Plot Summary – Vikram, a pragmatic policeman, and his partner Simon are on the hunt to capture Vedha. When Vedha voluntarily surrenders, he offers to tell Vikram a story, throwing Vikram’s life into disarray.

Language – Tamil

★★★★★ 

Watched  24 Mar, 2021

Vikram Vedha is a modern-day adaptation of the popular Indian story, the Baital Pachisi, popularly known as ‘Vikram and Betal” and it is one of the most conceptually interesting films I’ve ever watched. It’s been a while since a film has made me question the morality of both the antagonist and the protagonist so much. It’s a very layered film and both Madhavan’s Vikram and Sathupathi’s Vedha are incredibly three-dimensional. Vikram’s story arc is so interesting and his transition from viewing the world through a lens of black and white to appreciating the gradient of grey is such a treat. The direction by the only husband-wife directing duo in Asia, Pushkar-Gayathri is so well done as they balance the different tones and settings of this film while maintaining a somewhat grounded yet stylized look and feel for the film. K Manikandan should be given credit for his crafting of the intricate dialogues and moral questions as the film would not have been the same with a lesser screenplay (which I could not fully appreciate due to the poor subtitles). Madhavan and Sethupathi give these incredible performances as the leads and they carry the energy and charisma throughout the film. Even Achyuth Kumar as Vikram’s boss and Kathir as Pulli give fantastic performances. Sethupathi embodies Vedha with so much heart and swagger that he becomes more of an antihero in the audience’s eyes in the likes of Loki. He’s just so likeable and charming that you feel instantly gravitated towards him. On a deeper level, the questions of right and wrong that this film poses stay embedded in your mind long after you’ve finished it’s runtime. I could easily watch another hour or two of these two actors and their insane chemistry. The ending and climax of the film are also so well done that you feel satisfied in the end while also yearning for more. South Indian cinema delivers yet again in Vikram Vedha, I highly recommend this film.