Kamal Haasan reveals connection between Vikram (1986) and upcoming Lokesh Kanagaraj film

Kamal Haasan is at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where the trailer of his upcoming film, Vikram, will be screened. On the sidelines of the event, the prolific actor spoke briefly to Film Companion about his upcoming film. 

Towards the end of the chat, Kamal was asked a question, which is perhaps in the mind of anyone who is looking forward to the film's release. It is, of course, the connection between the upcoming film and his old film, Vikram (1986). Kamal said, "Except for one incident, it's not there. I made up a story for the first Vikram, which they thought was too maverick, and it didn't have enough songs. So, when he (Lokesh) came back and said he wanted to call it Vikram, I casually shared the story. He said he liked it and wanted to develop it. But he has taken it in his own way... very Quintin Tarantino-ish. You will see."

Talking about the hype surrounding the film, Kamal Haasan said, "At certain times, certain good films don't get the exposure. But thanks to technology (web and net), any film with due diligence will get exposure. That's what has happened to Vikram. And there are my fans online who have taken it up as if they have been told to."

When asked how it was to work with Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil, and if he saw them as competitors, Kamal said, "I always think of any talent as competition - across gender. That doesn't matter. For me, the winner should be the film... At times, you might work with people where you have to babysit fellow actors. However, not with these guys. They are grownups. There's talent. So, I had to just take care of myself."

He added, "Above all, this group of people I worked with in Vikram... they all love me. That works like a trampoline. You go higher than you possibly can."

The Vikram hero also spoke about Suriya's cameo in the film calling it an incredible special appearance towards the end. "It's no longer a rumour now. His role might possibly take the story further to 'Part 3'," he said. This further reinforces the speculations that director Lokesh Kanagaraj's films Kaithi, Vikram, and a possible upcoming film are all set in the same universe. This also means that we might get some more crossovers in the future! 

Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Vikram, also stars Narain, Chemban Vinod, Swathishta Krishnan, Gayathrie Shankar, Harish Uttaman, and Shivani Narayanan. The film is set to be released on June 3.