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Vikram's 'I' awes critics and masses alike
Director Shankar returns with I, starring Vikram, that has awed critics and masses alike, Deepa Gauri writes
- PUBLISHED: Thu 15 Jan 2015, 10:04 PM UPDATED: Fri 2 Aug 2024, 11:31 AM
As we write this, the tweets are pouring in from Andhra Pradesh, where the Telugu version of I, director Shankar's magnum opus has released. 'Brilliant, ' awesome,' 'magnificent,' and 'Chiyaan Vikram rocks' are among the initial responses; fans are being generous with their 'star ratings,' and the buzz that Shankar and Vikram built around the movie seems to have worked just fine.
Whatever the critics might have to say, I, no doubt, has made a definite first impression as it happens with almost all Shankar films. It has been 12 years since he made his debut with Gentlemen, starring then action-star Arjun, and with every film he has pushed the boundaries – sometimes a wee bit, sometimes incredibly more as he focused more and more on special effects and make-up art to deliver some of Tamil cinema's all-time hits.
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With just about 11 movies to his credit as director, Shankar's forte is not to tamper with formula. Almost invariably a good versus evil story or a love versus detractors saga, he knows his heroes from the villains.
And then sometimes he mashes them up as he did so brilliantly with Kamal Haasan in Indian where you really are not sure where to rest your sympathies. In Enthiran (dubbed as Robot in Hindi), again, the intelligent interplay of villainy and goodness surfaces again.
When Shankar is not taking on evil and corruption (a recurring theme in his movies), the watchword is love. And that is what I is all about. It is the power of transformational love where a down-to-earth, totally unrefined boy Lingesan (Vikram) falls head over heels in love for a beautiful model (Amy Jackson).
But Shankar being Shankar, he takes the movie through different terrains – from China (where the film is reportedly releasing in over a thousand theatres) to picturesque locales wherever on earth he finds them. Alongside, he also takes Vikram through dramatic make-overs including a beast, a hunchback and a model, apart from being the bodybuilder who aspires to be Mr. India and worships Arnold Schwarzenegger.
With scintillating music by AR Rahman (notwithstanding some nonsensical lyrics that are extremely catchy – another hit-prop by Shankar – remember that line where the hero praises his love as one who smiles like a telephone ring in Indian?) the film has all the elements of spectacle the director is renowned for. The songs are lavishly mounted, the stunts are racy and for the make-up of his cast, he brings but the best from Hollywood.
Ultimately, however, the film is also a major triumph for Vikram, who set aside three years of his career for the movie. He shed some 56 kilos - and gained them back – all for the role. He used prosthetics like nobody's business, once wearing them for 17 hours straight, and wore cringe-inducing costumes as if that was his normal self.
But then, Vikram is not one of those actors who will shout from the rooftop about his stardom or charisma. Talking to City Times earlier, he had said: “I was never for a moment distracted from my goal of doing movies.”
Known to his friends as Kenny and to his fans as Chiyaan, Vikram had a rather slow start in cinema. He was languishing in side-kick roles in Malayalam and Tamil cinema, until Sethu happened. The film remade as Tere Naam in Hindi with Salman Khan, thrust him to stardom – not on the merit of prosthetics or action – but for the raw intensity he brought to the character. His ability to sink into character and deliver power-packed performances also won him the National Award for best actor for Pithamagan.
Often described as the Aamir Khan of Tamil cinema for his penchant for perfection, Vikram has balanced indie-spirited movies with outright commercial ventures.
His earlier outing with Shankar, the super-hit Anniyan enhanced his star status but it also brought with it a tremendous sense of responsibility. As he told us, “I couldn't do routine films anymore because my fans expect a lot more from me.”
But even at the heights of stardom, he never failed to look back on the struggling days as an actor. “Many friends told me to get into business. But I have always believed that it is important not to waver in your passion and goals. The moment you star trying to work elsewhere, you stop looking or thinking like an actor; your psyche changes. I was like a horse and I knew I had to reach my goal.”
Working with Shankar for the second time, Vikram knew exactly what to expect from the perfectionist director who saw everything larger than life. Shankar, it is said, doesn't think outside the box because for him that so-called box doesn't exit.
As Vikram observed, it is not about putting 200 elephants in place of 20, it is about visualising from a very different perspective.
Once also regarded as the 'angry young man' of Tamil cinema for the intense roles he played, Vikram has deliberately tried to be bogged down by any such epithet. That is why he was willing to take the calculated risk of his career by refusing to sign up for any film for three years for I.
Known to be warm-hearted and extremely close to his friends, Vikram calls himself a 'bad actor in life. If I act in life, my friends can immediately spot it. I trust people.” And that is the trust that big budget banners place on Vikram too. After all, despite commercial setbacks, when it comes to mind-boggling performances, you just cannot fault Vikram.
For many years, Vikram has said that Sethu continued to be the character that was closest to his heart. Will Lingesan overthrow that is the answer that I will offer. The film is playing at theatres in the UAE.