| Director | Vetrimaaran |
|---|---|
| Budget | ₹65 crore |
| Box office | ₹55 crore |
DSP Sunil Menon interrogates the captured Makkal Padai leader, "Vaathiyar" Perumal. Meanwhile, Constable Kumaresan is suspended by Officer-in-Charge Ragavendar on minor grounds and denied credit for arresting Perumal. As Kumaresan prepares to return to his village with the traumatized Tamilarasi "Pappa", Sunil calls him to act as a driver for a convoy escorting Perumal through the jungle to a secure facility. During the journey, Perumal recounts his path to radicalization.
Originally a schoolteacher, Perumal's life changes after a young farm labourer named Karuppan kills an abusive landlord who had abducted and sexually assaulted his wife, Maari. When Perumal tries to hand Karuppan over to the police for formal trial, corrupt officers alerts the landlord's vengeful son, who murders the couple and severely injures Perumal. Rescued by a political activist named KK, Perumal embraces revolutionary politics.
Following KK's guidance, Perumal adopts the alias Karuppan and works at the Mahalakshmi Sugar Factory to organize a labour union. He meets Mahalakshmi, the factory owner's daughter, who shares his ideals; they eventually marry and have a daughter. The union is formed after the brutal murder of Comrade Rangasamy, a fellow organizer. Following the establishment of Makkal Padai, KK is assassinated in the factory, prompting Perumal and his comrades to avenge the perpetrators. The government subsequently bans the group, forcing them underground.
In the present, the police convoy becomes lost in the dense forest. When Ragavendar accidentally slips into a ravine, Perumal uses his binding chain to save him. The officers remove Perumal's handcuffs and Ragavendar confesses to accidentally shooting Raghu and later killing him to protect his job. Addressing the train bombing, Perumal explains that Makkal Padai originally planted explosives as a protest to scare the opposition. However, authorities refused to act on the threat and a mishandled defusal attempt caused an accidental detonation that destroyed the bridge and derailed the train.
Perumal offers to guide the officers back to the barraks, but Makkal Padai insurgents ambush the convoy and liberate him. As they retreat, an embarrassed Ragavendar deliberately shoots Perumal in the leg to slow his escape. Meanwhile, news leaks of Perumal's arrest and the police brutality, prompting Chief Secretary A. Subramaniyan to order Ragavendar's arrest and promote Sub Inspector Amudan as the new Officer-in-Charge to recapture Perumal.
A fierce gunfight breaks out between the police and Makkal Padai. Fearing his subordinates will expose his murder of Raghu, Ragavendar executes one of his own officers and frames the insurgents. Believing Ragavendar's lie, Amudan executes all surrendered Makkal Padai members. When Ragavendar attempts to kill another officer, Kumaresan intervenes and restrains him, exposing Ragavendar's betrayal to Amudan.
Weakened by his leg wound and surrounded by the police, Perumal steps forward to surrender peacefully to protect his remaining comrades. However, Amudan shoots him at point-blank range and orders a barrage from the battalion. As Perumal attempts to stand, driven by memories of his wife, Constable Bala is forced to shoot him dead.
As Kumaresan drives Amudan, Ragavendar, and Bala back to the barracks with Perumal's corpse, Amudan boasts about their upcoming promotions. Enraged, Kumaresan intentionally crashes the jeep into a ravine, trapping the officers inside. Walking away, Kumaresan writes a final letter to his mother, stating that if he does not return, she should know he died helping those in need.