Vikram review: Kamal Haasan shines in this overlong but enjoyable love letter from fan Lokesh Kanagaraj

Lokesh Kanagaraj, who has made a strong mark with films such as Kaithi (2019) and Master (2021), is evolving into a filmmaker Tamil cinema needs to take seriously and celebrate. What he has attempted, and achieved, with his latest film Vikram (2022), which marks the glorious comeback of Kamal Haasan after a lull, is something not many filmmakers could have envisioned, let alone executed.

A self-confessed Kamal Haasan fan, Lokesh pays heartfelt tribute to his guru while at the same time turning Vikram (a sequel of sorts to the veteran's 1986 film of the same name) into the beginning of a franchise, one that is probably going to keep him active for a few more years.

Vikram begins where Lokesh’s Kaithi left off. Months after the biggest drug bust by the Tamil Nadu police, two containers full of drugs have gone missing in Chennai and local gangs have to retrieve them at any cost before crime lord and leader of the drug mafia Rolex (Suriya) takes charge and makes everybody pay. Meanwhile, a group of masked men are on a killing spree, taking the lives of some high-ranking officers, which includes a young officer (played by Kalidas) in the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Kamal Haasan plays Karnan. When his son becomes the latest victim of the masked gang, he sets out on a mission for revenge. What feels like just another tale of revenge soon turns into a mission orchestrated by Karnan, who is introduced much later as Agent Vikram (the character essayed by Kamal Haasan in the 1986 film).

You have got to hand it to Lokesh Kanagaraj for smartly bringing back Kamal Haasan’s highly underrated Agent Vikram character more than three decades later and using it so effectively in a story that could not have been told better.

The film does falter at places and isn’t consistently engaging, but it manages to smartly merge key characters from Lokesh’s Kaithi and set the stage for what could be Tamil cinema’s biggest franchise in the making.

What Lokesh achieves with Vikram, which does feel slightly bloated at nearly three hours long, is to give new-generation audiences a glimpse of Kamal Haasan’s versatility. It is rewarding to see the veteran shine after a long time.

The film allows Kamal Haasan to have a lot of fun, and he is solidly complemented by Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi, who make their presence felt with strong performances. If you can look beyond some of Vikram's rough edges, this is easily the most satisfying love letter to Kamal Haasan from Lokesh Kanagaraj, who is probably his biggest fan.

It is amazing to see Kamal Haasan warm up to a young filmmaker’s sensibilities and be willing to not hog all the limelight in the movie. For most of the first half, he is nowhere to be seen but makes a solid impact in the scenes he does appear in. Fahadh Faasil gets the next most meaty part of the ensemble cast and is terrific.

Vijay Sethupathi continues to shine in peculiar roles that are best suited for his personality, and it’s refreshing to see Lokesh use him efficiently once again after Master. Anirudh Ravichander’s music, especially the background score, plays a pivotal role in amplifying the experience of watching Vikram on the big screen, apart from the terrific action sequences. Suriya’s brief but powerful cameo is just the high one needs as you step out of Vikram.

Vikram was released in cinema halls today.