Vikram

The buildup and marketing to Lokesh Kanagaraj's Kamal Hassan starrer "Vikram" has been nothing short of all-encompassing, driven primarily by the fact that the 36-year old young director is yet to direct a sub-par movie, with "Maanagaram (2017)", "Kaithi (2019)" and "Master (2021)", all having been well-received by audiences. And the precocious storyteller delivers, with a mazy yet continuously engaging crime saga with resounding mass elevation sequences and enough emotional hooks to keep the audience invested.

3-time National Award winner for Best Actor Kamal Hassan stars as a grieving father heartbroken at the loss of his son, who was a policeman investigating the burgeoning drug mafia in Chennai and who had, before his mysterious murder, uncovered a staggering cache of illegal drugs the syndicate safeguarded . Enter Fahadh Faasil, a black ops specialist charged with unraveling the mystery around the carnage unleashed by the cartel as a result. Vijay Sethupathi stars as the head honcho of the vicious and vengeful mafia operation and is first shown to the audience in one of the most intricately weaved, deliciously bonkers intro sequences for an antagonist in recent memory.

It is testament to Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial genius that he manages to give his three lead actors enough room to develop their characters and build a connect with the viewers. If it is Sethupathi's quirky eccentricities that catch the eye, Fahadh's intensity weaves a subplot of its own while Kamal excels in the emotional sequences. Lokesh Kanagaraj had told us to rewatch his classic "Kaithi (2019)" before we went to theaters to watch "Vikram" and with good reason, with the two movies being intricately connected and seemingly leading up to an extensive LKU-A mouth-watering Lokesh Kanagaraj Universe! A fantastic cameo from superstar Suriya is the cherry on the cake, with the actor looking the most stylish and massy he has in years!

The director's penchant for crime thrillers, retro music and biryani continues to hold good for "Vikram" with Anirudh Ravichander's music rendering a soaring sheen to the narrative being built. The callbacks and references to old Kamal classics blend smoothly with the storytelling and are never jarring or contrived. The actor's phenomenal voice modulation and expressive eyes elevate even simple sequences to another level, especially his interactions with his toddler grandson.

Master stunt choreographer duo Anbariv continue the same rich vein of form they displayed in the KGF franchise, but this time sacrificing the larger canvas for more close-quarters, hand-to-hand combat in tight spaces. Girish Gangadharan's cinematographer is other-worldly as usual, soaking up the bone-crunching action in all its glory. Editor Philomin Raj also deserves praise for ensuring that a movie with a seemingly daunting 3 hour run-time is never boring at any stretch.

While you might see many of the plot's twists coming, the visual grammar, treatment and picturization takes your breath away, nevertheless. "Vikram" is yet another endeavor from a superstar fanboy that pays rich dividends, along the lines of Prithviraj's Mohanlal tribute "Lucifer (2019)", Karthik Subbaraj's Rajnikanth-starrer "Pettah (2019)" as well as Amal Neerad's ode to Mammootty, "Bheeshma Parvam (2022)". Highly recommended! Long live the Lokesh Kanagaraj universe!

Not Kamal Haasan Not Fahad Fazil Not Vijay Sethupathi Not Surya Lokesh is the Real Hero

Utilised the Cast perfectly ... BGM, Theatre Experience was lit 🔥

All Three KamalHassan, FahadFaasil, VJSethupathi Dominates & Drives the Whole movie, which they kept us on Edge of the Seat. Best & Continuous Action & Violence Sequences Made in Recent times Better than KGF < Vikram. Loki's Writing Screenplay Direction Makes us shocks - Twists - Goosebumps - Repeat. Waiting for his Multiverse Connections. Anirudh Extraordinary, Stunning, HollywoodRange BGM😳 was unbelievable. Young Anirudh was Proud of TamilCinema & Gem for IndianIndustries. ActionPacked Must watch Thriller Totally Made for Theatre experience.

KH is back with a bang in this action movie. The action scenes are raw and chilling. Every character has brilliant characteristics and are used brilliantly to the screenplay. Fahad Fazil has a good emotional part. Do watch if you like raw action movies!!

The greatest challenge for Lokesh Kanagaraj, as a filmmaker, wasn't just to offer several hoot-worthy moments for fans of Kamal Hassan, but to come up with a first-of-its-kind pure action film featuring a trio of actors who are known for their spectacular performances. His packaging totally delivers, with a fantastic outing for all the guys involved. Plotwise speaking, Vikram is basically The Batman set in Chennai. A serial killer is on the loose, and a special ops team is tasked with finding the culprit. While that's just one way of putting it across, Vikram is a lot beyond that. It's also about a father avenging his son's death, and a massive drug bust; it's also about gangsters, special agents, and rogue cops - Lokesh's universe-building skills are excellent!

I'm SO GLAD Lokesh chose these actors to play their respective roles. Vijay Sethupathi's antagonist act is even more menacing than the one in Master, and when he's high, he's next-level. Fahadh Faasil essentially holds the proceedings together in the first half, in a solid feat that keeps getting better. As for Hassan, this is a film where the director just lets him run amok, going absolutely wild in the set-pieces. Speaking of the set-pieces (choreographed by Anbariv), these are some of the most well-crafted and staged works you'll see in an Indian film in a good while. DOP Girish Gangadharan captures all the pyro-filled beauty of the action, while also using close-ups to pick up the subtler expressions of the dashing trio.

And there is no Vikram without Anirudh Ravichander, whose remarkable music and background score elevate the film to greater heights. The riff-filled theme music is one that'll stay on my playlist for a pretty long time. The editing by Philomin Raj ensures a certain pace to the film's events, even when it shows signs of slowing down. Suriya's late entry sparks even more delight when he's playing a full-blown baddie, with chances of him squaring off against Dilli (from Kaithi) all the more possible now. Yes, (re)watch Kaithi before seeing Vikram for an enhanced universe-building experience.