Vikram 1986

On 15 March, three men—Ashraf Hussain, Francis Adaikalaraj, and RD Bohra—are convicted and sentenced to 25 years for their involvement in various anti-national activities. Unremorseful, they taunt the press as the judge passes sentence. The next day, a nuclear-capable ICBM, Agni Putra, is dispatched from an unknown location to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, only to be stolen by Sugirtharaja and his henchmen. The mission to recover it lands on the shoulders of an off-duty agent, Commander Arun Kumar Vikram, a hard-edged operative whose presence instantly complicates the political landscape around the crisis.

Back at Headquarters, a distressed panel of ministers and military brass, led by Mr Rao, RAW’s chief, ponders the danger of the missile falling into terrorist hands and decides to enlist the now off-duty agent, Vikram, to locate the weapon. The Secretary, Thangaraj, eavesdrops on the briefing and passes information to Sugirtharaja, who responds by dispatching a henchman to eliminate Vikram. The plan hits a brutal snag when Vikram’s three-month-pregnant wife, Ambika, is accidentally shot by a sniper, a wound that hardens Vikram’s resolve and sharpens his focus on the mission.

Enraged, Vikram returns to duty and rebukes Rao for a costly leak, while he deftly exposes Thangaraj. After torture, Thangaraj names Sugirtharaja as the mastermind in front of the panel and then jumps to his death, leaving the truth half-revealed and the investigation more urgent than ever. Desperate to locate the missile, Rao introduces Vikram to a computer expert, Preethi, who knows the Agni Putra’s onboard computer and how its systems function. Initially annoyed by Vikram’s brutal methods, she gradually softens, recognizing the depth of the challenge ahead. Sugirtharaja’s henchman destroys all evidence at Thangaraj’s home, but Vikram and Preethi arrive just in time to begin piecing the puzzle together.

The chase and the clues culminate at a cinema theatre showing a documentary on India-Salamia friendship, where Vikram spots Sugirtharaja among the audience. A deeper investigation reveals that the Kingdom of Salamia discourages intel-sharing with India, making a diplomatic solution unlikely. With the diplomatic route ruled out, Vikram and Preethi, disguising themselves as folk artists, join a traveling troupe to Salamia, ruled by the Sultan. En route, Vikram saves Inimaasi, Salamia’s princess and the Sultan’s sister, from a snakebite, and she promptly becomes enamored with him. Preethi, though initially put off by Vikram’s arrogance, finds herself drawn to him as well.

Vikram identifies the missile’s location and uncovers a disturbing truth: the high priest is a puppet carrying out Sugirtharaja’s plans, secretly reprogramming the onboard computer. When Preethi is captured by guards, she pretends to be cheated by Vikram and passes critical information to him, unbeknownst to Sugirtharaja. In a tense moment, Vikram’s efforts to reprogram the system lead him to a spa where he unexpectedly reunites with Inimaasi, deepening the personal stakes of the mission. The pair’s attempt to expose the priest’s treason is met with fierce resistance; the Sultan catches the lovers, and Vikram is sentenced to decapitation in a public spectacle.

Escaping execution, Vikram flees into the desert, pursued by a gun-toting Sugirtharaja and the Royal Sentries. Dehydration and exposure leave him on the brink, and a black cobra bites him, pushing him to the edge of life. Back at the Royal Palace, the high priest stages a coup and holds the Sultan at gunpoint. Inimaasi manages to escape and tends to the delirious Vikram, nursing him back to health. The couple returns to the palace and, with renewed vigor, fights off the armed sentries while the Sultan impales the high priest, disrupting Sugirtharaja’s broader scheme.

Unaware that Agni Putra’s onboard computer has been tampered with, Sugirtharaja launches the missile with the intent of devastating New Delhi. In RAW headquarters, officials monitor a 2D animation of the missile’s descent, only to watch it drift and plunge into the Bay of Bengal, auto-disarming without causing the intended destruction. Back in Salamia, royal guards sabotage the siege and restore order. Sugirtharaja coerces Preethi into a glider plane, and Vikram boards it by using a lasso to snag onto the skids, turning a fatal trap into a high-stakes pursuit.

As the plane teeters, a bomb detonates and Sugirtharaja leaps with the parachute backpack, sacrificing himself in a final, fatal fall. Vikram and Preethi free-fall and manage to grab Sugirtharaja’s parachute, pulling him to his doom in mid-air. They touch down on the ground in a dramatic, halting moment, and Inimaasi arrives, calling out to Vikram. Preethi also voices her call, but Vikram—torn between two powerful women—hesitates and ultimately runs away, leaving both Inimaasi and Preethi to contend with the consequences of his choices. The mission ends with a mix of victory, loss, and a decision that hints at the complex loyalties and desires that fueled the entire ordeal.