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Kamal Haasan pounds a pulsating anti-terror film (Movie Review *** ½)
By Subhash K. Jha
Vishwaroopam 2: Starring Kamal Haasan, Waheeda Rehman, Shekhar Kapoor, Anand Mahadevan, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jermiah; Directed by Kamal Haasan: Rating: *** ½ (3 and a half stars).
The best thing about this lengthy lumbering but never uninteresting ode to anti-terrorism is the lovely wizened Waheeda Rehman. But we have to wait till after interval point for her to show up.
The veteran actress is cast as the protagonist’s mother who suffers a memory loss and can only remember her son as a dancer not a nationalist fighter.
If you’ve seen the first Vishwaroopam film 5 years ago you’d remember what the lady has forgotten. Kamal Haasan’s Kathak recital in the film resonated rather quaintly with all the macho desh bhakti/jihadi stuff as he had infiltrated into a Jihadi camp as an Islamic insurgent.
Those scenes of snarling militancy return in the sequel as flashy flashbacks, meant to flesh out the tale as it plods along from London to Delhi via Pakistan.
In the sequel, our hero Wisam Kashmiri (no room for subtlety here) is still being sneered at by his colleague Anant Mahdevan at RAW.
“At the end of it all you are what you are,” Mahadevan smirks. “Jo tum ho woh ho.”
Kamal Haasn being Kamal Haasan sneers right back with the kind of taunting rhetoric that sounds a little phoney when translated from the Tamil original. But his two heroines clap and cheer the performance.
“Maybe I am a good actor,” he wonders after a session of cerebral pow-wow maybe.
Throughout its ruminative running-time Vishwaroopam 2 moves a little off-beam. It is somewhat breathless and out of sorts in parts specially when all the espionage stuff with Shekhkar Kapoor (looking suave still at 70), Anant Mahdevan and of all people Rajendra Gupta (who as a RAW boss seems… well, a little raw) comes to a standstill, while Kamal Haasan playing a RAW double-agent banters, flirts and romances with his female associates played by Pooja Kumar and Andrea Jeremiah.
Is he sleeping with both or only the one who is Kashmiri’s legally wedded wife. As we are told, he is not very good with societal rules.
It is hard to say which of the two our hero Wisam is married to. He behaves exactly the same way with both. The antics of the ménage a trois somehow never achieve any of the seductive peaks they are meant to hit. Perhaps the flirty dialogues lose their edge in translation. Both the ladies are annoying in their servitude and thraldom to the Kamal Haasan School Of Hero Worship.
What gives this sequel its spin and spell are the bouts of action shot with the dizzying urgency one witnesses in the war zone. There are two lengthy fights in public restrooms, a la Mission Impossible Fallout.
But let’s not even go there.As long as we don’t compare the action sequences with their firangi counterparts things appear pretty engaging in Vishwaroopam.
This is not a dumbed-down militancy movie. Yes, this is a learned view of terrorism filled with sly references to Obama and 9/11. The unintiated may find the narrative hard to keep up with.
As Kamal Haasan if he cares. But those who enjoy watching a good wack on the back of militancy, Vishwaroopam 2 is an engaging if somewhat choppy ride through the terror terrain.
At times one doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the coiling-recoiling plot. At one point a RAW senior colleague tells Kamal Haasan that he would like to stare his killer in the eye whenever it happens.
A little later he is dead. Our hero, not one to let go the chance for poetic justice, drags the killer to his dying colleague’s range of vision.
“Here he is,” pants our hero. Here indeed.
–IANS
ahm/sed
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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