Vikram is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Kamal Haasan and R. Mahendran under the banner Raaj Kamal Films International. The film stars Kamal Haasan in the title role, alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil, with Narain, Kalidas Jayaram, Chemban Vinod Jose and Antony Varghese in supporting roles. It features music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and editing by Philomin Raj.
The film is a spiritual successor to the 1986 Tamil film of the same name, also led by Kamal Haasan, and forms part of director Lokesh Kanagaraj's interconnected action universe, often referred to by fans as the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), which also includes Kaithi (2019).
| Title | Vikram |
|---|---|
| Language | Tamil |
| Director | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Writer | Lokesh Kanagaraj |
| Producers | Kamal Haasan, R. Mahendran |
| Production company | Raaj Kamal Films International |
| Music | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Cinematography | Girish Gangadharan |
| Editing | Philomin Raj |
| Lead cast | Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil |
| Theatrical release | 3 June 2022 |
| Genre | Action thriller |
The narrative follows a special investigation team, led by a black-ops officer named Amar (Fahadh Faasil), tasked with probing a series of masked killings in Chennai. The probe gradually uncovers links to a powerful drug syndicate headed by Sandhanam (Vijay Sethupathi) and to a long-buried identity tied to a veteran operative, Karnan (Kamal Haasan). The film weaves together themes of vigilantism, narcotics trafficking and covert intelligence work.
The project was officially announced in 2020 as the 232nd film in Kamal Haasan's career, marketed under the working title KH 232. Lokesh Kanagaraj, who had drawn attention with Maanagaram (2017) and Kaithi (2019), was brought on board to direct. The title Vikram was revealed along with a first-look poster, signalling a thematic connection with the 1986 film of the same name directed by Rajasekhar.
Kamal Haasan reprised the spirit of his earlier Vikram persona while playing a re-imagined character. Vijay Sethupathi was cast as the principal antagonist, and Fahadh Faasil joined the project in a pivotal role, marking his first collaboration with Kamal Haasan. Suriya appeared in an extended cameo as Rolex, setting up future installments in Kanagaraj's connected universe.
Principal photography commenced in mid-2021 and was carried out in schedules across Chennai and other locations, with portions also filmed in Jordan. The shoot was affected briefly by the COVID-19 pandemic but was completed by early 2022.
The soundtrack and background score were composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his first collaboration with Kamal Haasan. The album was released by Sony Music India. The promotional single Pathala Pathala, written and performed by Kamal Haasan, drew particular attention for its raw vocal style.
Vikram was released theatrically worldwide on 3 June 2022 in Tamil, with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam. Post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Disney+ Hotstar, where the film began streaming in mid-2022. Satellite rights were held by Star Vijay.
The film received highly positive reviews from critics, who praised Lokesh Kanagaraj's direction and screenplay, the performances of the three leads, Anirudh Ravichander's score and the action choreography. It emerged as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and a major commercial success across domestic and overseas markets, performing strongly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, as well as in North America and the Gulf region.
The film featured prominently in the 2022 awards circuit for Tamil cinema, with recognitions across categories including direction, acting, music and technical crafts at major film award ceremonies such as the Filmfare Awards South and the SIIMA Awards.
Vikram is considered a landmark in contemporary Tamil cinema for several reasons. It revitalised Kamal Haasan's mass-hero standing after a gap and reinforced Lokesh Kanagaraj's reputation as a leading commercial filmmaker. The film also expanded the Lokesh Cinematic Universe by directly continuing story threads from Kaithi and seeding the antagonist Rolex for the subsequent film Leo (2023). Its success contributed to the broader resurgence of pan-Indian theatrical releases from the South Indian film industries during the post-pandemic period.