Hype + Lethargy = Viswaroopam : An Apology

I wish to apologize to all my readers on an idiocy I happened to commit a few weeks ago . I made it a point to watch Kamal Hassan's much controversial espionage thriller

Viswaroopam(which apparently I had managed to catch on its premier) yet again , after some genuine requests from some people . And I thought I should rectify that error of giving such a flamboyant and rave review . 

                                     First of all , I agree , that Viswaroopam fortunately doesn't possess any sequences which happen to offend any religious community or group . But the reason why it fails the anticipation of the audience is that it apparently turns out to be the reinforced stereotype . I don't supposedly see any reason how Viswaroopam raises a lot of questions of national conscience ? For an artist , who has inspired aces like Gautham Menon , Bala ; for an actor , from whose movie Mr.Tarantino himself was inspired to do a graphic scene , Viswaroopam is something far from what you expect from an mediocre Kamal Hassan flick ! The greatest mistake which he happened to do with the movie was taking the direction into his own hands . Had it been taken up by somebody much capable in making films in a broader canvas , I would've maybe shifted my support to the movie .

                 It's terribly scripted , exceedingly the former half  ! It doesn't do justice to the audience when you have a suspense about 30 minutes off the mark . But there are some notable scenes in the first half which definitely deserves applause : one of them is the Kathak dance sequence . Dance sequences , which are considered something tedious to shoot with perfection and beautifully ,  was rather exquisitely shot ! Another one was the boy on the swing who retrospects before attempting the suicide bombing . Barring this , the former half is a complete ordeal to watch . At every now and then , you have a feeling , "Hey What am I missing?". You seem to feel , plucking every single hair out of your nostril would be a more engaging affair . Even the performances never seemed to come to the rescue ! Kamal never had something challenging at hand , and Rahul Bose was dull with his ever husky and unclear accent . Andrea Jermiah and Pooja Kumar were pure let downs. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's anticipated score too was a let down . It was hard notice it amidst the chaos Hassan makes on screen . The only solace could be an appreciable performance by Jaideep Ahlawat and the short but effective role by Shekhar Kapur .  

                             Now, before watching Viswaroopam , I made myself up to some previous Kamal flicks once more, directed or 'ghost-directed' by others . Starting with his masterpiece 'Hey Ram' , Kamal had managed to create a cult with this movie . The way Kamal narrated the story is something no filmmaker in India could at the moment emulate ! It was so beautifully crafted , that I started to realise what these guys were actually talking about ! Another gem in narration was his 2004 flick , 'Virumandi' . In contrast to these , Viswaroopam is dwarfed by its own pretence . What Kamal managed to create was raw hype . No offense , but standing up against communities , I start to realise , it was nothing more than a promotional stunt . We would've rather appreciated a lot more substance into this stuff than a heroic projection of the actor . The formula doesn't simply work out any more . And the irony is that , he is busy with the production , of its sequel !

                                                              To all those people , who still conceive Viswaroopam as a trophy of brilliance of Indian Cinema , should better find some time to watch movies of Kamal . And simply draw the comparisons between this and the others . I believe that this movie doesn't even deserve the time consumed for writing up this apology . I just hope , Kamal does justice to himself and the audience with the upcoming sequel . All fingers crossed and optimistically waiting !