| Director | S. Shankar |
|---|---|
| Budget | ₹250 crore |
| Box office | ₹151 crore |
Chitra Aravindhan is an online media reporter living in Chennai with his mother, Chitra, and his father, Varadharajan, who works at the Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Commission (ACVC). Chitra runs a popular YouTube channel called "Barking Dogs" with his friends Aarthi, Thambesh, and Harish; the channel focuses on parodies and political satires. After a woman named Sunitha commits suicide, the four friends discover that a corrupt government official caused her death. In response, they stage a protest and are arrested by the local police. Chitra's girlfriend Disha bails the four out of jail and tells them that they cannot single-handedly fix the corruption problems of an entire country. In response, Chitra and his friends launch a "Come Back Indian" campaign, hoping to entice Senapathy, a retired vigilante who fought against corruption, to return to India and end corruption.
Nilesh, one of Chitra's friends, spots Senapathy in Taipei, Taiwan, and discovers that he is running a martial arts school, teaching Varma Kalai. Nilesh persuades Senapathy to return to Chennai using his senior mentor's passport. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers Pramod and Elango unsuccessfully attempt to capture Senapathy upon his arrival in Chennai. In a viral Facebook Live video, Senapathy urges his followers and the public to expose corrupt individuals across India through peaceful means, inspired by Gandhian principles, while he will uphold the revolutionary ideals of Subhas Chandra Bose. Senapathy emphasizes that his followers should prioritize addressing corruption at home before tackling external issues. He also emotionally reveals that he reluctantly killed his son Chandru for accepting bribes. Senapathy's message motivates Chitra and his friends, who start monitoring their parents' activities. Harish visits his uncle's motel and discovers they serve stale food to customers. Thambesh finds out that his brother-in-law, Nanjunda Moorthy, accepts bribes from customers, as does Aarthi's mother, Kanagalatha, who works as a sub-registrar. They report their findings to the ACVC, leading to their relatives' arrest.
Senapathy targets and kills several corrupt businessmen engaging in embezzlement and financial fraud, including multinational corporation owner Amit Aggarwal and a Gujarati gold trader named Darshan. Pramod investigates the killings and formulates a plan to arrest Senapathy. Meanwhile, Chitra monitors his father Varadharajan, initially finding no evidence of wrongdoing. However, Aarthi's father Thangavel reveals that Varadharajan had met with the corrupt officer who caused Sunitha's death. Initially skeptical, Chitra investigates and discovers the truth: Varadharajan had accepted a bribe from the officer. Chitra reports this to the ACVC, leading to Varadharajan's arrest. After learning that Chitra is responsible for Varadharajan's arrest, Chitra's mother evicts him from their home. Senapathy congratulates Chitra and his friends for their courage, and plans to meet them in person. The next day, however, they learn that Chitra's mother has committed suicide out of shame, and Varadharajan has disowned him. Devastated by the incident, Chitra and his friends meet with Senapathy near a graveyard. Senapathy apologizes for what has happened, but Chitra blames Senapathy for his mother's death and for killing Chandru. He launches a new campaign, "Go Back Indian", which becomes viral and earns Senapathy the wrath of the local populace.
Pramod and Elango locate Senapathy and attempt to arrest him, but he flees on an electric unicycle. During the chase, Senapathy is attacked by a group of gangsters, but fights them off. However, a mob of angry onlookers, including police, criminals, and corrupt officials, surrounds and attacks Senapathy, ignoring his pleas. Pramod and Elango eventually arrive and arrest him, but Senapathy uses Varma Kalai on Pramod, who suffers a brain injury and collapses. Pramod is admitted to a hospital, where the chief doctor informs his father, Krishnaswamy, a retired CBI officer, that Pramod will die in three hours and only Senapathy can reverse the tissue and nerve damage Pramod has suffered. Krishnaswamy then takes the paralysed Pramod to a nearby criminal court, where Senapathy faces conviction for his crimes. Senapathy offers to save Pramod's life in exchange for his release, and the judge reluctantly agrees. Senapathy leaves the court and drives away with Pramod in an ambulance, promising that he will return.