Aalavandhan

Aalavandhan
Poster
Directed by	Suresh Krissna
Produced by	S. Thanu
Written by	Kamal Haasan
Based on	Dayam by Kamal Haasan
Starring	Kamal Haasan Raveena Tandon
Music by	Songs: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Background Score: Mahesh Mahadevan
Cinematography	Tirru
Edited by	Kasi Viswanathan K. S. Raghunath (uncredited)
Production company	V. Creations
Release date	14 November 2001
Running time	178 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil Hindi
Budget	₹20 crore (equivalent to ₹56 crore or US$8.3 million in 2016)

Aalavandhan (English: Born to Rule) is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film directed by Suresh Krissna, and produced by S. Thanu. The film stars Kamal Haasan in dual roles, with Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala, Vallabh Vyas, and Milind Gunaji in supporting roles. It is among the earliest magic realism films in India.

The film features soundtrack composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and background score composed by Mahesh Mahadevan. The film was also shot in Hindi (as Abhay) and dubbed in Telugu under that same title. The film is an adaptation of the novel Dayam that was written by Kamal Haasan in 1984. Although a critical and commercial failure during its release, Aalavandhan won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects. Over time, the film has become a cult classic.

Vijay Kumar, a Commando in Delhi is due to marry his girlfriend Tejaswini "Teju", a television news presenter. Vijay's twin brother Nandu is a psychopath with schizophrenia. They both were separated as children and Nandu spent most of his life in an asylum for killing his stepmother. Vijay cares about Nandu and looks forward to his release, but a doctor tells him that Nandu is a danger to the society and should not be released.

Vijay and Teju visit Nandu to share the news about their impending marriage, which turns disastrous when Nandu sees in Teju his stepmother Jayanthi, who he hates for ruining his life. Seeking to save Vijay from Teju, who he sees as the "witch", Nandu manages to escape custody after killing two other inmates. Nandu later meets his maternal uncle—responsible for admitting him in the asylum—who dies on seeing him. After their marriage, Vijay and Teju are shocked on learning of Nandu's escape. The doctor believes it was another patient who escaped, but Vijay is convinced that it was Nandu.