Ever since it began in 2008 with the superhero film Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been swiftly expanding, with 32 interconnected films and more in the works. Today, it is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time, having grossed almost $30 billion worldwide. However, it did not begin with a big bang. “We never set out to build a universe,” said Kevin Feige, one of MCU’s architects.
Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj, however, had set out to build a universe. The third film in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) or Lokiverse―Leo―is a smashing hit, much like the first two. The first, Kaithi (2019), grossed Rs105 crore in the box office, and the second, Vikram, (2022) grossed Rs435 crore; Leo, within five days of its release, raked in Rs400 crore worldwide.
The LCU is an action-packed world where vigilantes and law enforcement officers are pitted against powerful drug lords. In Kaithi, Inspector Bejoy (Narain) and ex-convict Dilli (Karthi) take on the drug mafia. In Vikram, a black ops agent Amar (Fahadh Faasil) tries to bust a drug syndicate responsible for the supposed death of black ops commander Vikram (Kamal Haasan). And in Leo, Parthiban (Vijay) is a former gangster turned cafe owner who becomes entangled in the drug war.
Leo
Leo begins with the rescue of a hyena in a village in Himachal Pradesh. As an animal rescuer is summoned, Vijay explains that hyenas always live in groups. When a hyena appears alone, it is because it is either lost or has left the clan in search of a safe place. Attack is its form of defence. This sets the tone for Parthiban’s story. It is a testament to Kanagaraj’s skill that he can build such a nuanced world without in any way moralising it.
Kanagaraj is Tamil cinema’s latest sensation, adored by young audiences with a preference for action, blood and gore. He always ensures that his actors, even if they are superstars, adapt to his script. In Tamil, there have been many film franchises, but no director has matched Kanagaraj’s universe building. Merely five films old, Kanagaraj’s innovative storytelling techniques and visual effects have made him hugely successful. “He is creating characters with recall value and with box office potential. His characterisation is immensely accepted by the youth. It is Lokesh’s formula now,” says Sreedhar Pillai, writer and industry expert.
Vikram
Universe building in Tamil cinema began with director duo Pushkar-Gayathri’s Oram Po (2007) and Va―Quarter Cutting (2010), and director Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Aaranya Kaandam (2010). But theirs did not have quite the impact of the Lokiverse. For the first time in Tamil cinema, characters like Dilli (Karthi), Bejoy (Narain) or Rolex (Suriya) in Kaithi, and Sandanam (Vijay Sethupathi) in Vikram could have their origin stories as separate films. In fact, fans of Lokiverse are already anticipating origin stories of Rolex and Amar. “It is Lokesh’s way of telling a story,” says Syed Ashiq, a young fan. His favourite is Rolex. “More than Dilli and Amar, I want to know Rolex’s story,” he says. There are also talks of Kaithi 2, which will flesh out Dilli’s life and his enmity with Adaikalam (Harish Uthaman).
Unlike the MCU, Kanagaraj’s characters do not have superpowers, but they are superheroes for his fans. His heroes are ordinary humans like a truck driver, a secret agent and a cafe owner. Like American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, Kanagaraj uses old songs and heavy violence. In Leo, for example, ‘Karukaru Karupayi’, a song which was popular in the 1980s and 1990s, flags off the conflict.
When Leo released on October 19, the audience erupted into whoops and cheers when a police officer entered the scene. It was none other than Napolean (George Maryan) from Kaithi. He is a version of Hollywood’s quintessential rookie cop. In Kaithi, he is surrounded by hapless engineering students, and in Leo, he is summoned from Tamil Nadu to Himachal Pradesh to offer police protection to Parthiban and his family.
Kaithi
For Kanagaraj, making a film “comes down to what is liked and expected from a director”. Like Hollywood’s John Woo, Kanagaraj is regarded as a director who wants to reinvent the action genre and “explore the possibilities of doing something innovative within the available framework”.
Despite the heavy action, Kanagaraj’s films have always had a strong emotional core. The blood and gore never exceed what is warranted in the script. His films are also technically sound and visually stunning, which make them distinct from commercial Tamil cinema. With Leo being a super-hit and Kanagaraj having now signed a film with Rajinikanth, his universe is set for rapid expansion.