| Director | S. Shankar |
|---|---|
| Budget | $1.8 million |
| Box office | $4.2 million |
A series of identical, high-profile homicides occurs in Avadi over the span of a few months. Each victim is stabbed with precision, paralyzed instantly via their pressure points, and left to die. To capture the elusive serial killer, the Chennai Police Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) establish a joint task force led by officer Krishnaswamy. Analyzing the evidence, specifically the distinct, archaic handwriting style of a taunting letter left at the murder scene of a government treasury officer, the investigators deduce that the perpetrator must be over seventy years old. The killer is revealed to be Senapathy, a disciplined veteran of the Indian National Army (INA) led by Subhas Chandra Bose. Driven by a fierce anti-corruption ideology, Senapathy began his vigilante spree by executing a corrupt official who extorted a bribe from an impoverished elderly widow seeking her government-allotted riot compensation.
Concurrently, Chandrabose alias Chandru works as a small-time broker outside the Chennai Regional Transport Office (RTO), alongside his assistant Subbaiah, facilitating bribes for citizens seeking licenses and permits. Chandru is in a relationship with Aishwarya, an animal rights activist. Aishwarya frequently clashes with Swapna, the daughter of the Secretary of Transportation. Hoping to secure a lucrative, permanent position as a brake inspector at the RTO, Chandru systematically caters to Swapna's affluent family, performing domestic chores to win their favor. While Swapna develops unrequited feelings for Chandru, she steps back upon recognizing his genuine devotion to Aishwarya.
Krishnaswamy eventually tracks Senapathy to his residence by masquerading as a freedom fighter eligible for Swathantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme. When he attempts an arrest, Senapathy uses his mastery of Varma kalai, an ancient martial art centered on vital pressure points, to non-fatally paralyze Krishnaswamy, and Senapathy's wife Amirthavalli explains his cause to Krishnaswamy. They seek refuge at a local hospital, where Amirthavalli encounters Chandru in an elevator, revealing that Chandru is Senapathy’s estranged son. The two had previously experienced a bitter falling out over Senapathy’s uncompromising righteousness, which Chandru dismissed as impractical in modern society.
Senapathy broadcasts the live kidnapping and execution of a corrupt senior doctor. He reveals to the public that years earlier, the doctor had willfully allowed Senapathy’s daughter, Kasturi, to succumb to third-degree burns because Senapathy refused to pay a bribe. This dramatic exposure triggers massive public sympathy and national support for Senapathy's vigilante crusade. However, having successfully secured his position as a brake inspector, Chandru succumbs to the very systemic corruption his father fights; he accepts a bribe to issue a safety certificate to a school bus with faulty brakes. The bus crashes and kills forty children.
After bribing a doctor and a police officer, Chandru tries to inject alcohol into the bus driver's corpse to frame him for drunk driving. Senapathy intercepts Chandru but before he can kill him, Krishnaswamy intervenes and arrests the vigilante. Utilizing his martial arts expertise, Senapathy swiftly escapes. Ignoring his wife and Aishwarya's desperate pleas for mercy, Senapathy tracks Chandru to the Chennai airport as his son attempts to flee to Mumbai. Following a high-speed chase on the tarmac, Senapathy mournfully kills Chandru. Moments later, the jeep Chandru is driving collides with a taxiing airplane, causing a massive explosion that seemingly kills Senapathy.
While analysing the airport's security footage, Krishnaswamy discovers that Senapathy escaped from the jeep seconds before the explosion. Senapathy calls Krishnaswamy from Hong Kong to confirm his survival and asks him to announce it to the public. He promises to return should the need for his presence arise.