Action packed Vikram packing up movie theatres

Indian actor Kamal Haasan keeps the action fast and tight in Vikram, which has had raving reviews in India’s media. Photo courtesy of wallpaperaccess.com

KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 – Local cinema theatre operators like Golden Screen Cinemas and TGV Cinemas Sdn Bhd will be happily noting the crowd Tamil movie Vikram has been pulling since its opening last Thursday.

Vikram, starring popular actor Kamal Haasan, has been seeing full houses almost at all the screenings the local theatres have been playing. The cinemas have been playing the movie in multiple slots.

Besides the box office pull of the dashing Kamal Haasan, known for his acting prowess, and the promotional trailers promising a good movie, the easing up of on Covid-19 scare could have also played a factor for many to come out and enjoy the movie in the big screen.

But what about the movie itself, which also has actor Fahadh Faasil playing the role of a cop investigating the death of another cop who is portrayed as a competent cop turned militant and branded a terrorist at various junctures of the movie?

For some of the Weekly Echo’s staff who had seen the movie, it was a tad too violent. For another, a Kamal Haasan fan, it was action packed all the way, with an interesting plot that deals with the underworld of drug lords and their manufacturing and trafficking of drugs, their influence and links with corrupted officials in the police force and the fight to stay in power with drug money.

Actor Fahadh Faasil plays the role of a cop who investigates the murder of another cop. Photo courtesy of wallpaperaccess.com

The cinematic entertainment was not lost despite the gory scenes and violence, and it was not any worse than some of the violence portrayed in many other Hollywood or Asian movies, the fan said.

“Not for the faint heart for sure, Vikram nevertheless showcases the versatility and the ageless appeal of Kamal Haasan who is known to go to great lengths to provide his movies the extra edge. Good or bad, right or wrong, Vikram does have its heart-tugging moment and the smouldering good looks of Fahadh Faasil with his character woven into the main story had its appeal.”

The cinema impact aside, the shocking violence in the movie is abhorrent, said writer Bhavani Krishna Iyer, who also expressed concerns that movies like Vikram could be a bad influence on young and impressionable minds.

“It can desensitise young people – who look up to influential people like Kamal Haasan – to violence and let them think that there is nothing wrong in bloody violence including the torture and bashing up of wrongdoers.”

–WE