Virumaandi

Virumaandi (Sandiyar)
Directed by	Kamal Haasan
Produced by	Kamal Haasan Chandra Haasan
Written by	Kamal Haasan
Starring	Kamal Haasan Abhirami Nassar Pasupathy Napoleon Duraisamy
Music by	Ilayaraaja
Cinematography	Keshav Prakash
Edited by	Ramsudharsan Kamal Haasan
Production company	Raaj Kamal Films International
Distributed by	Raaj Kamal Films International
Release date	14 January 2004
Running time	175 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Box office	₹476.95 million (equivalent to ₹1.2 billion or US$18 million in 2016)

Virumaandi is a 2004 Indian Tamil language action drama film written, co edited, produced and directed by Kamal Haasan, who also performed in the title role. The film revolves around the interview of two prison inmates, firstly Kothala Thevar (Pasupathy) life sentence inmate and secondly Virumaandi (Kamal Haasan) who is sentenced to hang. The criminals express how they feel about the direction their lives have taken and how they have ended up where they are. The film's narrative is based on the Rashomon effect. The film revolves around the controversy of the death penalty.

The cast also includes Abhirami, Napoleon, Rohini, Shanmugarajan, and Nassar in pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Ilayaraaja. It was dubbed into Telugu as Pothuraju. The film won critical acclaim and was a commercial success at the box office. This film acquired cult status in Tamil cinema and inspired similar themes.

Angela Kathamuthu (Rohini), a Rights activist and her cameraman in Madras Central Prison interviewing prisoners serving life imprisonment and awaiting the death sentence. She meets Kothala Thevar (Pasupathy) who is serving a life sentence. He tells his version of the story that led to his conviction. According to him the root cause of the problem is Virumaandi (Kamal Haasan), a happy-go-lucky rogue. His support to Kothala Thevar in his clash against Nallama Naicker (Napoleon) brings about a bonding between the two. Annalakshmi (Abhirami), the niece of Thevar falls for Virumaandi. Thevar with an eye on the fertile land owned by Virumaandi does not object to the romance. According to Thevar, Annalakshmi was abducted by Virumaandi and raped. A clash between Virumaandi and Thevar takes places in which 24 innocent people are killed. After much resentment and objection, Virumaandi's agrees to turn to tell his version to Kathamuthu. Virumaandi, a manual labourer was sent back to home from Singapore for taking responsibility for his cousin's fault. His only relation was his grand mother (S. N. Lakshmi), who practises natural farming without artificial fertilisers and deep bore wells. Kothala Thevar had a silent eye on the fertile land owned by Virumaandi, as it had the only underground water availability. He treats Virumaandi as his nephew. Virumaandi falls in love with Annalakshmi at the Jallikattu. That night his grandmother passes away and 2 days later an attempt is made on Virumaandi's life. Annalakshmi finds him and admits him in the hospital to save his life. Gradually she falls in love with him. She teaches him importance of apology and forgiveness, which are virtues. A clash at the Panchayat infuriates Annalakshmi and she asks Virumaandi to apologize to the elders whom he insulted. He goes to apologize at night but Thevar and his men, thinking he has gone to take revenge, come in groups and hack down innocents to death. Thevar uses his clout to get out of the murder charge but Virumaandi who was involved in the bloodbath is disturbed because he had to lie to save Thevar and his kin. As part of the penance he wills his land for the villagers. Annalakshmi asks him to marry her and leave the village. He marries her at the village temple and goes away in the night with the girl and stays with his aunt whose son he helped. Thevar's men come when Virumaandi was away and abduct Annalakshmi and forcibly get her married to Thevar's nephew. This is to ensure that Annalakshmi's property does not go to Virumaandi. Unable to tolerate, Annalakshmi commits suicide. Virumaandi takes revenge by hacking Thevar's 4 men to death, but finds that Thevar himself had escaped. Nallama Naicker shelters Virumaandi and sends him off to Chennai. Thevar and his men ask Nallama Naicker to hand over Virumaandi. A battle ensues in which Nallama Naicker is killed. Virumaandi turns up in court, where he finds all evidence is framed against him. He is convicted of having raped Annalakshmi and killing her and later on killing 26 men of Thevar who inquired into the rape. While leaving the jail, Angela Kathamuthu's cameraman discreetly shoots a conversation between Paykkaman (Shanmugarajan), the deputy jailor and other jail wardens and convicts to bump off the Jayanth (Nassar), Chief Jailor. A revolt among the jail staff leads to a jail break, as Jayanth being stabbed, and Virumaandi saving the vital evidence and Angela from the deputy jailor and his henchmen. Finally, an epilogue denotes a note that the death sentence should be abolished.