Kanthaswamy (film)

Kanthaswamy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Susi Ganesan
Produced by	Kalaipuli S. Dhanu
Written by	Susi Ganesan
Starring	Vikram Shriya Saran Prabhu Ganesan Krishna Ashish Vidyarthi Vadivelu Mukesh Tiwari
Music by	Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography	N. K. Ekambaram
Edited by	Praveen K. L. N. B. Srikanth M.V.Rajesh
Production company	V. Creations
Distributed by	Kalaipuli Internationals (India) Ayngaran International (Worldwide)
Release date	21 August 2009 (2009-08-21)
Running time	195 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹40 crore (equivalent to ₹70 crore or US$11 million in 2016)
Box office	₹60 crore (equivalent to ₹106 crore or US$16 million in 2016)

Kanthaswamy (Tamil: கந்தசாமி, Kantacāmi ^?) is a 2009 Tamil language neo noir vigilante thriller film written and directed by Susi Ganesan starring Vikram in the title role. Shriya Saran, Prabhu Ganesan, Krishna, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Tiwari, Mansoor Ali Khan, Vadivelu and Y. G. Mahendran form the supporting cast. The film's soundtrack and background score was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film's soundtrack was released on 17 May 2009 and the film was released on 21 August 2009 to average reviews.

The film was dubbed and simultaneously released as Mallanna in Telugu and was later dubbed into Hindi as Shiva - The Superhero and does not feature the song 'Meow Meow'. It was remade in Bengali as Most Welcome, starring Ananta, Barsha and Sneha Ullal.

The film's plot revolves around Kanthaswamy (Vikram), who is an Income Tax officer in the CBI, and his friends, granting the wishes of the needy who write letters to a local Lord Muruga temple by disguising himself as an anthropomorphic rooster. During a CBI income tax raid, he discovers a stash of black money owned by Ponnusamy (Ashish Vidyarthi), a rich and corrupted entrepreneur. Ponnusamy pretends to be paralysed to escape the questioning. Angered by the news that her father is paralysed, Ponnusamy's daughter, Subbulakshmi (Shriya Saran) goes after Kanthaswamy to seek revenge by pretending to be in love with him. Kanthaswamy, knowing Subbulakshmi's real intentions plays along in the game. This forms a cat and mouse chase between the two. In a comical role, Thengakadai Thenappan (Vadivelu) is also sought after by a local police inspector who tries to solve the mystery of "Lord Muruga saving the people". The fate of Kanthaswamy's disguise leads into the climax of the story. The local police inspector was able to bring out the truth that a CBI is involved in the role behind the secret work of helping the needy people although he was not able to confirm it. Kanthaswamy finds the password of Subbulakshmi's family bank account, in which the black money is illegally saved. He tricks Subbulakshmi into revealing the password and answers for the security questions indirectly. Kanthaswamy finally transfers the money to his account which would be used for helping the poor and needy people. Ironically, in the end, Subbulakshmi's father was paralysed at the end knowing that his black money was robbed and having zero balance in their bank account, where they had stored it. After that Subbulakshmi and Kanthaswamy were married and were living in northern India. Kanthaswamy saw some letters tied to a tree, just like the ones at the Lord Muruga temple. He reads one and puts it into his pocket with a secret smile, which meant he will pursue being the anthropomorphic rooster again.