Vada Chennai 2018

1987 marks the starting point of a sprawling North Madras underworld tale. Guna, [Samuthirakani], ‘Jawa’ Pazhani, [Boxer Dheena], Velu, [Pawan], and Senthil, [Kishore], band together to wipe out a high‑profile crime boss in a crowded restaurant, their coordinated strike sending shockwaves through the neighborhood. The aftermath pulls Senthil into a protective role as he asks Guna and Velu to surrender for the murder, even as he quietly bails them out. The chase of loyalties begins here, and a year later the two men remain behind bars, a split already gnawing at the group. The rift strains the bond with Senthil, even as Mani, [Subramaniam Siva], and Thambi, [Daniel Balaji], the crime boss’s younger brother, try to bridge the growing gap and keep some semblance of order in a world where power is everything. In this volatile web, Rajan, [Ameer], the region’s dominant smuggler, and Muthu, [Radha Ravi], the MLA aligned with him, loom large, while the seeds of future betrayals take root in the shadows.

2000: Anbu, Senthil and the Jail

By the year 2000, the Madras central prison has a newly installed warden determined to purge the system of corruption. Yet Senthil wields control from the notorious 7th block, where he moves millions in drugs through a meticulously engineered network. He stays inside his fortress, wary of Guna’s men who lurk in the 11th block and threaten his hold. Anbu, and Velu’s brother Siva, are brought into the prison after a fight, and Anbu goes on to save one of Senthil’s henchmen, Raju, from a clash with Siva. The warden keeps a careful eye as Anbu is placed in the 11th block under Velu and Mani, and during a raid he laptops away a phone belonging to Mani, narrowly escaping a lethal turn—yet the warden steps in to pull him back from the brink. The episode underscores Anbu’s resilience, and the sequence hints at a stamina that will later redefine the balance of power inside and beyond the prison walls.

1991: Anbu, Carrom, & Padma

Anbu, a 20‑year‑old skilled carrom player, often finds himself drawn into high-stakes matches that his friends push him toward, with Siva frequently urging him into bet games. On the night Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated, chaos erupts in his hamlet as looters rush through shops. A masked girl steals a sewing machine from Anbu, who lets her go, while the next morning the local cops, along with Thambi, arrive to recover the stolen goods. Despite the return of his property, the shopkeeper contemplates filing a complaint, given how Anbu had previously struck him during a confrontation over the sewing machine. Anbu then confronts the girl, Padma, whose reluctance to return the sewing machine further complicates the situation. After a rough beating from the shopkeeper, Anbu loses in that year’s carrom tournament but his personal arc rises as he and Padma begin a relationship. In the course of this bond, Anbu saves Guna from contract killers at a festival, a moment that reveals the killers are Senthil’s men and that the conflict between Guna and Senthil is far from resolved.

2000: Raju helps Anbu shift to the 7th block after he cleverly smuggles in contraband for Raju. Meanwhile, Senthil continues to chase political ambitions through a local politician named Muthu, who remains incarcerated in the same prison.

1996: Anbu, Padma, & Pazhani

Pazhani harasses Padma after she and Anbu share a kiss, and he also beats up Padma’s brother Kannan. When Anbu and Kannan attempt to confront Pazhani using weapons from Guna’s stock, things turn deadly and Pazhani is killed. Pazhani’s men chase the two, but they escape, leaving behind a trail of questions and hurt that will echo through later chapters.

2000: Anbu requests Senthil to organise a carrom tournament for the prisoners, seeking a controlled arena that could soothe tensions with the strict prison chief and also bolster Senthil’s political dreams. The tournament runs through the facility, with Senthil, Siva, and Anbu reaching the knockout rounds. The final rounds unfold in the open prison yard, forcing Senthil to step into the open and face the risk of exposure. Velu and Mani plot to strike, arming their men in the shadows, but Senthil remains vigilant. When Anbu wins the final, Senthil arrives to share in the moment, only for the tent to collapse into chaos as two rival factions collide. In the ensuing mêlée, Anbu stabs Senthil in the neck with a wooden shard snapped from a carrom board, a brutal act that leaves Senthil incapacitated. Raju, the lone witness, stays silent, the memory of Anbu sparing him earlier hanging over the revelation. Anbu explains to Raju the narrative of loyalty and duty that binds him to Guna, painting a picture of a man who has chosen a path that intertwines personal loyalty with a ruthless code of justice.

1987: Anbu, Rajan, and the Hood

Rajan stands as the region’s most prominent smuggler, working for Muthu, the MLA of the area. When Muthu pressures Rajan to clear the hamlets for a road project tied to a papal visit, Rajan defies him and fights to safeguard his hood. He also marries Chandra, a partnership that deepens the web of loyalties and rivalries. Muthu, angered by Rajan’s resistance, informs the cops about Rajan’s smuggling activities, triggering a dangerous counterplay. In a dramatic turn, Rajan kidnaps the ACP and refuses to release him until the road project is halted, earning a hero’s status among the neighborhood’s supporters. The Chief Minister’s death at the time heightens the tension within the hood, and Rajan attends the leader’s funeral, reinforcing his role as a local power broker. Meanwhile, Muthu pushes Senthil to smuggle through college students, and when the police uncover the ruse, Senthil, Guna, Velu, and Pazhani are humiliated by Rajan’s enforcement. They retaliate by killing Rajan, who dies as a consequence of their attack, even as he begs Thambi to refrain from further violence in his final moments.

2003: At the meeting with the road contractor, Anbu makes a stand for the people of the hood and refuses to endorse the project. Enraged that Anbu went up against him, Guna lets Senthil’s brother-in-law Kumar, a police officer, know that it was Anbu who stabbed Senthil. Chandra then reveals that she has been behind much of the turmoil; she had sent men to kill Guna during the festival, but Anbu saved him. She decides to marry Guna and to use him to help kill the other three involved in Rajan’s death. She adds Guna and Velu’s names to the hit list and drives a wedge between Guna and Velu. She lures Guna away from the hood, sending Rajan’s former men to guard Anbu. Kumar locates Anbu but is overwhelmed and warned off. In a final twist, Anbu traps Guna and Chandra as they leave the hood and reveals a new arrangement: Chandra secretly hands over Rajan’s old home to Anbu, who then returns to champion Rajan’s cause by continuing to fight for the people.