Veera Dheera Sooran Movie Review: A terrific Vikram anchors a gritty actioner that walks the tightrope between realistic and masala elements

The movie doesn’t stop to introduce the principal characters; that’s a sign of confidence. When we see Kannan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) for the first time, he is harmlessly mopping the floor. But he soon transforms into someone with intense rage. Arunagiri (SJ Suryah) is an unremorseful cop whose only motivation is to wreak havoc in the lives of Kannan and his father, Periyavar (Maruthi Prakash Raj). When we see him for the first time, he is nonchalantly dealing with a missing person case, before realising that he can use it to his advantage. And finally, we have Kaali (Vikram), a man who loves his wife and children, and lives with a burning uneasiness about his past catching up with him. The four men are at the centre of a game of survival, and Arun Kumar ensures they get equal attention.

It also helps that barring one flashback that explains why Kaali retired from a life of crime, we are never told what connects these four men. Kaali is almost like John Wick, a dangerous man who is forced to embrace his past self to protect his family. But it feels as if the makers are afraid to go all out and present him as our own version of the Babayaga. Because Vikram’s stardom demands that he also play a regular family man, the mass moments in the film never really raise the stakes. Even though Kaali’s motivations are explained, they’re never really believable.

The film truly comes to its own during the flashback portions, where we see the romance between Kaali and Kalaivaani (Dushara) blossom. She isn’t a doormat in Kaali’s life, and she takes the upper hand in the decision making, too. However, Kalaivaani lives with the illusion of choice, because Kaali still does what he wants to do. Her only source of solace is that she has been able to keep him from returning to his vicious ways.

As the night unravels, and one things leads to another, Kaali gets sucked back into a world that he had left for good. However, considering the geographical proximity of all the characters, it is tough to imagine that Kaali was actually cut off from this nefarious world. These are thoughts that you might have in hindsight, because Arun Kumar is otherwise quite successful at drawing you into his narrative. His vision is wonderfully elevated by Theni Eswar’s stellar cinematography, which plays with shadows, silhouettes, and interesting light sources to liven up the proceedings. The rich tapestry of Madurai is used to perfection. While GV Prakash Kumar has delivered songs that are rightfully used sparingly in the film, his background score truly works its magic in a few scenes. But the music is uneven, and the impact is further reduced by many scenes overstaying their welcome. The film rambles on for a while, and even top-notch technical expertise cannot compensate for the pacing issues.

Vikram and Dushara Vijayan play Kaali and Kalaivaani in Veera Dheera Sooran

The well-orchestrated stunt sequences are another highlight. The writing contributes greatly to adding weight to the action. In fact, it’s excellent throughout the film, especially when it tackles the idea goodwill and revenge are two sides of the same coin. Each character goes through a gamut of emotions, and extra points to Baalaji for playing the thankless role of Venkat. But the filmmakers seem to be self-aware about how irrelevant this character is. It isn’t that Venkat is forgotten after a point, he is a character that is meant to be forgotten.

Arun Kumar is a fascinating filmmaker, a man who has consistently shown a keen understanding of human emotions. And with Vikram by his side, he gets to play with darker themes. Vikram is terrific in a role that asks him to exercise tremendous restraint even when he is lugging huge weapons and isn’t shying away from firing bullets and hacking hands if necessary. And the pain in his eyes when he exercises these skills is stunning to behold. Arun firmly services the actor, and not the star, which is a reminder to the world that Vikram isn’t just another demigod, but a performer who consistently tries to break new ground. It is perhaps time for him to take a step back and just allow directors like Arun Kumar and Karthik Subbaraj to fit him into their intense worlds.

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Towards the end of the film, there is a brief throwback to a Vikram blockbuster that released in the early 2000s. Although the scene has no place in a film like Veera Dheera Sooran, it exists purely to serve every version of Vikram – the star, the actor, the man. Veera Dheera Sooran is as much an evolution for Vikram as it is for Arun Kumar. The filmmaker has risen up to this challenge, and even when he falters a bit, the film remains interesting. And it is quite nice to see Vikram in a film that doesn’t make the audience or even critics say, “Vikram was great in a film that didn’t do justice to his talent.” Actually, very nice.

Veera Dheera Sooran Movie Rating: 3/5

Veera Dheera Sooran Movie Cast: Vikram, SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dushara Vijayan

Veera Dheera Sooran Movie Director: SU Arun Kumar