Vikram is a film written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International. It has Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, and Fahadh Faasil in the lead roles while Narain, Kalidas Jayaram, Gayathrie Shankar and others play crucial supporting roles. Actor Suriya has played a cameo as well. The film has cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and music by Anirudh Ravichander.

It is widely known that Lokesh Kanagaraj is a huge fan of Kamal Haasan and all his films have been greatly inspired by Kamal films. When such a fanboy gets an opportunity to direct his idol, what does he do? The answer lies in Vikram.

Recently there have been many films of top tier actors made by directors who are the actors' ardent fans. But when was the last time, such a film was made with very little screentime for the star till the interval. In fact, with Vikram, Kamal Haasan is stripped of all his heroism while Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi steal all the thunder in the first half. And it is Vijay Sethupathi who gets a heroic introduction.

However the second half gives all Kamal fans one whistle worthy moment after another, and the man is in full form as Agent Vikram/Karnan. Just like Kaithi, there is a strong emotional base that is topped with stellar, stylish action blocks that make you go wow. The only difference is that, Kaithi was filled with brawls, while it is replaced with guns and firearms in Vikram.

Not just that, with Vikram, Lokesh has created his own universe of films that got its potential to be explored after the addition of Suriya (cameo as Rolex). The performances of all the leads look like a healthy competition between themselves as you have 3 acting monsters upfront in the form of Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh and the Ulaganayagan himself.

While the writing is slightly generic in a lot of places, they are made engaging by Anirudh's background score which is refreshing. He doesn't rely just on the 'Once Upon a Time' or Wasted themes to hype up the scenes. The variety in the background score is definitely a plus for the film.

Girish Gangadharan's camerawork captures Kamal's expressions with the right mix of close-ups and editor Philomin Raj deserves equal praise for that. Stunt sequences choreographed by Anbariv masters remind you of their work in KGF and Beast but there are clever subversions from those choreos which you'll realise while you watch the film.

Overall, with the writing and performances holding the film high for most parts, the music and cinematography only makes the experience better for us. More importantly, Lokesh has proven that it is possible for Tamil cinema to create a cinematic universe parallel to the cinematic universes of Hollywood. Vikram entertains and engages you well, and is definitely worth watching more than once.