After a three-week wait since the trailer for Lokesh Kanagaraj’s highly awaited film was released, the film aptly titled Vikram was released last week in theatres all over the world. Since then, this film has been raging at the box office as the day goes by. The action film has wowed viewers and lavished praises on each and every character’s performance.

There isn’t a single wasted moment with Vikram.

Readers Alert!! This review includes major spoilers, so skip it if you haven’t watched Vikram yet.

The movie starts with the highly celebrated song Pathala Pathala, which is performed by Kamal Haasan. We all know Kamal is a fantastic dancer, and now, after all these years, we finally get to witness him performing the Dapang Kuthu song. Following that, Karnan (Kamal Haasan), the father of slain police officer Prabanchan (Kalidas Jayaram), is killed by a group of masked individuals calling it a “war on the system,” leaving the viewer to ponder what the connection is.

Then there’s Amar (Fahadh Faasil), the film’s scene-stealer. The Police Chief deploys the Black Squad, an intelligence unit headed by Amar, to investigate and track down the masked guys.

The deeper Amar and his team dig into Karnan’s background, the more baffled he becomes as he learns several faces of Karnan, like whether he is an alcoholic parent grieving the death of his son, a womaniser, or something else completely. Fahadh’s performance throughout the film was really praiseworthy. You can never get enough of him since he handles his part so well.

Villain VJS entry. Vijay Sethupathi (Sandhanam) plays a nasty drug lord with a large extended family comprising 3 wives who is on the prowl for a load of raw materials that might turn him into a mogul. His character is connected to Lokesh’s previous blockbuster hit Kaithi, where in that movie a huge load of drugs was captured by police and in this film, VJS is on the mission to get back that load of drugs. His entry in this movie is just on another level, the way he walks, and the way he portrays the character is just eccentric, portraying his character well. P/S, we need more VJS villainisim.

Surya’s cameo as Rolex oops, Rolex Sir as the boss of a cocaine cartel in this film is spectacular. Surya’s five-minute antagonistic act in this action film can be described as the deadliest villain he has ever played to date. If this cameo was kept a secret, it would undoubtedly add to the film’s wow factor. (I hope there would be a sequel for this role, Loki sir) He is called Nadipin Nayagan for a reason.

The supporting characters have plenty of whistle-worthy moments too. One of my fav was the reveal of Agent Tina that caused a loud whistle to reverberate throughout the hall. This lady’s disclosure was one of Vikram’s several unexpected twists and had everyone on the edge of their seats. She went into full Beast mode. (You would know why when you watch the movie)

Apart from the brilliant screenplay, direction, character portrayals, and so on, the most vital element that brought this film a huge success and tremendous applause from the audience was Anirudh’s music. This young maestro composed each and every beat in the bgm in such a way that music blends seamlessly with Vikram’s bizarre sequences. Anirudh has nailed his scope given without you realising the stomping of your feet throughout the film. This has to be Anirudh’s finest masterpiece yet and I don’t think it can be topped by anyone else.

The stunt scenes in the film were also outstanding. Every action scene in this film was meticulously crafted toward being antagonistically crisp. This is a treat for all Kamal fans, as it has been a long time since the 67-year-old has been in an action scene and he undoubtedly blasted the action sequels in this film. Also, a huge kudos for the flawless camera work. There’s a particular fight scene that happens on an open field, this scene resulted in our eyes and mouths wide open due to its compelling show.

Lokesh nailed the direction, the way he built up the audience’s excitement in the first half was terrific. You know Loki has the thing that keeps you hooked to the film entirely. Loki is meritorious when it comes to detail, from the way he expresses how a person reacts when he is petrified to mentioning elements in pharmaceutical drugs. From there we know how much he delves into the writing and is dedicated when it comes to detailing.

Vikram is an edge-of-the-seat thriller thanks to each character’s raw and powerful performances, the film’s crisp screenplay and superb music score, as well as terrific action scenes was definitely worth the wait.

If I had to sum Vikram out in one word, it would be, nothing short but spectacular!

Let’s wait in full anticipation and see what’s up in Lokesh’s next Multiuniverse cine field.