Vikram Vedha

<p>Vikram is an honest police inspector who has a sense of . Vedha is a dreaded gangster who understands the nuances in between. Vikram’s best friend Simon leads an formed to eliminate Vedha. In one encounter, the squad kills some of Vedha’s henchmen, framing an unarmed criminal killed by Vikram to avoid further inquiry. As the unit plans another encounter, Vedha enters the police station and voluntarily surrenders. When Vikram interrogates Vedha, he offers to narrate a story to him. The first act relates about Vedha becoming a drug smuggler, who warns his younger brother Vignesh, nicknamed “Pulli” (skilled) due to his exceptional mathematical skills, to stay away from crime, but Pulli is forced by a rival gangster Ravi, to carry drugs. When Pulli and his friend Chandra are caught by the police, Pulli confesses and Ravi is arrested immediately. On his boss Sangu’s orders, Ravi assaults Pulli, leaving a permanent scar on his hand. Vedha asks Vikram if he should kill Ravi or Sangu. Vikram replies that Sangu was the real culprit and that Ravi is just a weapon, to which Vedha wholeheartedly agrees and implies that he killed Sangu. Vedha’s lawyer, who turns out to be Vikram’s wife, Priya, intervenes and bails him out. Vikram realises that the unarmed criminal framed by them, for avoiding inquiry, was actually Pulli, based on the mark in his hand. Worried that Vedha might try to kill Simon, Vikram rushes to save Simon, but finds him and Chandra shot dead. Surendhar dismisses it as a botched encounter. Priya refuses to divulge Vedha’s whereabouts to Vikram. Enraged by this, Vikram raids Vedha’s and manages to capture him. Vedha requests Vikram to listen to another story. The second story relates with Pulli, now grown-up, offering to launder Vedha’s income by investing it in shares. Vedha’s boss Cheta invests (equivalent to 7.0 crore or US$830,000 in 2023) in this venture. However, Chandra is supposedly kidnapped and the money is missing. Chandra returns and reveals that she stole the money to start a new life, but came back because she loves Pulli. Vedha returns the money to Cheta, who orders him to kill Chandra. Vedha asks Vikram if he should respect Cheta and carry out the order or disobey him and support Pulli and Chandra, thus inciting a . Vikram replies that he should support Pulli, to which Vedha agrees. Realising Pulli’s innocence causes Vikram to stumble momentarily, Vedha attacks and subdues him, telling him to investigate Simon and Pulli’s deaths. Vikram begins his investigation with Simon’s informant, Kaattai, who led them to Pulli’s hideout, but finds that Kaattai has been killed. Vikram and his unit try to find the killer, where he takes a moment to recollect and finds one of the members of the from Vedha’s story. Vikram apprehends and fights him, only for the gang member to almost kill Vikram before getting shot and killed by his unit member Santhanam. Vikram searches his room, but finds a cigar and learns that the cigarette is filled with instead of . Vikram deduces that Ravi is behind the encounter and informs Vedha at his restaurant, who brings Ravi to an abandoned factory. Vikram arrives and meets Vedha, who tells Vikram the third and final act. Vedha had sent Pulli and Chandra to . He noticed that only his men, except Cheta’s, were being targeted and eliminated by the police. On Ravi’s confession, Vedha says that Simon was bribed by Ravi to kill his men. Vedha asks Vikram if Simon was right, since he became corrupt to pay for his son’s medical procedure. Vedha kills Ravi, leaving Vikram frustrated on finding out who had killed Simon. Surendhar and the unit arrive, where he castigates Vikram for letting Vedha escape again. Vikram slowly realises that the entire unit had also been bribed by Ravi. Surendhar reveals that Ravi paid them to kill Vedha and Chandra’s abduction was intended to get Pulli out of Mumbai, which would lure Vedha out of hiding. However, a guilt-ridden Simon had gone to save Chandra, but the unit had killed them both. As the unit prepares to kill Vikram, Vedha reappears and saves him. A gunfight ensues, and Vikram disables all his colleagues with Vedha’s help, but kills Surendhar. Vikram asks Vedha if he should let him go for saving his life or kill him since he is a criminal. The film ends with a between them. After the release of (2010), the husband and wife director duo, , took a break from filmmaking. They decided to explore other genres during this time as their earlier films, (2007) and , were . The duo planned to make their next project, which would be titled , with a more serious tone where emotions like anger, hatred, and pain drove the characters’ motives. This led to their decision to develop characters whose actions are not entirely good or evil. The duo initially considered setting the film either in politics, business or journalism before finally deciding on a police-gangster background. The Indian folktale inspired the development of the story. The ghost-like being who posed morally ambiguous questions to King , each of which could result in more than one answer, attracted them. The film’s title and its characterisation of Vikram (Vikramaditya) and Vedha (Vetala) were also derived from the tale. In a January 2015 interview with journalist and film critic of , , the owner of production house , confirmed that he would produce the project. Pushkar and Gayathri continued to develop the script throughout 2015, completing it in April 2016. and were selected to be the stunt choreographer and cinematographer respectively. Richard Kevin also worked as an assistant director in addition to handling the film’s editing. Manikandan was selected to write the dialogues after initially auditioning for and then playing the role of Santhanam. We were sure that Vedha would be perfect for Vijay Sethupathi. The way we had imagined Vedha, the way Vijay talks, the way he even draws analogy or shares anecdotes is very similar to Vedha. We, in fact, noticed this only after we had narrated the script [to Sethupathi]. Vikram was more suited for Madhavan because he had to play Vikram who is kind of straight forward. Maddy was perfect to play something like that. Vedha, on the other hand, does everything in a roundabout manner. Pushkar and Gayathri met while working on the post-production phase of ‘s (2016). It was confirmed in February 2016 that Madhavan and would play the respective roles of an encounter specialist and a gangster. They agreed to do the project as both were intrigued by the idea of a film based on the tale. In addition to growing a beard for his role, Madhavan did not workout to lose weight. Instead, he followed a strict diet, including not eating anything after 6:00 pm and keeping a gap of five and a half hours after each meal. Sethupathi sported a beard for the role of Vedha. was cast in the role of Vedha’s brother Pulli because Pushkar and Gayathri were impressed by his performance in (2015). In October 2016, was cast as Vikram’s wife after her performance in (2016) made an impression on Pushkar and Gayathri. This was then officially finalised after her . The same month, was signed to play a gangster but later opted out due to scheduling conflicts with the film (2017). was made on a budget of 11 crores (about US$1,661,631 in 2017). began on 16 November 2016 in , with joining the team as the second female lead. The first schedule consisted of filming scenes featuring Sethupathi, Kathir and Varalaxmi for five days. The second schedule commenced on 28 November 2016 with additional scenes involving Sethupathi shot at . On 15 December 2016, Madhavan began shooting for his solo sequences and the portions where he appears alongside Sethupathi in the middle of the second schedule. The climax sequence was filmed over four days at . Production continued throughout December 2016, with Sethupathi finishing his work in early January 2017. Principal photography concluded later that month after sequences featuring Madhavan and Shraddha were shot. The entire film was completed over a period of 53 days. Sandhya Prabhat and Jemma Jose designed the opening animated sequence which narrated. In an interview with S. Naagarajan of , Prabhat said that Pushkar and Gayathri wanted her “to adapt the theme of the [ ] for the opening credits”. After drafting the initial sketches of the animated characters, the duo then gave Prabhat “a scene-by-scene picturisation” of their perspective of the tale in addition to requesting she make the entire sequence “look aesthetic”. Prabhat and Jose designed the sequence to synchronise with the track “Karuppu Vellai”. According to Jose, the colouring for the sequence was mainly grey, black, and white and shades of red for Vetala’s eyes, in keeping with the film’s theme. Pushkar and Gayathri wanted Prabhat and Jose to use a “desaturated” with “strong and powerful” tones. The sequence was as Prabhat and Jose believed that “complex graphics and multi-layered effects” would distract the audience from understanding the film’s main plot. The entire animated sequence, from to animation took one and a half months to complete. As the film is inspired from , it consists of an animated sequence involving Vikramaditya and Vetala, on which the main characters Vikram and Vedha are formed. , the film’s title designer, shared the film’s poster title in Tamil (விக்ரம் வேதா) on , where the letter வி (Vi) in Vikram is stylised to resemble Vikramaditya’s sword, and தா (Dha) in Vedha is stylised to resemble Vetala’s tail. composed the film’s and and wrote the lyrics for the track “Pogatha Yennavittu” while , Muthamil and provided the lyrics for the songs “Yaanji”, “Tasakku Tasakku” and “Karuppu Vellai” respectively. Sam had worked previously for Pushkar and Gayathri on . They decided to recruit him after being impressed with his work on (2017). The audio rights are with . Before the release of the album on 19 June 2017, the tracks “Tasakku Tasakku” and “Yaanji” were released as singles on 5 June 2017 and 12 June 2017 respectively. Sharanya CR from noted in her review that Sam “brings out the essence of the film’s plot” with “Karuppu Vellai”, and used the term “stylish, yet flawless” to describe Anirudh’s and ‘s rendition of “Yaanji”. She felt “Pogatha Yennavittu” was “an impressive composition” and appreciated the “very peppy” beats in “Tasakku Tasakku”, adding that it “can be reserved for parties”. Sharanya concluded her review by stating that “the composer hits the high-note” with , writing further that “the film’s narrative is sure to up the experience through music” with the instrumental tracks. The official handle of the film was launched on 30 December 2016. The film’s official title poster was released on 2 February 2017. The official first look poster of the film was released on 24 February 2017. The teaser trailer was released on 13 March 2017, which features action sequences between Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi. The teaser trailer crossed 10 million views within 24 hours of its release. The official trailer was released by actors and , through on 22 June 2017. was initially given an by the due to the amount of violence present. The producers, however, successfully approached the censor board again to get a so it would have more appeal to family audiences. The film was scheduled to release on 7 July 2017, but was postponed due to the strike by the over the implementation of the in India and the removal of the imposed by the on the council. After the state government reached an agreement with the Producer’s Council to set up a committee to look into the issue, screening of films at theatres resumed on 6 July. , along with ‘s , was subsequently released worldwide on 21 July 2017. R. Ravindran under his Trident Arts banner distributed the film in and released it to 350 screens across the state. ATMUS Entertainment handled distribution in the United States. grossed 170 million worldwide in the first weekend of its theatrical run, earning 100 million in Tamil Nadu alone. By the end of its second weekend, the total box office collections for the film in Tamil Nadu were 250 million. Within two weeks of its release, the film earned 400 million worldwide becoming, at the time of its release, the second-highest grossing Tamil film of the year after . The film also performed well in the United States, earning more than $150,000 in its first three days. It collected $366,000 by the end of the first week. completed a theatrical run of 100 days on 28 October. As of December 2017, the film has earned 600 million (about US$9,063,444 in 2017) globally. The content of the film and its commercial success helped revive the box office prospects of the Tamil film industry, leading to many theatre owners and distributors like Abirami Ramanathan, owner of , and K Meenakshisundaram, vice-president of , stating that people would come to watch films with good content irrespective of the Goods and Services Tax. opened to critical acclaim with praise for all major aspects of the production. Writing for , Manoj Kumar R called it “the best film to release in Tamil this year”. He felt that though both Madhavan and Sethupathi “have competed with each other” in providing performances that were “intense and convincing”, it was Sethupathi who “manages to draw the applause and whistles from the audience for his natural performance”. Karthik Kumar of the labelled Madhavan’s performance “good” and believed Sethupathi played Vedha with “unmatchable swag”, adding he was “unarguably the best thing to have happened to the film”. Srivatsan of compared the interactions and between Vikram and Vedha favourably to those of and the in (2008); he termed the film a “smartly-written thriller, which has a texture, well-developed character arcs and filmmaking gimmickry”. M Suganth, in his review for , found Madhavan to be “stylish and serious” and Sethupathi as “all swag”. Anupama Subramaniam of the said that Sethupathi “oozes of charisma” and Madhavan gave “a whole-hearted” effort while making the audience relate to the character’s emotions. Ragesh Gopinathan from thought the film “a work of sheer brilliance” with “the perfect blend of style and substance”. Gopinathan also believed that Srinath, Varalaxmi and Peradi “offer a realistic portrayal of their characters.” In his review for , Sreedhar Pillai described the film as “a triumph of smart writing, superb characterisation and terrific performances by the lead actors Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi who make it crackle”. He also commended Varalaxmi’s performance as Chandra, saying that she “lends the film some warmth” despite being cast in “an insignificant role”. Film critic and journalist noted in his review for Film Companion that Sethupathi was “fantastic” and spoke “crowd-pleasing lines in the most casual fashion”. He also found Chandra “the most convincingly written character”. A reviewer from pointed out that Madhavan’s “subtle” and Sethupathi “inimitable” performances were the “real strength” of the film, adding that Srinath was “brilliant” and Varalaxmi appeared “audacious and innocent” throughout. s Vikram Venkateswaran called Madhavan’s performance “flawless” adding that the actor “simply eats up the screen” with his presence. He however criticised Sethupathi, opining that he “has played himself for far too long” saying there is “so much more to him than just the fact that he’s as relatable as a friendly neighbourhood smart alec”. Suganth noted that all the conversations between the characters, and even the opening sequence, were “carefully assembled puzzle pieces”. However, he criticised the convoluted plot structure and the “lack of gravitas”, which made the film seem “tiresome” and “laidback”. Vishal Menon of wrote the film was “a terrific exploration of good, evil and everything in between” but felt the second half took “the shape of an investigative thriller” which slowed down the film’s pace. Karthik commended Pushkar and Gayathri’s writing which “succeeds in piquing the intellect of audiences like no recent Tamil film”. The Sify reviewer praised the directors’ handling of human emotions, calling the characters’ grey shades “a novel aspect”. Furthermore, Priyanka Thirumurthy of wrote that the directors’ “intelligent screenplay takes you through a rollercoaster of twists and turns”. Likewise, Sudhir Srinivasan, writing for praised Pushkar and Gayathri’s “beautifully written, incredibly well-made” contemporary adaptation of the . Mythily Ramachandran, in her review for , believed the “powerful writing” of Puskhar and Gayathri’s screenplay, the “well defined” characters and “flawless performances” from the entire cast, were the film’s main highlights. Several critics found Vinod’s past experiences in shooting such as ‘s (2011) a contributing factor towards the success of . Pillai and the Sify reviewer found Vinod’s cinematography and helped create the appropriate “tension and mood” and perfectly capture the environment of North Chennai. Rangan compared the cinematography positively to the “light and shadow play” seen in , concluding that “there isn’t one uninteresting frame” and the film can be watched for the filming techniques alone. At the , received nominations in seven categories, including (Sashikanth) and (Varalaxmi), winning four. Madhavan and Sethupathi received nominations in the category with the latter winning the award; Madhavan in turn won the . The other awards it received were for (Pushkar–Gayathri) and (Anirudh for “Yaanji”). The film won four of its fifteen nominations at the , including and (both received by Pushkar–Gayathri), (Sethupathi) and Best Background Score (Sam). The film also won four , three , two and an . In March 2018, Pushkar–Gayathri announced that they would direct the film’s Hindi remake, to be produced again by YNOT Studios. The Hindi remake, also titled , was released on 30 September 2022. The interrogation scene from was parodied in .</p>