Year: 2017
Runtime: 137 mins
Language: Tamil
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
A handful of diverse characters find themselves in extraordinary situations that are interlinked with one another.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Maanagaram (2017), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Sri, an engineering graduate from the small town of Trichy, travels to Chennai to interview for an IT job in a Business Process Outsourcing firm. He aces the interview with HR officer Regina Cassandra and celebrates at a bar with friends. At the bar, another man, Sundeep Kishan, has long cherished feelings for Regina since their college days. In a flashback, goons threaten Regina with acid if she ever falls for Sundeep; the moment sparks anger in him, and he lashes out at one of the men. Back in the present, the known gang members, recognizing Sundeep, hire more muscle to rough him up. Yet their plan goes awry: they mistake Sri for their target and beat him as he exits the bar, leaving him unconscious, his phone and bag stolen and the bag hurled into a taxi.
Charle Charle comes to the city seeking medical treatment for his ill son, driving a taxi rented from gangster P. K. Pandian often referred to as PKP, and he finds Sri’s bag inside the taxi. He takes it to the police station, hoping to return what wasn’t his. The next morning, Sri wakes on the street and phones a friend to escort him home. He then boards a bus heading toward his new job, intending to explain the missing certificates, while Sundeep also boards the same bus for Regina’s company interview. He recognizes the goon who ambushed Regina and confronts him with his friends, while Sri is detained by the police—apparently implicated in the incident because he had passed the acid bottle to Sundeep. A weary Sri argues with a harsh police inspector, who beats him until a constable intervenes; at a tea stall, the constable confronts Sri with the truth about who instructed him to pass the bottle, and the arrest follows.
The gang sets its sights on kidnapping a schoolboy named Karthi for a ransom, and Winnings, the man sent to trick the teachers, begins the effort. Winnings struggles as five boys named Karthi appear, one volunteering to go with him to avoid a math test, only to reveal himself as the son of PKP. The criminals press for a ransom of ₹1 crore, and PKP approves a plan to retrieve both his son and his enemy’s leverage. Meanwhile, Regina longs for Sundeep, who has a carefree manner she cannot fully accept, and Sri tells her that he has lost his academic certificates; she agrees to cover for him for a day as they navigate the mounting tension and danger.
As the pursuit intensifies, PKP’s henchmen close in on PKP’s enemies, while the police inspector—who turns out to be Sundeep’s uncle—arrives on the scene and shoots PKP, aiming to end the trouble, but only wounds him in the leg. Sundeep returns fire, shooting the inspector in the leg as he tries to shoot Winnings. He then orders Winnings to escort PKP and Karthi to the hospital, hoping to keep the fragile situation from spiraling further out of control. In a parallel thread, Sri rides in Charle’s taxi again and finds themselves attacked by the gang who think they’re PKP’s spies. To protect Charle’s sick son, Sri fights back, recognizing the attackers from the bar, and manages to reclaim Sri’s lost certificates and return them to his home address.
Outside the hospital, Sri and Sundeep each speak to their girlfriends, sharing a sense of quiet relief mixed with unresolved tension. They are about to introduce themselves to one another when another gang—hired by the goon Sundeep punched earlier—shows up, prompting the two men to rush forward and brace themselves for a renewed confrontation. With danger still close at hand, the two unlikely allies stand ready to face what comes next, bonded by a shared night of chaos, a quest for truth, and a stubborn hope for a brighter, quieter future.
Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:05
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where multiple lives collide by chance in a single, fateful day.Discover more movies like Maanagaram where multiple storylines weave together in a tense urban setting. These films feature fast-paced narratives, characters linked by fate, and the gritty, chaotic energy of city life, perfect for fans of complex thrillers.
Narratives in this thread typically follow several characters whose seemingly separate lives become entangled through a series of chance encounters, accidents, or crimes. The plot unfolds rapidly, often within a compressed timeframe, building tension as the character's fates converge towards an explosive or unresolved climax.
Movies are grouped here for their shared use of interconnected narratives, their high-intensity pacing, and their tense, gritty portrayal of urban life as a catalyst for chaos. They deliver a specific experience of watching disparate threads weave into a single, urgent tapestry of survival and coincidence.
Ordinary people pushed to their limits by the violent underbelly of the city.If you liked the high-stakes survival and tense atmosphere of Maanagaram, explore these gritty urban thrillers. These movies feature ordinary people facing extreme danger, fast-paced action, and the unforgiving nature of city life, delivering adrenaline-fueled viewing experiences.
The core narrative involves a protagonist, often an everyman, who becomes a target or is caught in a web of crime. The journey is one of desperate adaptation, forcing the character to navigate a violent world using wit and resilience. The plot is typically straightforward in its survival goal but complicated by a hostile environment and relentless pursuers.
These films are united by their high-intensity, tense mood and their core theme of urban survival. They share a gritty aesthetic and a focus on the physical and moral challenges faced by characters fighting against overwhelming odds in a contemporary cityscape.
Don't stop at just watching — explore Maanagaram in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Maanagaram is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Maanagaram with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Maanagaram. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Maanagaram that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Maanagaram: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
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