Vikram is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Raaj Kamal Films International. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. Kalidas Jayaram, Narain and Chemban Vinod Jose play supporting roles while Suriya makes a cameo appearance as Rolex. The film's soundtrack and score are composed by Anirudh Ravichander, with cinematography handled by Girish Gangadharan and editing done by Philomin Raj. The film serves as the second installment in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). The plot follows a black-ops squad led by Agent Vikram, in which he aims a drug syndicate group called Vetti Vagaiyara, led by Sandhanam, who wants the missing drugs to be delivered to his cold-blooded boss Rolex.
The film is a spin off of the 1986 film of the same name and also shares a Cinematic Universe with Kaithi (2019). The film also features a remixed version of the theme song from the 1986 film. Principal photography began in July 2021 and ended in February 2022 with filming taking place across Tamil Nadu including Karaikudi, Chennai, Pondicherry, and Coimbatore. Vikram was released theatrically on 3 June 2022, and generally received positive reviews from critics, praising the film's narrative style, action sequences, technical aspects and cast performances (particularly Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi). The film grossed ₹500 crore (US$63 million) in 75 days and went on to become the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year and fourth highest-grossing Tamil film of all time.
Tropes shared by the film:
- Anti-Hero: Vikram. While he was a former black ops member, he is a caring grandfather and father to his own children. Once the city is overrun with drugs, he'll turn a drug lab into ashes if he wanted to.
- Big Bad: Sandhanam, a Drug Lord and leader of the Vetti Vagaiyara gang who wants the secret factory hiding a stash of weapons and ammunition to create a country where only drug lords can rule. Though, he's a small fry when to compared to Rolex, a drug kingpin who wants to make both Vikram and Dilli pay for ruining his drug trade.
- Bittersweet Ending: Vikram manages to destroy Sandham's gang and kills him, but Rolex wants revenge though Vikram had help: Dilli. Not to mention that Vikram's old team was dead but Bejoy and Amar join him in his quest to destroy Rolex's drug ring.
- The Cameo: Suriya appears as Rolex, a drug kingpin who is responsible to the events in this movie and the previous one.
- Chekhov's Gun: The secret factory that contains an army's worth of guns and ammunition. Vikram uses a Browning Machine Gun and a cannon to mow down Sandham's henchmen.
- Blood Knight: Sandham beats down a mook with a smile to his face. Rolex, too.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Rolex.
- No MacGuffin, No Winner: After defeating Sandham, Vikram blows up the factory leaving Sandham buried in the debris of the destroyed factory.
- Stealth Sequel: As it turns out, the Vikram in this movie is also the same Vikram who saved a fictional country called Salamia from a coup led by a high priest who is in cohorts with a criminal named Sugirtharaja
. - Vigilante Man: Vikram leads a group of vigilantes to destroy the drug syndicates of Sandham and later Rolex.
- Walking Spoiler: Rolex only appears in the last few minutes of the movie, but he is responsible for having Sandham find the arms factory and Stephen Raj hire dirty cops and a smuggling ring to find the captured drugs.
