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
