Vishwaroopam

Vishwaroopam
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Kamal Haasan
Written by	Kamal Haasan Atul Tiwari
Produced by	Chandra Haasan Kamal Haasan
Starring	Kamal Haasan Pooja Kumar Andrea Jeremiah Rahul Bose Jaideep Ahlawat
Cinematography	Sanu Varghese
Edited by	Mahesh Narayanan
Music by	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Production company	Raaj Kamal Films International
Distributed by	PVP Films
Release dates	25 January 2013 (2013-01-25) (Worldwide) 1 February 2013 (2013-02-01) (Tamil Nadu)
Running time	147 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹95 crore (US$12 million)

Vishwaroopam is a 2013 Indian Tamil spy thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Kamal Haasan who is also enacts the lead role. The film has Pooja Kumar, Rahul Bose, Andrea Jeremiah and Jaideep Ahlawat in supporting roles. Also made simultaneously in Hindi as Vishwaroop, the film featured soundtrack composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with lyrics by Vairamuthu and Haasan himself while Javed Akhtar translated them for the Hindi version.

Development of the project commenced after the release of Haasan's Manmadhan Ambu (2010) when several of the crew were brought in from the United States to lend their technical expertise. The direction was taken over by Haasan from Selvaraghavan and reports indicating a comparison with several English films surfaced during the production. The first teaser was revealed in April 2012 and first theatrical trailer was revealed in June 2012. Vishwaroopam is the first Indian film, and second film worldwide after Red Tails (2012), to utilize the new Auro 3D sound technology. The film is also the first of its kind to release via direct-broadcast satellite, also known as direct-to-home (DTH), a concept which allows a one-time viewing on home entertainment systems for a fee of ₹1,000 (US$13). An early estimate by Haasan stated the film to earn ₹350 crore (US$44 million) from all its sources including music and distribution rights.

The film released worldwide, excluding Tamil Nadu, on 25 January 2013. Legal controversies regarding the film's portrayal of Islamism arouse as several Muslim extremist groups protested the film's release in Tamil Nadu, resulting in an official ban being imposed on the film in the state by the Madras High Court. The ban resulted in similar decisions being made in Sri Lanka and Malaysia while release was delayed in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. Despite the fragmented release, Vishwaroopam garnered highly positive reviews from critics, most of which had downplayed claims of the film being anti-Muslim. The ban on the film in Tamil Nadu was lifted by Madras High Court following a special screening, but further release of the film was blocked by the government of Tamil Nadu over law-and-order concerns. The consecutive banning of the film was strongly criticized by the Indian film fraternity, including the Central Board of Film Certification.

Plot

An Afghani Al-Qaeda Jihadi Omar (Rahul Bose), his accomplice Salim (Jaideep Ahlawat) and their international terror network, plots to attack New York with a "Cesium-bomb". Vishwanath alias Wiz (Kamal Haasan) is a Kathak teacher who lives with his wife Nirupama (Pooja Kumar), a nuclear oncologist, in New York. Nirupama confides with a psychologist that it’s a marriage of convenience that provided her a safe haven for pursuing her Ph.D in the U.S. The age gap between them notwithstanding, she is put off by Vishwanath’s effeminate traits and is attracted to her boss, Deepak (Samrat Chakrabarti). Doubting whether her husband has secrets of his own, She hires a private investigator to trail him. She learns from the private investigator that Vishwanath is not a Hindu but a Muslim. In a sudden turn of events, the investigator gets killed by a member of the terrorist outfit led by Omar. A business card on his wallet gives away Nirupama and the terror group nabs the couple. The outfit operates from a warehouse on the outskirts of the city where the couple is being interrogated.

Vishwanath is involved in a fight with the terrorists at the warehouse and escapes with Nirupama. Omar and Vishwanath have a past, one that takes the story back by almost a decade, to the Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. What follows is a maze of events that go back and forth in time, unraveling a plot where in the terrorists are accumulating cesium from oncology devices to trigger a blast in New York.

Nirupama is stunned to discover the true identity of her husband Vishwanath, his uncle (Shekhar Kapur), American accomplice Dawkins (Miles Anderson) and the young dancer Ashmita (Andrea Jeremiah) at her husband’s dance school. Vishwanath is revealed to be a RAW agent who married Nirupama to investigate Deepak and his boss Omar in connection with a bomb blast in the heart of New York. His mission is to bust the ‘sleeper-cell’ of the Jihadis in the US, which is planning to divert the attention through "capsules" capable of emitting mild nuclear radiation tied to pigeons in New York city while enabling Black (James Babson) to detonate the cesium bomb in the city.

Together, the team try to counter the plans of Omar and his group that could destroy the most of the New York city. In the ensuing events, Vishwanath is arrested by the FBI before being rescued by his uncle and Dawkins is murdered by Salim. Whether Vishwanath along with the FBI were able to stop the calamity to be unfolded forms the rest of the story.

Cast

• Kamal Haasan as Viswanath/Wiz
• Pooja Kumar as Dr. Nirupama
• Andrea Jeremiah as Ashmita
• Rahul Bose as Omar
• Jaideep Ahlawat as Salim
• Samrat Chakrabarti as Deepak
• Zarina Wahab
• Nassar
• Shekhar Kapur in a special appearance
• Miles Anderson as Dawkins
• James Babson as Tom Black
• Jude S. Walko as Captain Joe
• Chris Kotcher as Tollbooth Operator
• Greg Sammis as F.B.I. Agent
• David Scott Diaz as F.B.I. Agent
• Melissa Bayer as Store Customer
• Hayat Asif as Afghani Militant

Production

Development

After finishing his Manmadan Ambu (2010), Kamal Haasan stated in November 2010 that he was working on the scriptment of his "pet project" titled Thalaivan Irukkiran, a film about an international community. Termed as a big budget multi-starrer film, it was expected to commence by March 2011, with a Hollywood studio reportedly coming forward to produce it. However, in early 2011, sources claimed that Kamal shelved that project and agreed to star in a Selvaraghavan directorial, being impressed by the one-line story narrated to him. Reports further suggested that the film was based on the 2001 American psychological thriller Hannibal, with Kamal playing a cannibal, Closer to release, Kamal Haasan revealed that he had thought of the story seven years before production began and had to convince himself that the story could be made into a feature film. The film was named Vishwaroopam, after several titles were considered, by late March and the shooting was planned to begin by mid-April and to be completed within 100 days. It was revealed that the film would be produced in three languages—Tamil, Telugu and Hindi—simultaneously. There will also be a dubbed Telugu version titled Vishwaroopam.

On 24 May 2011, it was announced that Selvaraghavan was ousted from the project, as he was busy finishing his project with his brother Dhanush. Kamal Hassan decided to direct the film himself in addition to writing the story, screenplay and dialogues. The producing studio, Telephoto Films, had urged him to take up the project, planning for a release on 7 November 2011,. The film was then disclosed to be a spy thriller on the lines of the Mission Impossible series. The film was being made as a bilingual and simultaneously shot in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages; all the actors had to learn their dialogues in both languages. Sanu John Varghese made his debut as a cinematographer in Tamil after previously working in the Hindi film, Karthik Calling Karthik and the Malayalam film Elektra. Varghese had previously been a part of the team that Kamal Haasan had assembled for Marmayogi, which did not take off. Mahesh Narayanan, a leading Malayalam film editor, was signed up for the project after he had acquainted with Kamal Haasan for the pre-production works of the film Traffic, which the actor later opted out from. The team signed up N. G. Roshan as a make-up artiste after Kamal Haasan appreciated his work in the 2009 Malayalam film Pazhassi Raja, while Mahadevan Thampi was picked to be the still photographer after Kamal Haasan had worked with him for a day during his guest appearance in Four Friends.

In June 2012, the producers of the film ran into conflict with the Hindu Makkal Katchi who demanded that title be changed. They claimed that Viswaroopam was a Sanskrit word rather than a Tamil word, and argued that Kamal Haasan was being anti-Tamil, by naming the film in another language. The same political party had earlier protested against a song in Haasan's Manmadhan Ambu (2010), following which it was removed from the film.

Casting

By February 2011, newcomer Sonakshi Sinha was approached to play the lead female character, and was confirmed to play Haasan's wife. Her salary for the film was touted to be ₹2 crore (US$250,000). However, with the film getting delayed, she opted out by July, due to conflicting dates with her Hindi assignments. Following Sinha's exit, other leading Bollywood actresses, including Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, and Sonam Kapoor were considered. Vidya Balan was also approached by the makers, but she declined the offer, owing to her prior commitments. By mid-August, Sameera Reddy was reported to have been roped in for the role, while sources stated that Anushka Shetty was finalised soon after. In early November 2011, New York based model-actress Pooja Kumar was signed in for a role after she had been recommended to Kamal Haasan by his partner, Gouthami. The initial audition for Pooja Kumar was held over Skype, with Haasan noting that she had thought the film was initially based on cannibalism. Being a non-Tamil speaker her dialogues have been dubbed by actress Abhirami, although Pooja Kumar dubbed for herself in the film's Hindi version. Telugu actress Lakshmi Manchu was offered a role in the film, but declined it due to date issues.

Shriya Saran was reported to play the second female lead in the film, with the actress dismissing the news several days later, citing that she had not even heard the script, following which Priya Anand was claimed to have bagged that role. This turned out to be false, with Kamal Haasan citing that he did not know who Priya Anand was. Isha Sharvani was meanwhile selected for a role, with reports suggesting that she would essay the character of Kamal Haasan's sister in the film. However, Sharvani too opted out later, due to "inordinate delay in the start of the shoot". By late August 2011, British model-turned-actress Amy Jackson was reported to have been added to the cast. During mid-October, singer-actress Andrea Jeremiah had been signed on for a pivotal role and paid an advance.

Rahul Bose was finalised to play the antagonist. Later that month, actor-director Shekhar Kapur informed on Twitter that he would perform a cameo role, while Samrat Chakrabarti had also been selected for a supporting role. Jaideep Ahlawat disclosed in an interview that he would play an "out-and-out negative character" in the film. Zarina Wahab told in November 2011 that she shot for a small role in Vishwaroopam. In January 2012, Chitrangada Singh was offered a "very special role", which the actress had to decline, since her dates clashed with Sudhir Mishra's film. As Kamal Hassan is ardent reader of Richard Dawkins, he had named Miles Anderson as Dawkins in the movie.

Filming

The film's shooting was supposed to take off on 20 April, but became delayed, since the US Consulate had refused Visas to the cast and crew. The team decided to relocate to Canada, postponing filming to June. The shooting began for the film in Chennai in August 2011 and locations filmed at included Haasan's office in October 2011, when Isha Sharvani was also a part of the shoot. The film briskly progressed in late 2011, with scenes involving Samrat Chakrabarti filmed in November of the same year. Sets resembling Afghanistan were created in Chennai, with many foreigners from Russia, Iran and Africa playing American soldiers, while Haasan wore an Afghan look. In November 2011, the team also pursued schedules in Amman and Petra in Jordan with Rahul Bose's scenes being canned. Haasan learnt Kathak from Birju Maharaj for an important portion in the film.

Due to delays, casting took a relatively long period of time, with several of the original cast dropping out of the project. Vishwaroopam was shot extensively overseas in countries like the United States and Canada. Domestic locations included Chennai and Mumbai.Kamal Haasan went to USA on 15 December 2011 for completing a schedule. The main outdoor shoots were shot in New York as the lead character is based there, and the production team also matched New York with the Grand Rapids in Michigan. Re-recording and dubbing work began in Mumbai in late February 2012, with Haasan arranging a dialogue coach in Tamil and Hindi to get the artistes' dubbing in place, with Atul Tiwari supervising the Hindi dialogues. The climax scenes featuring an aerial fight choreographed by Hollywood stuntman Lee Whittaker was filmed at Chandivali Studio in Andheri, Mumbai in early March 2012 with Haasan and Rahul Bose. The film was shot in digital format, after several false starts Haasan's previous projects. Speaking about it, he said "The fact that cinema is going digital is the biggest technological change today. We have to accept it, as it is happening globally and it will happen in Tamil Nadu too."

Gouthami designed the costumes for the film. A research had to be carried out on the American army's hierarchy for the costumes. N. G. Roshan, who had previously worked in notable Malayalam films, took charge of the make-up for the film. The villain had to undergo a heavy use of prosthetic make-up. A scene involving a war explosion had to show an injured jaw for him. Further, the artists appearing as war victims had blood and other forms of injuries applied on their bodies. The Jaika stunt team, that was also involved in Billa II (2012) at the time, worked on the action sequences. Haasan's younger daughter Akshara Haasan joined the crew as an assistant director. Kunal Rajan was roped in as a sound designer and the stunt crew for the film were imported in from Thailand.

Soundtrack

Main article: Vishwaroopam (soundtrack)

Initially, Yuvan Shankar Raja was reported to compose the film's musical score. However, Kamal signed in the musical trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy to compose music for the trilingual, making it his second collaboration with them after Aalavandhan. Lyricist Vairamuthu took charge of the lyrics of the songs in the film, after Kamal Haasan had approached him and narrated the entire plot, to which he immediately agreed to work upon. Javed Akhtar has penned lyrics for the Hindi version, while Ramajogayya Shastry has done the lyrics for the dubbed Telugu version. The audio was released on 7 December 2012. The Telugu version of the audio was released on 30 December at Hyderabad.

Marketing

The makers planned the high-budget production to premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. A special screening of the film was arranged for Hollywood-based producer Barrie M. Osborne and make-up artist Michael Westmore. Before release, it was reported to have been split into two parts, with each one having a separate release.

The first look poster and a teaser of the film were released on May Day 2012 as part of the film's marketing process. The poster consisted of Kamal Haasan wearing a green khaki jacket, with a flying pigeon and a skyline of a city consisting of several skyscrapers in the background. Snippets from the film were unveiled during the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend and awards in Singapore in June 2012, as the actor-director screened excerpts from the film, attracting critical acclaim. He also went on to reveal the synopsis of the film, mentioning that a sequel was already planned and several sequences had already been shot featuring Andrea Jeremiah in a more prominent role. A one minute trailer was released at the award ceremony, which saw Kamal Haasan and Andrea take part in a press conference. The film's Tamil version was given a U/A (Parental Guidance) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification with minor cuts, while the Hindi version Vishwaroop, got an "A" (Adults Only) certificate with no cuts. However, it was later announced that the Hindi version went through minor cuts to receive the U/A certificate.

Release

The makers planned the high-budget production to premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. A special screening of the film was arranged for Hollywood-based producer Barrie M. Osborne and make-up artist Michael Westmore. Before release, it was reported to have been split into two parts, with each one having a separate release.

The first look poster and a teaser of the film were released on May Day 2012 as part of the film's marketing process. The poster consisted of Kamal Haasan wearing a green khaki jacket, with a flying pigeon and a skyline of a city consisting of several skyscrapers in the background. Snippets from the film were unveiled during the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend and awards in Singapore in June 2012, as the actor-director screened excerpts from the film, attracting critical acclaim. He also went on to reveal the synopsis of the film, mentioning that a sequel was already planned and several sequences had already been shot featuring Andrea Jeremiah in a more prominent role. A one minute trailer was released at the award ceremony, which saw Kamal Haasan and Andrea take part in a press conference. The film's Tamil version was given a U/A (Parental Guidance) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification with minor cuts, while the Hindi version Vishwaroop, got an "A" (Adults Only) certificate with no cuts. However, it was later announced that the Hindi version went through minor cuts to receive the U/A certificate.

An Auro 3D trailer of the film was released on 7 November, coinciding with Haasan's birthday. It included a webcast of Kamal's speech via Skype. The film is releasing in 3,000 prints worldwide. While the movie would release in theatres on 25 January 2013, Vishwaroopam DTH release will be on 2 February 2013 via 6 DTH players - Tata Sky, Airtel, Sun, Dish, Videocon & Reliance. The Hindi version is scheduled to be released on 1 February 2013. Vishwaroopam was scheduled to release in about 500 screens in Tamil Nadu. After initial delay,Vishwaroopam was cleared for screening in 12 theatres across Bangalore city from Sunday,27 January 2013. Vishwaroopam has full release in Karnataka in Tuesday,January 29,2013 in 40 theatres across the state, including 17 in Bangalore. The Madras High Court uphold the ban in Tamil Nadu on January 30,2013. As a reason was suggested, that the judge was awaiting the result of Haasan's other case against District collectors, who gave orders to ban the film's release.

Reception

Vishwaroopam released to highly positive reviews. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu stated, "Vishwaroopam is a technically brilliant, ambitious film where most characters are not what they seem", and called the film "A gripping spy thriller of international standards". Rediff gave 3 out of 5 stars and stated, "Vishwaroopam undoubtedly rests on Kamal Haasan, who is brilliant." Vivek Ramz of in.com rated it 3.5 out of 5 and stated. "Vishwaroopam is a nicely made thriller and Kamal’s show all the way".Behindwoods rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it, "One of the commercially best made movies of Tamil cinema." Sify said, "It is technically brilliant with world class making and a subject which is truly international on global terrorism." and called it a "must watch for those who seek classy, stylish and extra-strong entertainment." NDTV stated, "Vishwaroopam is likely to be appreciated by lovers of Hollywood action films." and pointed out, "The film's only minus point - the placement of songs works as speed breakers for a spy thriller." Deccan Chronicle gave 3 stars and stated that the film rides on performances. Firstpost stated that "Vishwaroopam is non-stop action Hollywood style". Southnews.in gave 3.5 out of 5 and stated that Viswaroopam might not go well with the masses but this film has been made with highly technical values and will remain as one of the better film of Legendary Actor Kamal Hassan. FilmGola, a movie review aggregator, has given an average rating of 3.16 out of 5 based on 29 Tamil and Telugu critic reviews.

Controversies

Title naming

In June 2012, the producers of the film ran into conflict with the Hindu Makkal Katchi who demanded that title be changed. They claimed that Viswaroopam was a Sanskrit word rather than a Tamil word, and argued that Kamal Haasan was being anti-Tamil, by naming the film in another language. The same political party had earlier protested against a song in Haasan's Manmadhan Ambu (2010), following which it was removed from the film.

Islamic protests and banning

Islamic organizations had earlier demanded that the film be screened to them prior to its release, expressing concern over the depiction of the community in the movie. Haasan had organized a special screening of the movie for them following their demand. However, the screening of the film has been put on hold for 15 days by the government of Tamil Nadu under Section 144 of CrPC, due to persistent allegations made by Islamic organizations including the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazagham (TMMK), while negotiations are still in progress. TMMK leader Jawahirullah claimed, "There is a danger that the public may view any Muslim with a beard as a terrorist waiting for an opportunity to plant a bomb." Kamal Haasan released a protest note, criticising them for using an "icon bashing" tactic in order to politically profile themselves. Contrary to Jawahirullah, he also stated, that the movie would be giving Muslims a sense of pride. Haasan took the matter to the Madras High Court, seeking an immediate rollback of the government ban on the basis of approval by the Central Board of Film Certification, however justice K. Venkatraman stayed the screening of Vishwaroopam until 28 January, delaying the release in Tamil Nadu for three days, to review the film. The Andhra Pradesh government stopped the screening in Hyderabad and other areas, where the Milad-un-Nabi festival is celebrated by Muslims, while a precautious stop of screenings was enacted by the distributor in Bangalore in light of Tamil Nadu's ban. Kerala saw an unlimited release of the film, although some Muslim outfits were reportedly arrested by the police of Kerala for disrupting screenings. In Thiruvananthapuram,a group of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) took out a protest demonstration to the theatre complex. These developments have been widely criticised by the Indian film fraternity. Backing Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth stated, "The fact that Kamal Haasan held a special screening of the movie to Muslim brothers meeting their demand despite being cleared by the Censor Board shows his respect for the community..Kamal is not an ordinary artiste. He is a great artiste who had taken Tamil cinema to the global level. I request my Muslim brothers to factor in this and change their stand of demanding for a complete ban.." The film is likely to release on 26 January in Hyderabad and on 27 January in 25 theatres across Karnataka including 15 in Bangalore. Despite protests Vishwaroopam screened in Karnataka on Saturday,26 January 2013 itself.Screening of the film was disrupted in some parts of Mysore, Bangalore and Shimoga districts following protests. However,Vishwaroopam' was taken off theatres across Karnataka following police advisory on Saturday itself. Meanwhile Malaysia and Sri Lanka removed the film out of theatres, citing the ban in Tamil Nadu.

Other noted people who have spoken against the film's ban include Shabana Azmi,Shyam Benegal,Ketan Mehta,M. Karunanidhi, Ajith Kumar, Salman Rushdie, Deepa Mehta, Amitabh Bachchan, A. Samad Said, Madhur Bhandarkar, Prakash Raj, Anubhav Sinha, Manoj Bajpayee, Siddharth, R. Parthiban, P. Bharathiraja, A. R. Murugadoss, Linguswamy, Ameer Sultan, and Muktha Srinivasan.

Alleged Political Controversies

DMK president Karunanidhi alleged that Jayalalitha government's ban on Kamal Haasan's movie Vishwaroopam could be the result of the actor lobbying for "a dhoti-clad Tamilian" for Prime Minister at a function in Chennai last month.The comment was made at a function attended by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Mr Karunanidhi and may have provoked the wrath of the chief minister J Jayalalithaa, hinted Mr Karunanidhi in a letter to party workers.

Alleged Business Controversies

Karunanidhi in his letter o his party workers also said that there is a view among a section of people that a television channel close to the ruling party,Jaya TV had asked to buy the rights of "Vishwaroopam", which the actor declined because the quote was much lower than what another channel offered.

Direct-to-home release

Vishwaroopam was about to see its premiere on DTH platforms, wherein Haasan had roped in many DTH operators for the simultaneous release on DTH along with the theatrical release. However, it was later reported that the concept would be dropped after the Tamil Nadu theater organisations protested against such a television release. Reports again emerged that Hasaan is keen on releasing Vishwaroopam on DTH platform, stating "If only three percent of population in Tamil Nadu use DTH services, then how much loss can one show of my film possibly cause the producers or theatre owners?". He also added that it would be one time show, few hours before the film actually releases in theatres and would approximately cost ₹1,000 (US$13). Talks with theatre owners ended in a compromise, where the DTH version would be released one week after the theatrical release in Tamil and Telugu and one day after its release in Hindi in North India, on 2 February.

Box office

Overseas

The Tamil and Telugu versions Vishwaroopam is doing good in foreign markets.

Vishwaroopam(Tamil) overseas business

Countries	Overseas Gross
U.K.& Ireland	[Rs. 81.23 lacs]
U.S.A	[Rs. 3.43 crores]

Vishwaroopam(Telugu) overseas business

Countries	Overseas Gross
U.S.A.	[Rs. 55.38 lacs]

• The overseas collections include Thu previews + opening weekend collections.

External links

• Vishwaroopam at IMDb
• Vishwaroopam on Facebook
• Vishwaroopam on Twitter
• Vishwaroopam at Bollywood Hungama
• Vishwaroopam at Rotten Tomatoes