Vishal – En route to mass appeal

'Chellame' became a stupendous hit and propelled Vishal to stardom with just one film under his belt. After carefully being part of many other successful projects notably 'Sandakozhi' and 'Thimiru', the actor had come to stay as a bankable star. Vishal and the think-tank behind his acting endeavors probably think it is time to reach out to the next level which obviously is turning into a hero with mass appeal. The outcome clearly is 'Satyam' produced by Vishal's big brother Vikram Krishna.
In a society that worships cinema-heroes, there is absolutely nothing wrong in becoming a mass hero as did superstar Rajinikanth and Vijay with great effect. It is actually a very credible effort and can be viewed as a strategic career move. 'Satyam' has projected Vishal as a cop with an impressive physique and there is a telling difference to his macho appeal when compared to his looks in previous films.
Talking about the film itself, it is a regular run-of-the-mill action flick but with a difference. An ambitious attempt to please the tastes of two states, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh is very evident. 'Satyam' was made simultaneously as 'Salute' in Telugu. Can this trend be adhered to with future movies? Only time will tell and the course of the future might probably depend heavily on the success of 'Satyam'.
Technically, the film is brilliant with impressive cinematography by R. D. Rajashekar who seems to be excelling with every project of his. Computer Generated Imagery in the film has been marvelous except for a few shots that clearly show 3D cars composited along with real cars. Art direction and stunt sequences have been made in a refreshing manner. These technical facets along with Vishal's appeal and Upendra's character depicted in an elusive manner are the positive elements of the film.
However, a serious thought has to start plaguing the minds of most Tamil filmmakers. The fact that the script is the real lifeline of any film and that technicalities though brilliant can only act as catalysts in reaching out to the masses. If only Rajashekar, director of 'Satyam' had a serious thought along these lines, the film might have become one of the biggest sensations this year.
However, the film might just have enough in it to be financially viable and Vishal's quest to be a mass hero will see the light of day especially because of his hard work on and off screen.