Defending Hrithik Roshan’s Vikram Vedha: Not all remakes are soulless cash grabs

The reimagined version of the original Tamil film is a well-made mass entertainer that, unlike many films, doesn’t require you to leave your brain behind or water down your intelligence. Based on the mythical tale of Vikram and Betaal, the film takes you in the grey territory — what defines a hero, what demarcates them from a villain, who decides what is good and bad?

Through Vikram (Saif Ali Khan) and Vedha (Hrithik Roshan), writers Pushkar and Gayathri have explored both sides of the law. From the onset, the duo make it difficult for us to pick sides. Vikram, the police officer, tries to disguise an encounter victim as a criminal and then claims he sleeps peacefully despite gunning down people because he knows they deserve it. After cleaning up the mess left in the wake of a well-executed encounter, Vikram comes to his main obsession — Vedha.

Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan in a still from Vikram Vedha. (Photo: Jio Studios)

Vedha, as we know from Vikram, is a dreaded criminal. But when they finally come face-to-face, and Hrithik says, “Ek kahani sunoge, sir?”, it is a sight to behold. You smile along with him as he utters these words to an annoyed Vikram. R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi brought a lot of pizzazz to the Tamil film, which I confess I have not watched, but Saif and Hrithik also add nuance to their complex characters.

Vedha questions Vikram how they are any different if he has been involved in 18 murders and Vikram has done 16 encounters. This is where the conflict arises between who is wrong and who is right. This is where you are confused: who to root for, a dreaded criminal or a not-so-upright police officer? And, from hereon, you find yourself at the centre of a dilemma every time Hrithik sits down to narrate a story to Saif in the movie, blurring the lines between good and evil.

The script of Vikram Vedha seems to draw heavily from the yesteryear scriptwriter duo Salim-Javed school of filmmaking. Just like Deewar’s Vijay, here we are told Vedha has been pushed into the world of crime because of poverty, unemployment, and lack of a proper support system. He is mentored into a life of crime and there is a reason behind his malice. And, to draw a contrast, we are given Vikram just like we got Ravi, the righteous police officer, who is honest, and aims to remove criminals from Lucknow. But just like any gangster saga, we are told the police and the gangster are mostly sides of the same coin, who, under different circumstances, may have been friends.

Like all mafias and gangsters, Hrithik’s Vedha’s also have sidekicks and all of them look convincing in their parts. But Sharib Hashmi as Vedha’s associate Babloo is the one who works as the icing on the cake. Rohit Saraf as Vedha’s younger brother Shatak, Radhika Apte as Vedha’s lawyer and Yogita Bihani as Shatak’s girlfriend do not go unnoticed as well.

Sharib Hashmi played a sidekick of Hrithik Roshan in Vikram Vedha. (Photo: Jio Studios)

This brilliantly scripted film, which keeps you guessing, and often does what you were afraid to say out loud while you were through it, is taken a notch higher by Hrithik’s brilliance, not just in his looks but in his craft as well. We have seen Saif ace a similar role in Sacred Games, and there are no surprises here, but it is Hrithik who has shouldered the movie and has made it an engrossing watch. His mannerisms are not something you’d associate with a criminal yet here he was. He has elevated every frame that he is a part of. This will remain one of his unforgettable performances to date.

Vikram Vedha definitely deserved a viewing on the 70mm screen to enjoy a smart script and a glorious Hrithik. However, now whenever the film drops on the OTT platform, I hope it gets its due.

While speaking about Vikram Vedha’s failure Hrithik had said, “When I hear a story, the actor in me takes precedence, and I always say yes if I can’t say no. But there is a part of me that is aware, that maybe the way to go is films like War and Fighter, and try to find the artist in me within these spaces. I’m also hopeful that this might not be the reason, that this was not a film that was meant for a Rs 300 crore box office. I just have to recalibrate.” But having watched Vikram Vedha and loving it, I don’t want Hrithik to ‘recalibrate’ and keep listening to the actor within him while picking up stories he wants to tell.