Cobra (2022 film)

Cobra is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language psychological action thriller film written and directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu and produced by 7 Screen Studio. The film stars Vikram in a dual role, while Irfan Pathan, Roshan Mathew, Sarjano Khalid, Srinidhi Shetty, Mirnalini Ravi, Miya George, K. S. Ravikumar, Anandaraj, Robo Shankar and Meenakshi Govindarajan play supporting roles. It also marked the cinematic debut of Irfan Pathan, previously a cricketer, and the Tamil debuts of Roshan Mathew, Sarjano Khalid and Srinidhi Shetty. In the film, an Interpol officer is assigned to catch a mysterious assassin named "Cobra", who intelligently assassinates people using mathematical skills.

The project was officially announced in May 2019, under the tentative title Vikram 58 as it Vikram's 58th film as a lead actor, before the official title was announced that December. Filming began in October 2019 and nearly took three years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, travel restrictions and Vikram's commitments on other projects, wrapping only in February 2022. It was primarily shot in Chennai, while filming also took place in Kerala, Kolkata and Russia. The music is composed by A. R. Rahman, with cinematography handled by Harish Kannan and editing by John Abraham and Bhuvan Srinivasan.

Cobra was theatrically released on 31 August 2022, coinciding with Vinayaka Chathurthi. The film was a box-office bomb and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and audiences, who criticized its convoluted screenwriting and excessive length. Although, the concept, cinematography, soundtrack, musical score and Vikram's performance were praised.