Pudhupettai
Pudhupettai is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by Selvaraghavan starring his brother Dhanush in the lead role, while Sonia Agarwal and Sneha play supporting roles. It follows the story of a slum-dwelling student from Pudhupettai who becomes a dreaded gangster in North Chennai as a means of survival.
The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by Arvind Krishna and editing by Kola Bhaskar. The film was released on 26 May 2006. It had an average opening at the box office. However, it attained cult status in subsequent years.
Plot
A man is shown, inside a jail cell, shouting that he is scared and that nobody is there. He introduces himself as Kokki Kumar and continues to tell his story as he is shown talking alone inside the cell.Kumar is a secondary school student living in the slums of Pudhupettai. After coming home from the cinema theatre one day, he sees his mother's dead body. She was killed by his father, following an argument. After overhearing a conversation between his father and his friend about their plan to kill him too, as he is a witness, Kumar flees from home. Homeless, he resorts to begging and is arrested on false charges. After being released on bail, he befriends Mani, who works for a gangster named Anbu, who in turn works for the opposition party's leader Thamizhselvan, who is also a criminal. They take Kumar under their wing and give him petty jobs. During a confrontation with rival gangsters led by the ruling party's politician Murthy, Kumar kills Murthy's brother single-handedly amidst 100 goons, earning the respect of his gang. Anbu makes him join a gang consisting of professional killers. There, Kumar learns the way of being a killer while surviving attacks from Murthy's men. The gang refuses to help Kumar avoid Murthy's men since their intervention would spark a gang war. Kumar murders several of his opponents singlehandedly, earning respect from the others.
Krishnaveni is a prostitute who works under Anbu. Kumar likes her and asks Anbu to release her. Anbu is shocked at Kumar's audacity and refuses his request. He thrashes Krishnaveni and orders his men to kill Kumar. Kumar approaches Anbu and begs to be pardoned, but when Anbu refuses, Kumar kills him.
Thamizhselvan allows Kumar to take over Anbu's business only if he can survive the night from Anbu's men, which he does. After killing his opposition, he lures his father into an emotional trap by telling him that he will give him money and shelter. Kumar's father agrees, and they take him to a place where an empty grave has been dug out for him, on Kumar's orders. Kumar enacts revenge on his father by burying him alive for brutally killing his mother. Enraged, Kumar becomes a feared don in North Chennai. Murthy is paralyzed by Kumar's men for refusing a truce. Kumar then meets Mani's sister Selvi and forcibly marries her on the eve of her wedding. Mani tries to kill Kumar unsuccessfully, then joins Murthy's gang. Meanwhile, Krishnaveni reveals that she is pregnant with Kumar's child, and Kumar marries her as well.
Mani becomes an informant and testifies in court over Kumar's killings; Kumar threatens Selvi and her mother and thus avoids charges through witness intimidation. Thamizhselvan then gives Kumar a post in the party to prevent him from defecting. Due to his increasing crime record and fear of being killed, Kumar asks for Member of the Legislative Assembly seat but is ridiculed by everyone, including Thamizhselvan, and ultimately removed after he threatens to kill the other members. Murthy learns about this and plans to assassinate Kumar and his family. Fearing for their safety, Kumar sends Krishnaveni and their newborn son away, but Murthy's men intercept them, kill her, and take the baby. He requests Selvi to ask Mani for help, but she refuses and reveals her displeasure at how Kumar ruined her life and that she plans to return to her former fiancé. Mani is compassionate enough to return the baby safely to Kumar but is hanged to death by Murthy in return. Kumar then gives the baby to a kindhearted woman without revealing himself as the child's father. The woman is married with two children and earns her living by working as a housemaid. Kumar decides to exact revenge and kills Murthy's henchmen in his residence, but his right hand is crippled during a fight. Murthy ultimately commits suicide, which is then followed by Kumar’s arrest.
In the present day, the police and prison wardens come to retrieve Kumar from his cell, with him under the impression that he is to be hanged. However, during the epilogue, it is revealed that the incumbent Chief Minister arranged Kumar’s release and named him as an MLA candidate in the following election. Kumar praises Murthy and ironically states that he would have killed the people responsible for Murthy's death had India not been Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace.
In the epilogue, it is revealed that Kumar served three times as an MLA and twice as the Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu, but despite his political growth, he still could not find his son. Thamizhselvan retired from politics and has settled abroad with his daughter and grandchildren. Selvi had married her former fiancé, who went missing two months later, and then she had been committed to a mental asylum.
Production
Selvaraghavan originally intended to make a film titled Oru Naal Oru Kanavu for Lakshmi Movie Makers, but shelved the venture and continued working with the same producers and cast as the scrapped film, consisting of Dhanush, Sonia Agarwal and Sneha. R. K. Suresh was cast in a minor role as a criminal, but his father made him back out of the film.The film was launched on 6 March 2005, with Aravind Krishna as its cinematographer. Selvaraghavan first approached Harris Jayaraj for the movie's music, but he refused as it is not his type of genre. After his refusal, Selva finalised Yuvan Shankar Raja as the composer.
Selvaraghavan called the film "an experiment" and stated it had "one of the most complicated screenplays", while revealing he was more nervous about the final product than his previous ventures.
It was also the first Tamil film to be shot in Super 35 mm instead of the Cinemascope format, as well as the first to be released in digital format.
This film marked the first major appearance of actor Vijay Sethupathi, prior to his role in Thenmerku Paruvakaatru.
After the release of Pattiyal whose theme was the same as Pudhupettai, Selvaraghavan wanted to redo many of the scenes to avoid unintended comparisons, resulting in the film’s release being delayed. The re-recording was done in Bangkok, with everyone involved working overtime.
Music
Yuvan Shankar Raja and Selvaraghavan renewed their association with this film, who had earlier teamed up to create music for the films Thulluvadho Ilamai, Kaadhal Kondein and 7G Rainbow Colony. Both the soundtrack and score were composed in Thailand, where Yuvan Shankar Raja worked with the Chao Phraya Symphony Orchestra of Bangkok.The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and released on 15 December 2005. The lyrics were written by Na. Muthukumar, who had previously written the lyrics for Selvaraghavan's earlier films.The album received critical acclaim towards listeners.
| Song | Singer | Length | Notes |
| Pudhupettai Main Theme: "Survival Of The Fittest" | Instrumental | 2:51 | |
| Peek Into Assassin's Life: "Neruppu Vaayinil" | Kamal Haasan | 5:01 | |
| Our Story: "Enga Yeriya" | Dhanush, Premji Amaran, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Raju Krishnamurthy | 5:19 | Incorporates elements of the songs "Kunguma Pottin Mangalam" from the 1968 film Kudiyiruntha Kovil, composed by M. S. Viswanathan and "Tharaimel Pirakka" from the 1964 film Padagotti, composed by Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy |
| Selling Dope: "The Beginning" | Instrumental | 2:52 | |
| It All Comes Down To This!: "Oru Naalil" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 6:25 | Not featured in the film |
| Going Thru Emotions!: "Prelude" | Instrumental | 3:17 | |
| Gangster's Marriage Party: "Pul Pesum Poo Pesum" | Vijay Yesudas, Tanvi Shah, Premji Amaran, Yuvan Shankar Raja | 5:26 | |
| Night Life: "Varriyaa" | Narayan, Naveen Madhav, Ranjith, Vasu | 3:28 | |
| Clash Of The Titans: "The War Cry" | Instrumental | 3:44 | |
| "Oru Naalil": Composer's Dream Mix | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 5:23 | Remixed by DJ Rafiq Not featured in the film |