Having waited for a week to watch Vishwaroopam made me restless, curious and eager and I was at Sathyam Escape Cinemas one hour before the show time on 14th february. Though a weekday, the mall was crowded being St. Valentine's day.  All the men walking behind, beside their women, with foolish smiles, scary smiles (especially when they stretched their arm and point out to a shop). Everywhere valentine day posters, special programs, hearts seen from toffees to stuffed toys to cakes. Shopkeepers busy uttering a silent thanks to our saint.


I grabbed my cold coffee, popcorn with extra butter, a piece of creamy cake and potato wedges.  Mind it was for two people and not one. And this boy had a hearty appetite unlike me.

We entered the theatre 10 minutes before show time and settled in our seat to watch the film.

After all the hiatus and hiccups,  finally I started to watch the Vishwaroopam.

It was a new experience.  If not for the Tamil dialogues, it moved with the same pace, style like a nicely shot Hollywood action thriller. I might be naive, when I refer to English films as Hollywood films. From the land of Bollywood, Gollywood, Tollywood, I am quite religious about the woods.

I expected a strong storyline, but I got nicely made sequences of shots.
The kathak song and dance by now older Kamalhassan (tried to identify him with the elder kamal of salangai oli. Man! ageing is beyond our imagination) is good. But, somehow the expressions are lost behind those wrinkles on his face. I think the hardship of shooting such a spectacular film shows the strain.

The movie shifts between flashback and present just like Hey Ram and  there are places if you are not attentive might miss the shift.

There are loads of action perfectly shot. At one place when the Jeep fall on a man, you can't help but gasp. There's this other place when the remains of a body land before Kamal Hassan after a bomb blast. For us, who never used to grumble but watch, when they show cardboard boxes for computers in Doordarshan Tuesday dramas, this is sheer luxury.

Humour laced through out the film, not jarring but makes us smile. Thank god! Err.. rather Kamal for not having seperate track for humour.

Andrea, shekar kapoor had very less role to perform,  almost non existent. Hope to see their performance in the part 2. Pooja Kumar and Rahul Bose stood out and whoever lent the voice to Pooja is amazing, for once the Brahmin slang is perfect and not exaggerated.

I loved the scene when Pooja climbs the stair and lie down on her bed, Kamal snoring with his eyes open. The expression on his face is priceless. The expression on Pooja's face after she witnesses her husband's valor is priceless too.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy a joy through out. BGM definitely needs a special mention. Doesn't go overboard.

Lots of characters are shown, to imply the depth of other characters and for us to determine the nature of other character. The lady doctor, Rahul's wife, his son, even the Horse that's shot by Kamal Hassan. Not sure if this would reach all audiences.

The film shot in the US and Afganistan, the location and scenes are well framed and neatly arrayed.

I still am quizzing for the reason why the film was banned. Only bad was shown as bad makes me quiz even more.

But, why is that when the film ended, I sat for few more minutes... Did I expect more? Hoping the second part happens and even if it does, hope it doesn't get chopped off for reasons that cannot be explained.

One has to agree Kamal is an entertainer and near perfect in what he does. It was worth the wait. But, mera dil maangae more kamal sahab... :)

Let God bless his atheist son!