraj delivers more than what was promised

A quick mini spoiler-free write-up of Lokesh Kanagaraj's Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Suriya, and Vijay Sethupathi
Vikram Movie First Impressions: Lokesh Kanagaraj delivers more than what was promised

The FDFS crowd for any big-ticket film is mostly made up of late teens or early twenties. And the last time, Kamal Haasan starred in a true-blue commercial star vehicle, most of them wouldn't even have been teenagers. And, it is this realisation that holds Lokesh Kanagaraj in good stead because his latest, Vikram, not only aims to satiate the crowd familiar with Kamal Haasan’s legacy, but also caters to the audience who have seen him more on Bigg Boss rather than the big screen. 

Straight off the bat, Lokesh employs a rather brave writing choice despite knowing that no one would buy the red herring. But full points to the conviction because his belief in the strength of his script allows him to take such a big risk. In fact, Vikram is fraught with many such risks. How can the headliner have such limited screen space for a long time? Why adopt a rather talkie procedural drama narrative rather than an explosive no-holds-barred entertainer? Even as these questions make their way to our heads, the strong performances and stronger writing make us follow the proceedings without getting too distracted. And these proceedings might take time to get used to, because there is a sort of information dump that happens right in the beginning. But once we are sucked into the world of Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi), Amar (Fahadh Faasil) and Karnan (Kamal Haasan), there is no looking back because the deliberate pacing only adds to the compelling nature of this drama. 

While the limited screen space does answer questions about Kamal Haasan being a stickler for hogging the limelight, both Kamal and Lokesh come into their own as the runtime progresses. The unhurried pace actually works for the film, which has a lot of supporting characters who get atleast one scene to prove their worth. And they do so in style. Be it Narain’s cameo as Bejoy from the Kaithi Universe, or a fantastic scene featuring Santhana Bharathi and a bottle of alcohol, or a particularly unexpected transformation scene, it is the secondary characters that hold the film together. 

Anirudh’s golden run with the score continues with Vikram, and he amps up high-octane sequences with aplomb. His true talent shines brightest in the moments of silence in the film, which do crop up from time to time.

For a project that was mounted as a Kamal film, it is impressive how Fahadh and Vijay Sethupathi hit the ground running. While Fahadh proves his mettle once again in a conversational drama with the right mix of spunk, angst, pain and romance, Vijay Sethupathi sheds off the Vijay Sethupathi-ness seen in most of his films. I am not sure if this is a great thing because the muffled dialogue delivery doesn’t really go with the brilliant physicality he brings to the role. But Lokesh has made Vijay Sethupathi try something different, and the latter has taken up the challenge. We are only shown glimpses of what Kamal Haasan truly can do, and it is refreshing to see him be part of stunt sequences that have pushed him past the boundaries he has put for himself these past few years. This limited screenspace would be a talking point, for sure, especially since Lokesh is a self-proclaimed Kamal fanboy. It is too early to say if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but for now, it is an effective thing. The showstealer, however, is definitely Suriya, who crops up at the right time to say the right things and set the stage for whatever big Lokesh Kanagaraj has planned with the likes of Suriya, Karthi, and, of course, Kamal Haasan.

Vikram scores the highest when it turns to Anbariv masters’ wonderful stunt choreography. There is inventiveness in the mundane, grandeur in the night shoots and the liberal usage of cars and bikes, and even the health condition of Vikram’s grandson allows the team to play a lot with sights, sounds, and dark comedy. In fact, the writing also has space for comedy in the most unexpected of places, and the lines land quite well. And of course, the guns. There are a couple of wonderfully shot stunt sequences featuring guns that will definitely be the highlight of the film. The assortment of weapons in Vikram, and the grotesque ways of killing someone are both arresting and disturbing. 

The core plot of Vikram is a “big star” favourite — “A drug-free State”. We saw variations of this issue being tackled by some of our biggest stars in Master, Valimai, and Darbar. In Vikram, the antagonist is strong enough for the stakes to be high, and that always provides the best elevation for the hero. As always, Lokesh doesn't really concentrate on writing effective woman characters, but he is making slow and steady strides in that space with the character played by Gayathrie, who gets a far better deal than the women in Sandhanam's life.

As someone who shares the Kamal Haasan fanboy trait with Lokesh, the most impressive thing about the latter’s writing is the restraint shown in keeping “tribute” scenes for his idol. It is restricted to a few passing scenes, and it greatly works in the film’s favour. It is only in the final act that Lokesh almost lets the reins off to allow Kamal Haasan tributes to make their way into the film. We have a Nayagan reference, and more than just a few Vikram references. However, in the larger scheme of things, it is good that Kamal Haasan, the writer-director, took a backseat and adjusted to the new world of Lokesh Kanagaraj.

They say one can’t teach an old dog new tricks… But Vikram is no ordinary circus, Lokesh Kanagaraj is no ordinary trainer and Kamal Haasan is no ordinary beast.

Kamal Haasan is a Lion… 

And as they say… 

Once a lion, always a lion. 

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