''Vikram'' is a 1986 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

-language

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Rajasekhar and stars

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali l ...

Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also includ ...

, Amjad Khan, Lissy,

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...

Charuhasan S. Charuhasan (born 5 January 1931) is an Indian actor, director and retired lawyer who has acted in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. He won the National Film Award for Best ActorSubha J Rao,Entertainment for a cause, The Hind ...

and

Janagaraj Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly in Tamil cinema as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. Early life Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthu ...

. This is the first Indian film to use computer for recording the songs and was adapted from a novel of same name written by Sujatha. This was

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...

actress, Lissy's

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

debut who was initially credited as Preethi as well as

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actress, Dimple Kapadia's Tamil film debut. Although the film opened to mixed reviews, it performed very well at the box office and turned out to be a commercially successful venture for

Raaj Kamal Films International Raaj Kamal Films International is an Indian film production and distribution company founded and headed by Kamal Haasan. ''Raja Paarvai'' (1981) was the first film to be produced by them under the banner "Haasan Brothers" before renaming it t ...

, crossing 100 days in theatres. A

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

with the same name was released on 3 June 2022, carrying forward the story with Haasan reprising his role of Agent Vikram.

Plot

On 15 March, Ashraf Hussain, Francis Adaikalaraj, RD Bohra are convicted and sentenced to 25 years'

imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

for their involvement in various anti-national activities. Being unremorseful, the convicts play '' Chinese Chequers'' while the judge sentences them. Approaching the escort van, one of the convicts boisterously rebukes boasts to the press of becoming free soon. The next day, a nuclear-capable

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

, Agni Putra, is being dispatched from an unknown location to

Satish Dhawan Space Centre Satish Dhawan Space Centre - SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range - SHAR) is a rocket launch centre ( spaceport) operated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is located in Sriharikota, Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. Sriharikota ...

, Sriharikota only to be stolen by Sugirtharaja and his henchmen. Back in Headquarters, a visibly distraught panel of ministers and military top brass, led by Mr. Rao, chief of the

RAW Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

mulls over the dangerous prospects of the missile falling into terrorists' hands and finally picks the now off-duty agent,

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Arun Kumar Vikram aka ''Vikram'' to locate the Agni Putra, with some resentment. The Secretary in the office, Thangaraj,

eavesdrop Eavesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent in order to gather information. Etymology The verb ''eavesdrop'' is a back-formation from the noun ''eaves ...

on the mission briefing and passes the information to Sugirtharaja about Vikram, who sends a henchman to kill him. The plan fails as Vikram's three-month-pregnant wife, Ambika, accidentally gets shot by the

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

. Enraged, Vikram returns to duty and rebukes Rao for the costly leak and deftly exposes Thangaraj. After torture, Thangaraj names Sugirtharaja as the mastermind in front of the panel, and jumps to his death without giving further details. Desperate to find the missile, which is designed to auto-ignite within 10 days, Rao introduces Vikram to a computer expert Preethi, who knows the design of Agni Putra's on-board computer and its functions. Initially annoyed with Vikram's brutal ways, she mellows down eventually. Sugirtharaja's henchman destroys all the evidence at Thangaraj's home, before Vikram and Preethi arrive. The ensuing chase ends at a cinema theatre, playing a documentary news reel about India-Salamia friendship, where Vikram spots Sugirtharaja. Upon investigation, Vikram realises that the Kingdom of Salamia discourages intel-sharing with India. With the diplomatic route ruled out, Vikram and Preethi, disguising as folk artists, embark along with a troupe to Salamia, ruled by Sultan. Being saved from a

snakebite A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may occu ...

by Vikram, Salamia's princess and Sultan's sister, Inimaasi falls for him. Though Preethi is constantly put off by Vikram's arrogance, she falls for him too. Vikram identifies the location of the missile and also discovers that the

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

is a mere puppet under Sugirtharaja's directions, who secretly reprograms the missile, while Preethi is caught by the guards. Preethi, then siding with Sugirtharaja, pretends to be cheated by Vikram and passes information to him, unbeknownst to Sugirtharaja. While trying to reprogram the on-board computer, he loses the information and inadvertently forays into a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

, where he meets Inimaasi. His attempts to expose the priest's treason are met with sheer dissent. The Sultan catches the couple, suspecting

fornication Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. When one or more of the partners having consensual sexual intercourse is married to another person, it is called adultery. Nonetheless, John ...

, and sentences Vikram to be decapitated in public. Escaping execution, Vikram flees towards the desert, where a gun-toting Sugirtharaja and the Royal Sentries chase him until he gives in to dehydration and is left to die, when he is bitten by a black cobra. Back at the Royal Palace, the high priest stages a coup and holds the Sultan at gunpoint. Meanwhile, Inimaasi manages to escape and finds the delirious Vikram in the desert, and nurses him back. The couple then return to the palace and fight off the armed sentries, while the Sultan impales the high priest. Sugirtharaja, oblivious to the fact that Agni Putra's on-board computer has been tweaked, launches it, hoping to decimate

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. At HQ, the Indian officials observe in despair as their computer screen shows a 2D animation of Agni Putra slowly descending upon New Delhi, only for the missile to later drift and plunge into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

, disarming automatically. Back in Salamia, the royal guards sabotage the siege and restore order. A disillusioned Sugirtharaja forces Preethi into a glider plane and takes off. Vikram manages to board the plane using a

lasso A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

through skids. While scuffling, Sugirtharaja sets-off a bomb and jumps with the only

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

backpack available, strapped-on. As the plane explodes, Vikram and Preethi jump-off in a

free fall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

and reach out to Sugirtharaja and grab his parachute, leading to his eventual death, through free fall. Afterwards, Vikram and Preethi get intimate mid-air and as they touch the ground, Inimaasi arrives, calling out to Vikram. Preethi, too, calls him. In a dilemma, Vikram frivolously runs away from both of them.

Cast

Arun Kumar Vikram aka A. K. Vikram, a ruthless and intelligent RAW agent *

as Sugirtharaja * Lissy as Preethi, a computer expert and

IIT Madras Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. As one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), it is recognized as an Institute of National Importance and has be ...

graduate in

Computer engineering Computer engineering (CoE or CpE) is a branch of electrical engineering and computer science that integrates several fields of computer science and electronic engineering required to develop computer hardware and software. Computer engineers ...

(

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

Raadhika Sarathkumar Raadhika Sarathkumar is an Indian actress, entrepreneur, producer and politician who works predominantly in Tamil cinema along with Telugu cinema as well as a few Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the founder and CP of the Radaan Media ...

) *

as Inimaasi, Princess and sister of Sultan, Kingdom of Salamia. * Amjad Khan as the Sultan, Kingdom of Salamia, a fictional kingdom (presumably in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

) *

as Mr. Rao, chief of

Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (abbreviated R&AW; hi, ) is the foreign intelligence agency of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, an ...

as Dubash-Tamil translator in Salamia * Manorama as Pallathor Ramadevi, Consort of Sultan, Kingdom of Salamia *

Vikram Dharma Vikram Dharma (born as R. N. Dharmaseelan in 1956 – 28 June 2006) was an Indian action choreographer in the Tamil film industry (also known as Kollywood) in Indian cinema. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Action for '' Yuva''. He was the ...

as sniper (Sugirtharaja's henchman) * V. K. Ramasamy as Minister * T. S. Raghavendra as Thangaraj, secretary at

office *

Prathapachandran Prathapachandran (1941–2004) was an Indian actor, who worked predominantly in Malayalam film, Malayalam film industry, though he acted in a few Tamil and Telugu movies as well. He known for the portrayal of villainous and character roles in o ...

as Police officer *

R. S. Shivaji R. S. Shivaji (born 26 October 1956) is an Indian actor, who is known for his work in Tamil films. He has often collaborated in films involving Kamal Haasan and Raaj Kamal Films International, working as an assistant director, sound designer an ...

as Bohra, Sugirtharaja's henchman *

L. Raja L. Raja is an Indian director and actor who works in predominantly Tamil language, Tamil language films and television series. Career Raja began his career as an assistant to director Rajasekhar (director), Rajasekhar. He debuted as a directo ...

as Hussain, Sugirtharaja's henchman *

Banerjee Banerjee or Bandyopadhyay is a surname of Brahmins originating from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent and from Bangladesh. Lineage and ancestry Banerjees are from the ancient Shandilya Gotra, which means all Banerjees are descended f ...

as Francis, Sugirtharaja's henchman *

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...

as Vikram's wife (

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

)

Production

Vikram was the second production venture of Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International, after ''Rajapaarvai''. On multiple occasions, Kamal Haasan has mentioned that during the story discussion and pre-production of ''Vikram'',

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...

was his first choice to direct this film. However, things did not work out due to the fact that Mani was an untested director at that point of time, in terms of big budgeted commercial films. ''Vikram'' was the first Tamil film to have a budget of over , and features a made-up language spoken in the fictional country Salamia. In the reality television show ''Bigg Boss'', Haasan revealed that the language was actually created by him. The Salamia scenes were filmed in Rajasthan. Charuhasan's character was inspired by M from the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

'' series.

Reception

Vikram was released on 29 May 1986. Upon release, critics drew comparison with the original novel written by Sujatha, and ''Vikram'' opened to mixed reviews. However, it did very well in the box office, crossing 100 days in several centres in Chennai and Coimbatore. According to Haasan, ''Vikram'' was unfavourably reviewed by film critics, but became a "commercial hit". Made with a budget of 1 crore, the movie eventually collected about 8 crores in box office worldwide. Kamal Haasan donated the proceeds of the film's first show to

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

, who were then collecting funds for the welfare of underprivileged children in African continent.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. A total of five songs were composed out of which four were included in the soundtrack. This is the first Indian soundtrack album recorded through computer.

Legacy

36 years later, Kamal Haasan reprised his role of Agent Vikram in the 2022 film of the same name written and directed by

Lokesh Kanagaraj Lokesh Kanagaraj (born 14 March 1986) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Tamil films. He started his careers with a short film in the 2016 anthology ''Aviyal (2016 film), Aviyal.'' He later directed his first feature film ' ...

(a fan of Kamal Haasan and who was born in 1986).

Future

The 2022 film is the second installment of the LCU after

Kaithi Kaithi (), also called Kayathi () or Kayasthi (), is a historical Brahmic script that was used widely in parts of Northern and Eastern India, primarily in the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar. In particular, it was us ...

. 2 sequels are in development.

References

External links

* {{Sujatha 1980s action adventure films 1980s spy films 1980s Tamil-language films 1986 films Fictional-language films Films about nuclear war and weapons Films about the Research and Analysis Wing Films based on Indian novels Films directed by Rajasekhar (director) Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Films set in 1984 Films set in Asia Films with screenplays by Kamal Haasan Indian action adventure films Indian detective films Indian science fiction films Indian Space Research Organisation in fiction Indian spy action films Intelligence Bureau (India) in fiction