‘Vikram’ has introduced an entirely new concept – the ‘cinematic universe’ – an imaginative and shared universe, where some of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars can come together for a franchise
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Vikram, has kicked off such a possibility for an imaginative and shared universe, where some of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars can come together for a franchise
The recently released multi-starrer film Vikram, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is setting new records the world over in terms of box-office collections. It has been picking up rave reviews as well. Besides, it has laid the path for introducing an entirely new concept – at least for Tamil cinema if not for the entire Indian film industry – the ‘cinematic universe’. Through this concept, more multi-starrer films can be expected in the future.
The four-film old Kanagaraj has carved a niche for himself in Kollywood. Barring his debut film Maanagaram (2017), all his other films deal with the narcotics mafia. Using night as a canvas, he then constructs a parallel universe, where the notions of love, friendship, revenge, etc., take on a different shade and he makes the characters loyal only to their own intuition.
This concept of creating a universe was first introduced in Hollywood by Marvel Comics in 2008. Called as ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’, the imaginative universe has more than one superhero coming together for a cause. So, in a film like The Avengers (2012), one can see superheroes like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, etc., from different films sharing equal screen space in one film without losing their individuality or importance. In fact, the impact of Marvel Cinematic Universe was such that in 2014, the University of Baltimore introduced a course ‘Media Genres: Media Marvels’ to study the intricately plotted world of Marvel’s cinematic universe franchise.
Kanagaraj’s Vikram, has kicked off such a possibility for an imaginative and shared universe, where…