Vikram Telugu Movie ReviewBOTTOM LINE

Minor Thrills With Solid Cast

OUR RATING
2.5/5

CENSOR

•UA•


Kamal-Haasan-VIKRAM-Movie-ReviewWhat Is the Film About?

When a cocaine container worth boatload money goes missing and few killings happen, Amar (Fahadh Faasil) takes charge of the investigation with his undercover team. During the process, he becomes aware of Karnan (Kamal Haasan) and Maskman.

Santhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) is a dreaded and ruthless drug peddler who is after his container. How do the paths of Amar, Karnan and Santhanam cross each other? What is Karnan’s primary motive and how it ends is Vikram’s basic plot.

Performances

First of all, ‘length’ shouldn’t be the prerequisite for measuring the impact. With that in mind, Lokesh Kanagaraj gives enough meat for the three (Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, and Fahadh Faasil) to leave an impact in their unique ways.

The legend Kamal Haasan plays a character with a few shades to it. He is the protector, the aggressor and a ghost. The actor does his part well, with glimpses of his quintessential swag. However, the one emotional moment during the second hour stands out over the rest. Age does show its effect, but it isn’t that distracting.

Fahadh Faasil is quite literally the hero of Vikram in the first half. He plays a smart, decisive yet hard-nosed investigative officer with subtlety and intensity in his inimitable style. His portions are subsequently reduced in the second half, but he is still prominently visible and works as part of the narrative.

And finally, Vijay Sethupathi plays an all-out baddie. His is the most impactful part of the three despite the less run time. Whenever he arrives on the scene, Sethupathi steals the show. But, it is a one-dimensional part and lacks depth.

It is an extremely tough job for any filmmaker to balance the roles of star performers. It gets even more complicated when you have three powerhouse performers at your disposal. However, Lokesh Kanagaraj almost manages to pull it off with remarkable effort.


Director-Lokesh-KanagarajAnalysis

Lokesh Kanagaraj of Khaidi and Master fame directs Vikram. Much like his last outing (Master), the casting is what drew attention to the project in the first place. Lokesh Kanagaraj weaves a simple story featuring them.

The movie opens on an intriguing note (revealing which would be a spoiler). The same tempo is maintained as it moves forward. However, the repetition wherein Karnan is under-currently eulogised as a ghost gets tiresome after a point. We get it that Karnan (and metaphorically Kamal Haasan) is a legend, but it feels overdone after a point.

It is only when the other character is introduced, and we move towards the pre-interval and interval that momentum is felt again. The bits and pieces of intrigue come together neatly around this point. It leads to a decent interval where one could see it coming from miles.

The second half starts well, and the focus shifts to why things are happening the way they are. An emotional angle and purpose are revealed in the process. Once it is done. Vikram moves onto a routine action drama zone. It is very predictable and gets over the top as the narrative progresses.

A major key factor hampering the enjoyment all through is the runtime. By the time we reach the climax, the impact is felt through the weariness. It is mainly due to the bloated narrative giving equal importance to the three leads.

The climax is over the top and way-way long than necessary. The action is shot well but feels like an overkill. It all ends on a positive note with a killer cameo, though.

Overall, Vikram is a regular action potboiler with thriller elements storywise. The casting and the hybrid genre make it exciting, but the excessive length dilutes the impact. It ends up as a tiresome watch with some fabulous blocks and hence a one-time watch.


Vijay-Sethupathi-VIKRAM-Movie-ReviewPerformances by Others Actors

There is hardly anything to do for the rest when you have guys like Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil heading the cast. The focus is firmly on them. And yet Vikram still has a solid supporting cast if we go by names. Narain, Arjun Das, Kalidas Jayaram, Gayathrie Shankar (as Fahadh love interest), Chemban, Marimuthu, Ramesh Tilak and Aruldoss are part of the movie. It’s an excellent ensemble, but they have very little to do compared to the main players.

And last but not least, Suriya appears in a show-stealing cameo towards the end. He is terrific within less than a minute part with an intense and stylish act.

Music-director-anirudh-ravichanderMusic and Other Departments?

Anirudh, who is in the form of his life, comes up with another terrific work. He lifts the proceedings whenever necessary with his electrifying background score. The action scenes mainly reach the next level with his crazy turn.

Vikram is technically slick with excellent cinematography, art direction and action choreography. The writing is fine throughout. However, when it comes to editing, it should have been sharper. As it stands, the current runtime is a dampener.


Highlights?

Casting
Technical Values
BGM
Suriya Cameo
Action Blocks

Drawbacks?

Length
Lack Of Emotional Connect
Routine Climax


Fahadh-Faasil-VIKRAM-Movie-ReviewDid I Enjoy It?

Yes, in parts

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, with reservations

Vikram Telugu Movie Review by M9News

Final Report:

Technically superior, intriguing in parts, terrific casting but don’t buy all the hype and go in with low expectations. Vikram should be a one-time watch. Detailed review coming shortly.

— Vikram is now heading towards the climax with a heavy dose of action.

— Vikram second half started. Kamal is back in action.

Fahadh Faasil leads the actors in the first half followed by the other two, Kamal and Vijay Sethupathi.

First Half Report:

Vikram is a thriller that remains in serious mode from the start. The screenplay and intriguing bits hold the attention and it all culminates in a decent interval.

The downside is the length which makes the narrative tiring at times. It’s way too long and indulgent for a thriller.

— Santhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) enters the show. He is a hub for several illegal activities.

— Mask man (man wearing a mask) kills few people. And a cocaine container goes missing. Fahad and team is digging out the connections.

— Vikram takes off on a thriller mode. After a twist to Karnan (Kamal)’s character, Amar (Fahad) who leads a sleeper investigative team for govt started investigating the case.

— Vikram show started. Digital with Disney Plus Hotstar.

Vikram Review, U.S. Premiere updates will begin shortly. Stay tuned.

Movie : VIKRAM
Starring: Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil. Banner: Raaj Kamal films International
Produced by : Kamal Haasan & R.Mahendran Written & Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj Music: Anirudh Ravichander Cinematographer: Girish Gangadharan Action: Anbariv
Editor: Philomin Raj
Dance Choreography: Sandy
Art Direction: N. Sathees Kumar
Costume designers: Pallavi Singh, V.Sai, Kavitha.J Make-Up: Sasi Kumar
Dialogue Writer: Rathna Kumar ,Lokesh Kanagaraj PRO: Diamond Babu
Stills: G.Anand Kumar
Publicity Designer: Gopi Prasannaa Sound Designer: SYNC Cinemas
Sound Mixer :Kannan Ganapat
VFX: UNIFI Media, VFX Phantom, Real Works Studio
DI: IGENE
Production Controller: M.Senthil
Associate Director: Magesh Balasubramaniam, Santhosh Krishnan, Sathya, Venki, Vishnu Edavan, Madras Logi Vignesh.
Making Video Edit : P.Sarath Kumar
Digital Marketing : Pulse
Executive Producer: S.Disney

Composed by Anirudh Ravichander
Lyrics – Heisenberg
Vocals – Anirudh Ravichander