India, April 25 -- WHEN SU ARUN KUMAR'S Veera Dheera Sooran 2, starring Vikram, Dushara Vijayan and SJ Suryah, released on the big screen on the evening of March 27 after much anxiety and uncertainty over a court case, there was jubilation all around - not just because it was screened, but because the audience finally got the Vikram they loved, after years of waiting. It almost seemed fans were grateful someone finally cast their hero in a role that was right up his alley, one that did not involve intense physical transformation and tapped into his ability to emote. That response took the director, whose previous film was the slice-of-life Chithha, by surprise.

"I was worried because this was a screenplay format I had not attempted befor...