Vikram Vedha - 2022

Introduction

Vikram Vedha is the story of an honest police inspector, Vikram, who thinks he knows how to differentiate between right and wrong and sees a clear line between the two. Vedha, on the other hand, is a gangster who understands that there is a very thin line between them and a lot of nuances are involved in the concept of good and bad. 

The film, a Pushkar-Gayathri directorial, is an adaptation of the Tamil film with the same title. Starring Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan in the lead roles, the film was critically acclaimed and is a power-packed film with a lot of action and entertainment. 

The film's budget was Rs 100 crore, and its global box office collection ended up near Rs 136 crore, but it underperformed as per the makers' expectations.

Table of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release

• Reviews

• Casting

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Songs

• Behind the Scenes

• Awards

• Controversy

• Box Office Collection

• Interesting Facts

• Conclusion

Details

Story

Vikram is an honest cop who is on a mission to catch Vedha. His mission, however, is cut short, and he is left confused when Vedha surrenders on his own. His confusion increases even more after Vedha insists on telling him a story. 

Through these stories, Vedha shatters Vikram's view of right and wrong and helps him understand the corruption in his department. Vikram also realises that at a recent encounter, he had killed Vedha's innocent brother, Shatak, who was present at the scene. Shatak had previously decided to start a business where he would launder his brother's money. Vedha's boss invested in the business, and Shatak's partner ended up running away with the money, but once she returned, Vedha was ordered to kill her. Vedha decided not to do this and helped them escape to Mumbai. 

Babloo, Vedha's boss' henchman, had joined hands with the police and ordered them to kill Chanda to lure Vedha out of hiding. When Vikram discovers that this killed his partner Abbas, he is shocked. In the climax sequence in the old mill, he learns of the deception by his own department. Vedha helps him kill all the corrupt officers, and the movie ends with a standoff between Vikram and Vedha.

Release

Vikram Vedha was released on 30 September 2022 across theatres in India. The film was also released on the same date in Japan, Russia, Panama, and Peru. The film's total collections were Rs 136 crores, barely making a profit. 

Despite a great response from the audience and critics, the film could not attract more people to the theatres. The film was released on Voot Select and Jio Cinema on 13 January 2023. The movie was released on the OTT Platform Jio Cinema on May 12 2023.

Reviews

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Vikram Vedha includes stellar and power-packed performances from the cast, especially Hrithik Roshan, who adapts to the north Indian/Awadhi accent very smoothly. The screenplay and background score are powerful, just like its South counterpart, but perhaps one place where the film lacks is in terms of storytelling. Pushkar and Gayathri were unable to hit the mark when it comes to the direction, which is a surprise considering how perfectly they aced the Tamil film. 

Overall, Vikram Vedha still deserves much more credit than it received. The performances, especially the action, are refreshing. It almost feels like forever since the audience was given a chance to view something as entertaining and thrilling as the sequences in this film.

Casting 

Crew

• Director- Pushkar-Gayathri

• Producers- S. Sashukanth, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar Chakravarthy, Ramachandra, Vivek B. Agarwal, Neeraj Pandey

• Cinematographer- P.S. Vinod

• Music- Sam C.S., Vishal-Shekhar

• Production House- Reliance Entertainment. Friday Filmworks, T-Series, YNOT Studios, Jio Studios

• Composer- Sam C.S.

• Editor- Richard Kevin A.

• Written By- Pushkar-Gayathri, B.A. Fida, Manoj Muntashir

Character Analysis

• SSP Vikram: Vikram is shown as a no-nonsense police officer who does not mind bending the rules to get his way. He is against corruption and believes in being loyal to the police department. For him, integrity is the most important after catching the bad guys.

• Vedha Betal: Vedha is shown as the villain, but somebody who understands the world better than the police officer. He believes everybody is corrupt; it is just a matter of perspective.

• Priya: Priya is an honest lawyer dedicated to her work. She believes in being professional and even takes up the case of a criminal who her husband is trying to catch.

• Shatak: Shatak is Vedha's innocent brother who is encouraged by Vedha to break out of family habits and lead an honest life. He is driven to help his brother but is constantly in a conflict between moral and immoral.

Songs

Behind the Scenes

Play

• Several behind-the-scenes videos show Hrithik Roshan's transformation into a north-Indian hero. His look has been appreciated by many for its scariness which perfectly fits the character. Hrithik Roshan is seen in his makeup chair with long hair and dark makeup that gives his character the evil edge it shows in the movie. Other scenes show him shooting in Abu Dhabi and Saif Ali Khan in the old mill where the climax scene took place. 

• A video also shows Hrithik Roshan's dialect practice for his Awadhi accent in the film. He holds a cigarette in his mouth and does different breathing exercises before practising his dialect.

• Several actors were approached for the movie before Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan was finalized as the star cast. According to reports, Shah Rukh Khan was approached first, and he declined. Aamir Khan was also approached, but after a delay in shooting, he backed out of the film. R Madhavan, who starred in the original south film, was also approached, but his dates clashed with another film he was working on- Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

Awards

Controversy

The film was supposed to be shot in Lucknow, but according to reports, Hrithik Roshan refused to shoot there, because of which the shooting had to be shifted to UAE, a decision that exceeded the budget quite a bit. However, Reliance later explained that the decision was taken because only UAE had the facilities for a big bio bubble to facilitate a film set, considering the Covid-19 restrictions at the time. Due to this, the shooting was shifted, and Reliance also added that actors do not decide or influence the shoot location or any other logistical decisions of the film.

Box Office Collection

Vikram Vedha was made with a budget of Rs 100 crore, and despite an international release, it earned only Rs 136 crore at the box office. It could not make the collections that were expected.

Interesting Facts

• The Hindi version of this film and the original Tamil version are both inspired by the Indian folklore tale Baital Pachisi, also known as Vikram Betal.

• At the film's beginning, Vikram is seen wearing a white polo t-shirt that signifies good. Vedha, on the other hand, is seen in a black shirt, signifying evil. However, in the final sequence, both are seen wearing grey shirts representing the nuances of good and evil and how nothing is entirely good or evil.

Conclusion

Vikram Vedha is unarguably a very entertaining and insightful film. It doesn't just include action, but there is a lot of scope for introspection as well. The film took a hit at the box office, which was not expected, but its brilliance still stands.