Friday 1 February 2013

Vishwaroop (2013) Review by Shivom Oza – Engaging And Entertaining Thriller

3.5/5 Stars

A film that revolves around spies and terrorists, told in a most-unusual and interesting manner.

As a spy film, ‘Vishwaroop’ succeeds. As an entertainer, ‘Vishwaroop’ succeeds. As an intelligent film, ‘Vishwaroop’ does way better than the other spy films that have been made in our country. So, definitely worth a watch!

A suspicious wife Nirupama (Pooja Kumar) has hired a detective (the brilliant Atul Tiwari in a cameo) to spy on her husband Vishwanath (Kamal Haasan), who is an effeminate dancer, despite being very close to her superior herself. She suspects her husband of hiding something very important. Unfortunately, the private detective loses his life while trying to get hold of the husband. The husband, meanwhile, is not the delicate, sensitive, effeminate, harmless dancer, but a strong, fearless, super human-like patriot! When the wife learns about her husband's real avatar, she is shell-shocked and good lord, so are we. The film, essentially, is about how Vishwanath (Wiz and many other aliases), played by Kamal Haasan, the head of the group, played by Shekhar Kapur, Ashmita, played by Andrea Jeremiah and Dawkins, played by Miles Anderson, avert a bombing, planned by the dreaded terrorist Omar (Rahul Bose), in the US. We keep going back in time to see how Vishwanath becomes the one-man-army that he is. We are even witness to instances, wherein we question the idea behind ‘war in the name of religion’. This film also explores the humanistic elements among the terrorist camps. It shows how the deaths of these suicide bombers and conspirators affect their families and loved ones.

'Vishwaroop' is a film that will get its share of wolf-whistles. It carries no 'typical south movie' stereotypes. There is one lip-sync song in the film and that too, is classical and seamlessly tailored into the screenplay. To Haasan the director's credit, the film is fast-paced and despite all factual errors, very believable. It does not pretend to be an accurate spy film, but subconsciously, it does end up becoming one. Haasan, the actor, excels and how! His character, or should one say characters, are as diverse as our large country. Kamal shows great range as an actor in this performance, and seldom goes over-the-top.

This is one of the most understated performances among the typical ‘masala’ action films of recent times. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is at par. There is no track which will stay with you, but while you are watching the film, the music does elevate the viewing experience. Cinematography, visual effects and production designing is first-rate, keeping in mind the limited budget of the film. Everything looks very stylized and yet, that Indian fervour is inherent within the language and the characters.

It’s got the right doses of drama, romance, science-technology, thrills and action. You’ll enjoy it for sure. 

Shivom Oza

1 comment:

  1. Excellent balanced review .... Few actors in Bollywood have the courage to push the envelope like Kamal Hassan

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