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.
