Vathiyar

The film opens with Naachiyar being sentenced to prison for the Housing Board scam. He vows to make the incumbent Chief Minister pay for putting him behind bars, signaling a vendetta-driven arc that will drive much of the plot. This sets up the personal conflict that frames the story.

Dorai confronts the gangster Veera and kills him in a violent showdown. ACP Eshwara Pandian arrives at the scene, identifies Dorai as the killer, and begins to build a case against him, frustrated by the lack of hard evidence. He warns Dorai that the law will catch up only when proof is found.

Dorai operates the Annai Illam orphanage, revealing his complex moral code. His violent reputation strains his relationship with his mother and younger sister Susheela, creating financial and emotional pressure on the family. The orphanage becomes a focal point for his public-spirited acts.

A medical camp at the orphanage reveals contaminated water poisoning the children. Dorai directly confronts Rajaram, owner of Zeo Leather, about pollution and mobilizes factory workers to demand a water processing unit, raising the stakes of his vigilante approach.

Anjali, a TV reporter, pretends to be an orphan to get close to Dorai and stays at Annai Illam. Her wealthy father remains hidden as their bond grows, and the possibility of a future together begins to surface.

Three months pass; Naachiyar is released from prison and Dorai’s vigilante crusade continues. He kills a rapist and sends the body to the police, prompting ACP Pandian to intensify his pursuit and scrutiny.

Subramaniam provides context for Dorai’s hardened worldview, and the narrative flashes back to Dorai’s early life in Kumbakonam where he works as a teacher and intervenes during a campus incident. The act costs him his job and foreshadows his future choices.

The flashback reveals Dorai’s involvement with Manickavel over substandard school conditions. When a school referenced by Manickavel burns, killing 48 children, Dorai confronts officials and is arrested, later convicted for killing the District Education Officer, earning a minimum three-year sentence.

Back in the present, Anjali learns more about Dorai’s past and recognizes the good in his heart. Dorai reciprocates, accepting Anjali’s love, while his mother’s stance shifts toward understanding his motives and accepting him.

Eshwara Pandian schemes to trap Dorai by feeding Naachiyar information about his activities. Naachiyar engineers a bombing plot in Chennai, but Dorai counters by eliminating the terrorists and signaling his counter-move to Naachiyar.

Naachiyar poisons the orphanage’s food, killing Lakshmi and hospitalizing others. Dorai seeks vengeance by attacking Naachiyar’s farmhouse, but he is shot and buried in a coffin, marking a brutal turn in the struggle.

Dorai miraculously escapes and recovers in a clinic as Naachiyar orders an encounter killing. Eshwara Pandian orchestrates the kidnapping of five Human Rights Commission members to prove Dorai’s righteousness and reveals his own calculated involvement to the commission in a bid to protect Dorai.

On Vinayaka Chathurthi, Dorai confronts Eshwara in a hospital and the truth comes to light: Eshwara did assist Dorai in eradicating criminals. The mortally wounded inspector dies, cementing Dorai’s status as a protector rather than a mere vigilante.

Dorai discovers a bomb hidden inside a Ganesh statue as part of a procession heading toward the beach. He neutralizes the threat, but Naachiyar wounds him fatally before Dorai finally defeats his foe, delivering a tragic but resolute end to his crusade.