Vishwaroopam

My review: Vishwaroopam

Amidst all the controversy when one watch Kamalhassan's magnum opus "Vishwaroopam" one can't but wonder what the hoopla is all about. Why the hell Muslims in India should get upset by portrayal of Afghani terrorists being hunt down by a Tamil Muslim RAW officer. On the contrary like every one the Muslim populace will also hail the manner in which one among them is shown as a dutiful, courageous yet religious all the same. One can't but help doubt the real intentions of all those who get upset by the portrayal of the Afghani terrorists in the movie. 

Movie deals with how people get brainwashed into terrorism and the disastrous fall out of the same,  socio-political problems due to it. It also traces the story of a team of RAW officers trying to spoil a terrorist operation which could have disastrous consequences. Neither the story nor the characters in the movie have anything to do with maligning the Tamil Muslims. 

Kamalhassan seem to have done a lots of research before embarking on the making of this movie. The authentic portrayal of life on the edge of people in the interiors of Afghanistan is very moving. Where the regular game for the kids is mime shooting, toys are the ammunition and guns, where a growing kid's future plan is predecided by the terrorist father as that of becoming a terrorist, where no one knows when will the end would come. One telling and well researched scene is when a suicide bomber is shown to a person with subnormal intelligence. It is  a well known fact that among most of those who are recruited as suicide bombers almost all have low IQ, areemotionally unstable and easily indoctrinated. Well done, director and writer Kamalhassan.

Kamalhassan, the technician has had a field day. This is technically by far the most superior movie that has come out of India, on par with any international product. Technical team consisting of the director Kamalhassan, cinematographer Sanu George Varghese, Editor Mahesh Narayanan and the production team, take a bow. Technical brilliance at many places reiterate the fact that Kamalhassan is not only an actor par excellence, he is a world class technician too. The action scenes are made with minute attention to details thus creating a big impact on the viewers. Visual effects are brilliant. 

Kamalhassan, the actor has not been challenged by the writer-director Kamalhassan. This role he could play even in half sleep. Initially as an effeminate Kathak dancer he tickles the audience with his brilliant body language and voice modulation. Later as the Kashmiri youth who is getting training with the al-Qaeda he has completely changed himself physically into a fit young terrorism trainee. And finally as the dashing RAW officer he wows the audience with his style and elegance. The one scene where he transforms into his real self is a WOW scene that brings down the roof with his fans going bonkers. 

Finally coming on to Kamalhassan, the writer, he has taken up a challenging subject and has been honest to it. If only he had made the screenplay a bit more racy and exciting, there would have not been any scope to complain. Screenplay lags throughout the movie, scenes are long drawn out, as a result of which what could have a taut thriller, fails to be it. To make the matters worse, the background score is abysmal. It is non-existent in most parts (the songs fill in the gaps in the background) and fails to enhance the thrill and tension of the crucial scenes. Even an average background score could have infused a little more excitement. Shankar-Ehsan-Loy are the music directors but don't know whether they did the background score. 

Brilliant, witty and thought provoking lines make up the dialogue department, written by Kamalhassan. 

Among others in the cast Pooja Kumar is earnest in her effort but one can't but get reminded of Asin's Andal of Dasavatharam, equally screechy and at times irritating. Andrea and Sekhar Kapur don't have much work to do. Rahul Bose is menacing as Omar.

On the whole, "Vishwaroopam" is the most technically advanced movie from India till date, screenplay could have been a bit more exciting. 

Bottomline: Worth the money for its technical brilliance.

3.5/5