Cut! Bring back the star
Kamal Haasan is clearly committed to his new, parallel career in politics. As we sat down to watch Vishwaroopam 2, though, we were excited to see Haasan the actor, returning in the role of an undercover agent who fights terror and prejudice with equal force. Sadly, we got a lot of Haasan, the politician, and too little of Wisam Ahmad Kashmiri, his character.
The good news is, Vishwaroopam 2 is an interesting subversion of the spy thriller — no heavy-duty stunts, fancy gadgets, or decorative female sidekick. The bad news? Unlike Vishwaroopam, an edge-of-the-seat thriller, the sequel feels like political propaganda. There are lines about the hero not standing for corruption; there’s grandstanding on diplomatic relations. Suddenly, Kashmiri is dealing with communal prejudice at the workplace. “Musalmaan hona paap nahi hai,” Haasan goes at one point.
Waheeda Rahman as Kashmiri’s mother is a joy to watch. The flashbacks where he recalls what she used to be like before Alzheimer’s are possibly the best scenes in the film.
Rahul Bose’s terrorist, Omar, is back too. The two have some intense scenes and Bose is effective overall. Pooja Kumar as the wife who cheated on Kashmiri in the first film but is now gradually falling in love with her husband is effective in parts, but melodramatic in the end, in contrast with the subtlety of the rest of the cast.
Overall, Vishwaroopam 2 doesn’t stack up well against the fantastic first iteration. Not in terms of plot, narrative or character development.
There are no secrets to be revealed, no intrigue left to be unraveled. The action set pieces are jarring. It’s just close-quarter combat over and over again.
Its biggest failing is that its supremely talented actor and director didn’t turn up; he sent his savvy politician avatar, and he can’t match the Haasan we know on screen.