Pokkiri 2007

In Chennai, the underworld is split between two brutal powers that cast a long shadow over every new project and every quiet street corner. Ali Bhai [Prakash Raj], who operates from Dubai and runsIndia through a network of ruthless lieutenants, Guru [Vincent Asokan] and Korattur Loggu [Subbaraju], along with his girlfriend Mona [Brinda Parekh], forces builders and landowners to pay protection money or face deadly consequences. Across town, Narasimhan [Anandaraj] leads a separate local gang that preys on the same targets, creating a perilous tug-of-war for control. The city’s law-and-order picture is restless too, as Mohammed Maideen Khan [Rekha] steps in as the new Police Commissioner, determined to crack down on the rising crime wave.

Tamizh [Vijay] is a small-time thug who is abducted by Loggu and his men, dragged into a world of schemes and violence, and soon asked to take on a job for Narasimhan: beat Loggu. Tamizh completes the hit, but rather than joining Narasimhan’s crew or backing away, he is sought after by Guru and Mona, who see in him a dangerous asset with quick hands and a cooler head. Yet Tamizh makes it clear he does not work for any one gang—instead, he will do what money offers, when it suits him. His pragmatism catches the eye of Shruthi [Asin Thottumkal], an aerobics teacher whose life is centered around her widowed mother Lakshmi [Sriranjini] and her younger brother, Pappu, while a comic but persistent nuisance named Body Soda lives above Shruthi’s home, forever trying and failing to win her favor. Govindan [Mukesh Tiwari], a corrupt inspector in the same colony, is on Ali Bhai’s payroll and harbors his own desires for Shruthi, a threat she resists at every turn.

As Tamizh completes his first assignment for Ali Bhai, the police arrive at the scene, forcing a tense retreat and underscoring Tamizh’s growing recklessness and capability. He also helps Shruthi escape Govindan’s clutches, and a fragile, evolving bond forms between them, built on shared danger and a mutual sense of kindness. Shruthi’s initial wariness softens, and she begins to see a different side of Tamizh—one that can protect her and her family—though she remains wary of his cold exterior and his capacity for violence. Their bond deepens after Narasimhan’s gang suffers a loss at Tamizh’s hands, and Shruthi’s trust is further tested when Govindan orchestrates a staged assault against her to pressure Tamizh.

Soon, Shruthi’s affection becomes a lifeline for Tamizh, and she accepts the possibility of a future with him. Yet the streets stay merciless: Guru is found dead, and Ali Bhai travels to Chennai to take action against Narasimhan. The plan involves blowing up a minister via a school, a method that Tamizh strongly objects to because it would harm innocent women and children. This rift intensifies when the police raid the club and Ali Bhai is briefly detained, only to be rescued by the gang’s brutal retaliation. They kidnap Maideen Khan’s daughter, drug her, and threaten to release a lewd video unless Ali Bhai is freed. The daughter’s drugged confession reveals a larger truth: an undercover police officer has infiltrated Ali Bhai’s gang, a man named Satyamoorthy who has been working alongside them to dismantle the criminals from within.

The truth comes to light when Ali Bhai discovers that Saravanan [Sriman], his ally, is not Satyamoorthy. The real undercover officer is Tamizh, who has been playing a double game as an IPS officer in disguise. Shanmughavel [Nassar], the retired inspector and Tamizh’s father figure in the force, dies, and Tamizh’s brothers—and Shruthi—grieve while the investigation closes in. After the funerals, Govindan is forced to reveal Ali Bhai’s location, Binny Mills. Tamizh moves swiftly, taking out Ali Bhai’s henchmen one by one and freeing Maideen Khan’s daughter in the process. In a final, brutal confrontation, Satyamoorthy exposes Ali Bhai, and Tamizh kills him with a fatal slash of broken glass. Govindan is shot dead in the crossfire as Tamizh delivers a chilling verdict on his own resolve:

Oru vaati mudivu paniten naa yen pecha naane kekamaten (transl. Once I make a decision, I won’t listen even to my own words).

In the aftermath, Tamizh unveils his true allegiance as the undercover officer who has walked the line between crime and law, sealing the fate of Ali Bhai and restoring a fragile balance to a city haunted by ambition, greed, and violence.