Writer: Ramesh

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Watch this if you liked: “Unnaipol Oruvan” and “Kuruthipunal”

After a month long wait, Kamal Hassan's "Vishwaroopam" finally made it to the silver screen in Malaysia. Despite all the controversy about the film, I don't see any reason for the ban in the first place. Using global terrorism as the background for the plot, this spy thriller was made purely to entertain the international audience with some really good visuals and art of filmmaking.

Vishwanath (Kamal Haasan) is an Indian classical dancer living in US and is married to Dr. Nirupama (Pooja Kumar), a nuclear oncologist who is having an affair with her boss who is linked with a terrorist group lead by Omar (Rahul Bose). Soon their life is trapped in a dangerous situation where it reveals the other side of Vishwanath's past in a flashback.

Kamal's body language and dialogue delivery with a shades of femininity in the first half and his transformation into an action hero in the second half clearly defines the actor's talent and research he had done for the role. Pooja Kumar's mature performance is interesting, but her dubbing could have been better. Rahul Bose as the bad guy was not really menacing, but enough to give you the chills. The rest of cast like Andrea, Shekhar Kapoor and Naseer have limited screen time, but leaves a lasting impact for their respective performances.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's background score helps create the right impact for the visuals in scenes like combat sequences and explosion sound effects. Every scene is shown with such detail like the training camp to train young 'Jihad' soldiers and the modern technological tools used to ambush suspects by the US police. Do not expect the usual Tamil commercial formula with "Vishwaroopam", as the film may need you to think out of the box and every scene ties into the main story plot without any diversions. On whole, "Vishwaroopam" is a stylish film made in a Hollywood style with some Indian touches. Forget the unnecessary controversy surrounding the film and go watch it.

Cinema Online, 01 March 2013