Veeram

VEERAM tells an ancient Indian lore which bears resemblance to the story of Shakespeare's "Macbeth".

The movie substantially follows the same plot, even quoting nearly verbatim what is the perhaps most famous quote of that play ("Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."). The setting, however, is in ancient India and the context provides a window into ancient Indian culture.

The movie is a visual spectacle: the cinematography, production design, costume design and fight choreography are all first-rate. It is a joy just to behold the gorgeous imagery which effectively evokes this ancient mystical culture of North Malabar, a region in southwest India.

It was interesting also to learn about Kalari, an ancient martial art which is nearly 3000 years old, and watch well-choreographed fights involving the Urumi, a dangerous sword with a flexible, tape-like blade.

Alas, the film is not perfect.

Except for some of the main characters, including the antihero, most of the cast had a wooden delivery, which was amplified by the Indian accents of the actors.

Also, the editing was at times too choppy; it made it sometimes harder to follow the events, especially for someone not familiar with ancient Indian culture,

Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile film for anyone interested in Macbeth, ancient Indian culture or historical drama in general.