First things first, the title Vishwaroopam translates to a form of God, technically Lord Vishnu, in which one can see the entire universe in the God Himself and honestly, Still wondering where is the connection.
Now, after much unwarranted controversies and hype, the movie released in TN weeks later than Rest of the world (though I had watched the unedited version in Kerala). Thanks to the controversies and the temporary ban which created immense interest in the minds of even a non regular movie goer, leave alone his diehard fans.
Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk
As the movie begins, middle aged Pooja Kumar, a nuclear scientist settled in America narrates her affair with her boss to a physiatrist and expresses her wish to divorce her husband Kamal who is a Kathak dance teacher (Kinked towards feminine body language), To overcome her guilt, she appoints a private detective to find if Kamal has an affair too…to her surprise she learns he is a Muslim and together with her boyfriend confronts Kamal to the truth behind…..
While trailing Kamal, the private detective accidentally trespasses into a warehouse in New York’s suburbs which houses Jihadis and gets killed. The incident also provides a lead to Jihadis on Kamal’s presence in New York.
Kamal and his wife are captured by terrorists and just when they are about to hurt him he pleads to pray… now, as he starts praying in the Islamic way and within a blink of an eye he does a massive stunt and escapes with his wife…..that’s where the transformation happens (kinked towards masculine body language) and starts narrating his past to his wife….
In the past Kamal (shown as a Kashmiri separatist) joins Omar (Rahul Bose), who heads Al-Qaida’s operations in Afghanistan and helps him train their fighters for war against the US….as time passes Kamal becomes his close confidante and learns of his wish to attack New York with a nuclear bomb. In fact Kamal also accompanies Omar on a visit to Osama Bin Ladan only to drop hints to American troops on the whereabouts of the most wanted man in the world….American forces strike the hideout and all of the key operatives escape….and thus it is revealed to the audience that Kamal was indeed an Indian spy helping America in the war against terror.
The rest of the movie is all about how Kamal with the help of FBI tries to save New York from a nuclear attack and the movie ends with a prelude to a sequel planned in India.
Positives
1. Movie was a visual treat with great cinematography, locations and special effects…
2. Kamal, Pooja Kumar and Rahul Bose all did their part well… Kamal’s effort to learn Kathak is commendable….He continues to prove himself!!
3. Songs were part of the movie and never a hindrance to the screenplay….my personal favorite was “Unnai Kanadhu” by Shankar Mahadevan.
4. Fight sequences were awesome….the one to watch out for is the transformation fight (also showed in slow motion)
5. Kamal has set the bar high for future Indian movies…..
Let offs
1. Logical flaws, to name a few, a RAW agent is let off by FBI just on the request of the Indian Embassy… (Spy novels suggests they are disowned by their respective countries!),
One of the most wanted terrorist freely roams around in America…. I would have been happy at least if he had a mole in his face like how MGR sports when he is in disguise.
2. A seasoned actor like Nazar could have been utilized better
3. "One too many" fight sequences and terrorists speaking Tamil – Captain's movie style….!
4. Kamal’s name appears everywhere as the credits roll out ……actor, director, singer, writer, lyricist etc reminds me of TR…..”Do what you do the best and outsource the rest” is this not the mantra for this century?
Overall Vishwaroopam is a good entertainer. Kamal has succumbed to the pressure of taking Tamil cinema to the global stage and has to a large extent made a good headway ….. Just as one realizes at the end that the movie misses clichéd intimate scenes, there comes one along the end credits.
Vishwaroopam – Watch it …..Enjoy it…..Don’t think after!! , I enjoyed it and waiting for V2.
Credits : For,1. A great movie - Mr.Kamal Hassan
2. Tickets and Refreshments - Rajeev
3. Editing - P3
