Lokesh Kanagaraj is arguably one of the best filmmakers in the country today. He rose to stardom and became a household name after just four films. Every leading actor, at least in Kollywood, is aware of his skills and potential as a ‘master’ filmmaker. He is a hit machine with a 100 per cent track record of four out of four blockbusters to his name. Lokesh brings a unique vision to his story and creates a visual style that complements the film’s tense and suspenseful storyline.
Ahead of his most-anticipated release Leo on October 19, let’s look at why a Lokesh Kanagaraj film will never disappoint you.
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s adrenaline-pumping interval blocks
The interval and the climax scene are two important sequences in a film. In the Indian cinema context, an interval block is the main high point of the movie. Lokesh Kanagaraj‘s movies have managed to give us the same rush of adrenaline.
The pre-interval scene in Kaithi is one of the best moments of the movie. Karthi, being a prisoner, gets a promise from Naren that his daughter should get a good education. He utters the dialogue, “You knew me only as a prisoner, but you are unaware of what I was doing before getting behind bars,” followed by a mind-blowing action sequence that makes the audience go berserk.
Who can forget the interval reveal in Vikram? Although we guessed the man behind the mask, the tension Lokesh built to keep the audience hooked talks volumes of his control over the craft. Similarly, in Master, there’s a culmination point with a solid interval block. Thalapathy Vijay‘s fight scene inside the police station still gives the viewers goosebumps. It was an all-round achievement – from writing to music to camera work to stunt and choreography – everything seemed top-tier. The phone conversation between Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi had the audience erupted in theatres.
Lokesh’s strong technical game
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s mastery of technical aspects in his movies makes them a worthwhile experience. He wants his films to look spectacular on the big screen. He ropes in a strong technical crew. He opts for advanced technology in camera work. He does not want any of his fight sequences to feel monotonous and brings innovation to give the audience the best cinema experience. The music plays a huge role in his movies. The electrifying background score accentuates the impact of his scenes.
His movies never have a dull moment. He is particular about the pace of his films. Lokesh is mindful of keeping the narration gripping and maintaining the tension till the third act. It shows how much he is involved with his editing team.
How Lokesh Kanagaraj reinvents commercial cinema
It’s not an easy task to keep the commercial cinema engrossing. There are many cliches associated with it, and if it’s not giving anything interesting to the audience, there are going to be no takers in theatres. A clever director like Lokesh has found a way to avoid all the cliches and has successfully reinvented the action genre. He has written many inventive scenes to keep the audience invested in his kind of cinema, mastering his genre over the years and eventually creating a whole LCU (Lokesh Kanagaraj Universe).
In Kaithi, he knew he had to steer clear away from the songs. He made a superstar like Thalapathy Vijay play the flawed character of an alcoholic professor in Master. He made Kamal Haasan play his age in Vikram and got rid of romance with the heroine.
With Leo, he has promised that it’s a film which is 100 per cent in his territory with no introduction song, introduction fight, punch dialogue, or humour tracks. No director has dared to do this in a Vijay movie, except for Lokesh Kanagaraj.
Adding retro numbers
Every director has a signature style, and Lokesh is no exception. He makes sure he leaves his signature style in all of his movies. From visual style to using retro songs, he gives a film his unique stamp. He was lauded for incorporating the old song, ‘Chakku Chakku Vathikuchi’ in Vikram. He used the songs ‘Jumbalaka Jumbalaka’ and ‘Aasai Athigam Vachu’ in Kaithi. He used one of Ilaiyaraaja’s old hit songs, ‘Karutha Machan’ in Master.
Fans are already waiting to watch what songs he has used in Leo to revive our nostalgia.
Big-screen visual experience
When you walk into Lokesh Kanagaraj’s movie, you are in for a full-blown cinema treat. It is always going to be a grand commercial experience with an intriguing plot, an excellent star cast, music that will live with you, and strong technicalities. It is no secret that Lokesh makes movies for a proper big-screen viewing experience.
The climax scene of ‘Vikram’ starring Suriya in a surprise cameo is still afresh in the memories of the audience. The audience cheered when Karthi’s Dilli uses a Gatling Gun to destroy the gangsters in the climax of Kaithi. In a whistle-worthy scene, Lokesh made Thalapathy Vijay play Kabaddi to fight Arjun Das and his men in Master. Anirudh Ravichander recreated the popular ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi’ song from Vijay’s blockbuster ‘Ghilli’, which made that scene a festive treat for fans in theatres.
Leo is mounted on a big scale. The trailer teases us with a Hyena sequence and a car chase sequence. The movie promises to be a visual extravaganza that deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen.
