Pattathu Yaanai

Pattathu Yaanai
Promotional poster
Directed by	Bhoopathy Pandian
Produced by	S. Michael Rayappan (Presenter) M. Sheraphin Xavier
Written by	Bhoopathy Pandian
Starring	Vishal Aishwarya Arjun Santhanam
Music by	Songs: Thaman Score: Sabesh-Murali
Cinematography	Vaidy S
Edited by	A. L. Ramesh
Production company	Global Infotainment Pvt Ltd
Distributed by	Vishal Film Factory
Release date	26 July 2013 (2013-07-26)
Running time	148 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Budget	₹24 crore (US$3.6 million)

Pattathu Yaanai (English: Royal Elephant) is a 2013 Tamil action film written and directed by Boopathy Pandian and produced by Michael Rayappan. The film features Vishal Krishna and Aishwarya Arjun in the lead roles with Santhanam playing a supporting role. Music was composed by Thaman, and the film released on July 26, 2013 alongside its Telugu dubbed version Dheerudu. The film opened to mixed reviews, and became an average grosser at the box office. The Telugu dubbed version, Dheerudu, was released on March 14, 2014.

The story opens in Karaikudi, where Gouravam (Santhanam) is a well-known traditional cook making a living undertaking orders for marriage functions. He is forced into taking an order for a local goon’s wedding and is not happy about it. Saravanan (Vishal) and his four friends, who come to work for him as junior cooks, offer to help him but land him in even greater trouble and they are forced to flee from Karaikudi. The story shifts to Trichy, where Saravanan and his friends have grand plans of opening a restaurant with the help of Gouravam and his money. Here, just like in Malaikottai, it is love at first sight for Saravanan when he sees Aishwarya (Aishwarya Arjun). Things go wrong and as their love deepens we are introduced to two rival gangs, Kasi and Manaa along with a ‘Madurai Anachi’ who are constantly at each other’s throat. In a conflict Manaa forces Aishwarya to marry him and in the process of saving his love Saravanan reveals his past. Saravanan is a jail return who had killed 3 people in Madurai including Anachi's only son to avenge the murder of an orphan kid whom Saravanan considers as his little sister. The rest of the story is how Saravanan protects his love and kill the dark forces.

Following a successful collaboration with the 2007 film Malaikottai, Vishal and Boopathy Pandian signed terms to make another film together in 2010. Boopathy Pandian subsequently moved on to make a film titled Vedi with Vikram in the lead role, but the film was cancelled after an initial schedule. In November 2010, it was reported that Pandian and Vishal would make another film under the Vishal's home banner, GK Films Corporation, in a venture titled Pattathu Yaanai and that it would feature the story that Pandian had planned for Vikram in his project Vedi. In a turn of events, the director decided to opt out of the project and do the film instead with Arya and his banner, Show People. The deal took place without the knowledge of GK Corporation who had paid him and advance, with the production house's director Shriya Reddy criticizing the director. But Arya opted out of the project. Boopathy Pandian after opting out of Telugu film Jagan Mohan IPS subsequently agreed again to make the film with Vishal and Michael Rayappan agreed to produce the film under Global Infotainment Ltd.