‘Vikram Vedha’ movie review: Hrithik Roshan runs away with pride in this gripping game of cat-and-mouse

Another remake of South Indian blockbuster, Vikram Vedha This proves that when writing a mass entertainer or a crowd-pleaser, one doesn’t need to overestimate the depth of the characters and the mysteriousness of the storytelling.

based on the legend of Vikram and BetaalThe Gayatri-Pushkar’s wife-husband director duowho also wrote and directed the original, has transformed the wise-cracking king into an honest police officer Vikram (Saif Ali Khan), who sees the world in black and white. The shrewd ghost turns into a dreaded gangster Vedha (Hrithik Roshan), who uproots the rule of law on an almost daily basis, and tests his moral compass by telling him stories from his own life that intersect with the gray areas between crime and crime. navigates to. Punishment

Through three well-woven, cleverly crafted stories, Gayatri-Pushkar tackles the question where supporters of the law take away lives from innocent citizens, and should such action be taken as collateral damage for the greater good. as justified. What if the shoe is on the other foot? Do bullets that pierce innocents haunt those who pull the trigger? These seem like off-course questions for a mainstream entertainer, but Gayatri and Pushkar answer them with sensitivity and urgency within the framework of a festival tent.

The lyrics for Raj Kapoor through his two timeless songs not only add to the flamboyant story, but are also an interesting way of acknowledging Guru’s influence on the nature versus nurture debate that Gayatri-Pushkar addresses. the basis of Vikram Vedha Also reminds one of Kapoor’s 1951 film loafers, where the judge repeatedly invokes the idea that those who are born to be criminals end up on the wrong side of the law. Interestingly, like Nargis, Radhika Apte is also playing the role of a lawyer. Just as Rita stood up for Raj, Priya (Apte) represents Vedha, and her police husband feels that his lawyer wife is being manipulated against him by the dreaded gangster, just like Judge Rita. The allegation was made by his father (Prithviraj Kapoor). loafers,

Recalling a setting reminiscent of one of Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor’s old moral conflicts, Hrithik captures the spirit of the channel DivaR Ka Vijay playing the role of Vedha, a criminal who does not want his younger brother Shatak (Rohit Saraf) to cross the line of law.

Instead of playing a Greek god, the actor, for once, attempts an Indian hero in larger-than-life scenarios and delivers relentlessly both in terms of performance as well as screen presence. Under the watchful eye of cinematographer PS Vinod, he almost takes on a modern-day disguise. At the same time, he has once again proved that he does not need the support of women when it comes to dance. Drunk in alcohol, he becomes ‘alone’ and makes the audience drunk in the item number of the film.

Saif, who is mostly engrossed in love, this time gets caught in the subjugation of law and friendship. That keeps Vikram smart, and we invested, even when the writing on the wall says that the mouse has more meat in this cat and mouse game. Radhika is confident as the conscientious wife, and Sharib Hashmi as the ambitious sidekick is not bad either.

Set in Lucknow, the makers try to ensure that the tonals of the original’s north Chennai doesn’t get in the way of storytelling. There are scenes and voices of Awadh in the dialogues and background, but it remains largely the eye of outsiders. A few more nuances in the portrayal of the functioning of the UP Police would have added to the flavor of Kurma Nihari, a popular Lucknowi dish, which becomes a plot device.

Having said that, when it comes to setting and background, Gayatri-Pushkar doesn’t seem to be much interested in detail. She has created her own stylish, contemporary universe to tell the mythological story where the dress code is also black and white. And with two commit stars at their disposal, it works. The chase and fight sequences are filled with raw energy that jumps at you, and Benazir Fida and Manoj Muntashir’s dialogues ensure that a thought and space in Tamil doesn’t seem stilted in Hindi.

However, flaws in the writing come to the fore when Gayatri-Pushkar has to tie the stories. It seems that in the service of myth, they lose track of the larger arc of the story that is taking place in a real place. This is particularly troubling in the third act when the motivations of Shatak and Chanda (Yogita Bihani) – a key force in the story – demand a little more clarity, and the real villains of the piece, a little less predictable.

Yet in the week of Ramlila, Vikram Vedha What unfolds as a fresh battle between good and evil, where Rama and Ravana are not cardboard vessels.

Vikram Vedha is currently running in theaters