“It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.” - Roger Ebert
Movies have always been a niche in my life for a very long time. Though I can never afford to call myself a cinema geek, I have always been into movies, spending hours savoring and interpreting different films. My preferences were mostly Hollywood but of course, you can never say no to your authentic Kollywood at times. My mom, on the other hand, enjoys Tamil movies to the fullest and is a guide to most of the recent releases. Thanks to her that this hostliet can be updated then and now on the latest releases and upcoming projects. Still, having a theatre experience has always been one of the rarest happenings. Most of our movie times were on our couches right in front of our T.V. at the mercy of the broadcasters or OTT platforms and I hardly complain.
It was my mom who brought Vikram’s first teaser to my notice and I remember being super excited to find out what lies behind the grandeur. Beyond doubt, the movie was one of the most anticipated releases of 2022 and was in the radar of everyone. After almost a year and half wait, we finally got to know that the movie is hitting cinemas this June. Being pretty much lost in keeping up with the updates, I was not quite sure with the dates. But, thanks to my colleagues and students who get to share their favourites from time to time. Adding to the excitement of receiving the great star Kamal Hassan on screen, the personalized reviews from my mutuals after the release encouraged me to witness the grand picture by myself.
A week ago, on Father’s Day, one of the rarest things happened; my family planned a day out and it was declared as a movie day. After nudging my family for a while, my mom decided to book the tickets for the day. The day finally came and amidst the hustle, we did secure our seats and were ready to experience the picture myself.
The Movie (Spoiler Alert):
Though I have been a movie lover for a long time, I have never been specific about the production team or who got to work behind the screen. Hailing from a literary background, I truly believe that the author is dead when the work is done. So, it is all about the two and half hours “I” spend enjoying the content I get to watch on screen. I either dwell too much into a character’s characterization and acting or dive in deep into the plot’s drive. However, things were different this time. There are a few movies that I relish in and would take them to my grave, and one such movie is Kaithi (2019) starring Karthi. And, Vikram again being one of the creations from the same director, Lokesh Kanagaraj stirred up my expectations.
After getting comfortable in my seat, I was ready for the yet to begin journey. Undoubtedly, the movie snatches our attention from the very beginning, engaging us with back to back incidents. Initially anybody would be overwhelmed with all that’s happening around, even I did and that’s the most enthralling part of the movie, you can’t afford to fall behind. Surprisingly, the first half of the movie briefly gives a glimpse of Kamal Hassan’s charm in a dance sequence and greatly compliments Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi’s acting by buying them most of the screen time . I am not sure about you but I couldn’t just resist myself from falling in love with the Commander of the Black-ops Squad, Amar (Fahadh Faasil). Starting from the cinematic introduction to his meticulous gestures can never go unnoticed. Fahadh Faasil is no stranger to us but trust me, when I say this character hits us hard and you can’t help but be captivated. The character is just simply genius crafted to travel with us and help us unmuddle the puzzles while tailing the dead commoner, Karnan (Kamal Hassan).
Vijay Sethupathi on the other hand irrefutably threatens us and makes us tremble as Sandhanam with his intimidating aura. Despite his darker character, we do find a human in him whenever he is responsible for a family of 60+ members. I am still not sure how this particular drug lord who is capable of cutting off heads could show the signs of being humane as a family man. But, when we discovered that his house was about to be blown off, the first person on the other side of the screen who wanted everybody to be safe was me. Seriously, I was more petrified.
The suspense still continues with a series of edgy events and murders. While enjoying the depth of every character and their details, we get introduced to one of my most favourite characters, Mr. Bejoy (Narain). With the fact that I didn’t get to see the extended trailer of the movie and didn’t know that Narain was one among the cast, I was genuinely so happy seeing him. Like, I literally traveled with this man for two and a half hours in a lorry amidst all the chaos. Anybody who watched Kaithi will agree with me. Shortly, we get to know why Bejoy has joined the team of masked killers and learn about the tragic death of his family. At this point, nobody dared to touch me. I instantly remembered uncle Dilli (Karthi) giving him a pair of gold earrings for Bejoy’s little girl and now, she is dead? My heart literally sank at this point and before I could collect myself, we were treated by the YouTube gang feasting us with rich visuals of mouth watering biryani at a wedding. Honestly, the wedding sequence is one of my most favourite of all time and it is where we get to untangle prevailing mystery. The segment where the Vetti Vagaiyara gang sneak in their weapons is definitely a sleek sight and not to forget the bombastic entry and exit of the masked men. And, when you are right at the edge of your seats to find Karnan still being alive and leading the team of five masked men, you break for the intermission.
As expected, the second half of the movie is the falling action where you start unraveling things. Amar, our intelligent agent figures out the actual face behind the commoner, Karnan and explains the background story of the chief of the 1987 Pilot Black squad, Vikram (Kamal Hassan) who has been living under the false identity of Karnan. At this point, things get heated up. And, here we have another scene I enjoyed; Vikram dashing inside a prison and releasing his team. Despite me not being a huge fan of fight sequences, I really loved the daring gesture and formations during the fight. And, as we travel along, we also get introduced to the other three agents from 1987 Pilot Black squad earlier mentioned by Amar as 4 among the 11 members of the Pilot Black squad whose bodies were never found. Trust me, the revealing of these secret agents is one of the classiest things we find in the movie. I am still processing it!
In this half of the movie, the plot shifts its focus from expeditious fights to an emotive narrative of the tragic happenings in the life of the strongest protagonists, Amar and Vikram. Initially, the movie begins with an officer ceasing the raw substance of cocaine and later being killed by the masked trio. We later understand that it is none other than Vikram’s biological son. Vikram’s son is also a father which means Vikram is now even more responsible in saving his precious grandson. As for Amar, his wife is beheaded by Santhanam as an act of revenge for demolishing his home and the lab. The consecutive happenings successfully trigger the audience to hate the antagonist with all might.
With much agony and distress, the protagonists gear up for the big battle. The climax is set in an old weaponry; a place where it all started and is going to end. The final fight sequence is something that you have to experience yourself. The amount of times where the director plays with your emotions is no joke. And, how can I miss the scene where Kamal Hassan single handedly pulls an artillery and starts firing at anything and everything he sees. And, yes, of course, Vikram wins by blowing off Santhanam along with his tons of drugs.
The scene blacks out and we get to witness a drug mafia meet after a week. Yes, yes, here comes the most anticipated scene of the entire film. Anbu (Arjun Das) enters!! I mean, who wouldn’t be happy that he is still alive? Like, I am 200% thankful to Napoleon for just breaking his jaw and not killing him… And, we have Adaikalam (Harish Uthaman) too!! Seriously, I am totally down for the brothers duo!! If only I can start explaining how riveting they looked together! Ahm… Okay, coming back, we have the pompous entry of Rolex (Surya) who is shown as the head of the entire drug smuggling gang. The cameo was definitely worth the hype as Rolex (Surya) carelessly sweeps away our attention and tightens us to our seats. The movie finally ends with him declaring himself as the king and is ready to hunt down anybody who stands in the middle of building his own empire. The cliffhanger certainly hints at a sequel and yes, we are down for it!
Highlights of the Movie
The Art of Storytelling
One of my most favourite traits of the director, Lokesh Kanagaraj, is his art of storytelling in this film. When some may complain that the plot was not complicated enough or it was pretty easy to find who Kamal Hassan was and connect a few other dots, I would like to make a point that it is not about how complex the maze is but how we are directed to reach the end. It is more of how the characters led us through their lens. From the start till the end, the movie just doesn’t let us relax in our chairs. I found myself on the edge of the seat for almost the entire film and gladly, I was not alone.
A Dramatic Narrative
Who doesn’t love drama? I just loved how the movie had a dramatic narrative that kept us in the state of “willing suspension of disbelief”. The vivid visuals and powerful action were effective in increasing the intensity of the storyline. We were emotionally connected to the characters and were able to empathize with their emotions gripped to the storyline and stayed focused throughout the movie.
The Characters and their Dynamics
The characters are one of the best things about the film. The characters were created in such a way that everyone stood out and had a role to help us follow the storyline. Obviously, the main protagonists and antagonists get to have the limelight but that never stopped the supporting roles from leaving an imprint on us. I could go on about the little details and gestures that made the cast stand out but the only justice is enjoying them by watching it on screen.
Undoubtedly, a huge shout out to the three other agents from 1987 Pilot Black squad, the black-ops squad, Vetti Vagaiyara and of course, my fav antagonist duo!
I am not sure if my words would suffice to explain Kamal Hassan’s perspicaciousness and ingenious acting. And for Fahadh Faasil, his character could be one of the huge outbreaks for him in the industry when Vijay Sethupathi continues to score as an antagonist in the hearts of many. Well, I can’t forget my favorite characters Bejoy, Adaikalam and Anbu jumping from Kaithi’s universe to strike us again with their characterization. Gawd! I need Kaithi 2 already!
I am still awestruck on how the film was able to showcase numerous emotions in a commercial film. Well, they just did it! To summarize, I wholeheartedly enjoyed each and every character and wouldn’t mind sitting through the movie a few more times just to appreciate the class of acting.
The different dynamics among the characters were also beautifully dealt in the movie. We were able to witness family sentiments, the loyalty of teammates, the never-dying tension between the good and evil at its best. Whether it’s the waning relationship between the daughter-in-law and her father-in-law or the pure love shared by the grandson and his grandfather which cannot be put in just words, we were able to confront them all. One of my favourable ones would be the bond shared among the masked killers, especially Bejoy and Vikram. They just share this dedication and trust in each other. And, the connection we feel between Amar and Vikram is just legit. Other than the similar characteristics we find in both determined agents, we find a familiarity as Gayathri (Amar’s wife in the movie) mentions. Amar’s admiration towards Vikram is just so genuine and relatable.
Finally, we must mention Rolex’s dynamics as an ambitious leader of the gang. The tension between the disappointed leader and the rest of the clan might actually send chills down your spine. And who would want to miss the subtle tension between Rolex and Anbu? Okay, yes, I am obsessed.
The Background Score
To talk about the background score is a must here! The entire industry knows about the man behind the hit tracklist, Anirudh Ravichander. I really loved the entire film score and to be more specific, I don’t think I can ever stop talking about the special music themes we had during the movie. It was topnotch! Whether it’s introducing a character or building up for an intense occurrence, the instrumentals just get us carried away. I would definitely say that the music score is definitely a gem in the crown and I am still waiting for the official tracklist with all the instrumentals to be released so I can blast them whenever I need.
Take Home
Being a commercial film, the picture still managed to give minute details on relationships and the vulnerability of the characters. The movie also had a focus on giving out the social message of a “Drug free society”. If you ever wondered why it is really important to eradicate drugs from our society, Vikram gives us a brief yet insightful explanation to that.
Well, to be honest, everybody is addicted to a drug in our lives just like Santhanam. We need to ingest it from time to time to keep us pumped up for the run. And, this drug I would like to call it love. During the final duel we find Santhanam intaking his drug and knocking down Vikram. The situation seems out of hand right before Amar brings Vikram’s grandson. After hearing the voice of his dear boy, the protagonist immediately regains his strength to beat the bad guy. If you ask me, I would say it is good to be addicted. Addicted to people, relationships and dreams that can push us to doing greater things. So, what is your addictive drug?
“One man’s revolution is another man’s terrorism,” states Bejoy to Amar during the interrogation and is by far one of my most favourite lines from the film. It just makes so much sense. Stepping out from the ordinary or just standing up for yourself is easily tagged as a rebellious act in times like these. And, this particular statement makes us realize the difference of perceptions and how we perceive things. We needn’t always expect other authentication to do good and anytime is the right time to revolutionize.
I did appreciate the grandeur of the picture but the only thing I found a little disturbing were the killings and fight sequences being too graphic. Probably we witnessed more beheadings than Henry VIII did in his lifetime. Well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger so, here I am!
Being a Kaithi enthusiast, I did have the perks of being more involved with the storyline and got excited whenever the references were made. And, the best part is internally screaming when Anbu returns! Yayyy!
Fortunately, viewers needn’t necessarily watch Kaithi to follow the storyline of Vikram but they will definitely be missing out on the little details. But, it’s never too late. You can always catch up!
Conclusion
After writing an essay for about 2000+ words, I am still finding it difficult to bring out a concluding paragraph. Let me just try anyway!
I must say that I really enjoyed the entire movie and was much more pleased than expected. Being able to witness an effective team’s collective work as a 2 hours movie was a pleasure and the hype is totally worth it. I am no professional critic to point out the how and why the blockbuster is setting new records but I am from the bottom of my heart, genuinely happy for what it is achieving. There was a time when I believed that people have started losing interest in flashy commercial movies but Vikram said otherwise. It is not what is served but how.
With Vikram, Lokesh Kanagaraj beautifies the art of storytelling and the cast exquisitely serves it on a platter!
What are your thoughts on Vikram? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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