Happy Birthday Vikram: An actor who gives it all every single time

When was the last time Vikram came out with a unanimous blockbuster (Don’t say Ponniyin Selvan 1)? Also, when was the last time Vikram was disappointed with his performance in a film? The answer to both questions is, ‘It’s been a minute.’ It’s been eight years since the actor’s last big hit – Shankar’s I, long enough for any film industry to deem an actor out of form. Yet, here is Vikram still very much in the game and working on one of the much-anticipated films of the year, Thangalaan, directed by Pa Ranjith.

Perhaps, Karthik Subbaraj’s Mahaan would have broken the rough patch of Vikram’s consistent box office failures, but unfortunately, the film ended up being a straight OTT release. Perhaps, the slippery slope started with 10 Endrathukulla (2013). Or has it always been a descending line since Anniyan (2005) with an occasional spike like Deiva Thirumagal (2011)? It is one thing to be just alive and kicking in the industry despite the failures, and another to be able to consistently fail gloriously. The budget and scale of Vikram’s movies have never shrunk despite his track record. He was able to garner such a huge budget for Cobra (2022) and could afford to fail in it, and still team up with Ranjith. This makes one wonder how he remains an anomaly in an industry that is quick to punish and forget its stars.

Also read | Thangalaan behind-the-scenes video: Vikram and Pa Ranjith promise an epic film

Vikram in Thangalaan.

The only possible explanation is that people love Vikram for who he is more than for his films, and he is an actor who gives it all for cinema, be it a silly gangster film like Sketch (2018) or a physically strenuous project like I. One common redeeming factor of Vikram’s duds is the actor himself. It is hard to blame the actor for backing the wrong horse with all his might. It’s hard to hate him for the messy clutter of a screenplay of Cobra as the actor gave it all for the film. Of course, Vikram is often criticised/trolled for his penchant for doing films that give him more than one role. However, no one hates a guy who wants to punch above his weight, and who wouldn’t want to work with a star who will give it all for the script–be it the time, the energy, and the body.

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Recently, Alia Bhatt revealed the one tip SS Rajamouli gave her while they were working together in RRR. “Whatever choice you make, just do that with love. Because even if the film doesn’t work, the audience will see love in your eyes for what you’re doing,” he said. That perfectly sums up the filmography of Vikram. Even if his movie fails, the industry and the fans can only see the love, and that’s why he will be an anomaly and will be around.

Kirubhakar Purushothaman

Kirubhakar Purushothaman is a Principal Correspondent with Indian Express and is based out of Chennai. He has been writing about Tamil cinema and a bit about OTT content for the past eight years across top media houses. Like many, he is also an engineer-turned-journalist from Tamil Nadu, who chose the profession just because he wanted to make cinema a part of his professional life.   ... Read More