Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Rohit Saraf, Yogita Bihani
Director: Pushkar and Gayatri
Pushkar and Gayatri’s reshaping of their own 2017 Tamil smash hit of the same title is a neatly done entertainer albeit a big long for our liking. ( 20 mins longer than even the Madhavan-Vijay Sethupathi OG)
With minor tweaks to the OG, the story of a gangster and a cop where the gangster questions the judgement of the cop with questions that makes the cop rethink his biases is loosely based on the Baital Pachisi, which is also known as Vikram-Betaal (a collection of 25 tales which is narrated by Vetala to Vikram). It is about the legendary king Vikram (identified as Vikramāditya) and the ghost Betal where the ghost would ask the King philosophical questions of morality and everytime the King answered, the ghost would escape.
The contemporary Vikram and Vedha are set in Lucknow and between them ace the space between black, white and gray.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vikram (Khan) is bought into a special task force and asked to run a operation to nab the sly and slippery Vedha (Roshan), a wanted criminal.
The makers have assembled quite a surprise cast for the movie. The bigger stars are surrounded by India’s heartthrob Rohit Saraf (Mismatched), Ekta Kapoor’s Dil Hi Toh Hai lead Yogita Bihani and the inimitable Radhika Apte ( Andhadhun). Its refreshing to see television and web actors get these big breaks.
The scenes of Vikram( Khan) with his lawyer wife ( Apte) who represents Vedha ( Roshan) are the trappings of modern day marriages where deeply engrossing careers can lead couples to be at the opposite ends of the moral spectrum.
Just like Vetal in Vikram stories, everytime Vikram comes close to executing Vedha, Vedha makes a surprise move and tells Vikram stories that makes Vikram question his own facts and biases. And Vedha escapes every time he leaves Vikram to ponder those ethical dilemmas
Lucknow, with its narrow lanes, density of crowd and run-down structures, has a key role in the film if only as a physical setting that gives the film a distinctive visual texture just as Chennai did in the original Vikram Vedha.
Pushkar and Gayatri do not change the construct of the movie though a lot of work is done to the production design to fit a UP narrative.
Saif Ali Khan has a controlled performance and shines as an exemplary Vikram. One thing that is spectacular about all Hrithik movies is his opening shot. Vikram Vedha’s remake does not disappoint in terms of that imagery.
Hrithik is brilliantly rustic, measured and very authentic in his Vedha – not at all following the Vijay Sethupati stable but creating his own Vedha with exemplary talent.
Satyadeep Mishra playing Vikram’s police academy mate SSP Abbas Ali (replacing the Tamil film’s Simon), and Sharib Hashmi in the role of Vedha’s foe-turned-friend-turned-foe Babloo add their talent to the cast.
On a whole, a very watchable movie , though long, but electric enough to spend your time on Sai-Hrithik chemistry
