Aalwar

"Aalwar" (2007), directed by S. Chella, is a Tamil language action drama starring Ajith Kumar and Asin. The film centres on a grieving father who becomes a vigilante, adopting the avatars of Hindu gods to wreak vengeance upon the men who systematically executed his family.

Shiva (Aalwar) is a pious Hindu priest who spends his time in Madurai, serving his loving mother and sister. As brilliant as he is, he’s most passionate about his family and lives a humble, deeply spiritual lifestyle. Their lives are soon turned upside down when Punniyamoorthy and his brothers, heirs to the temple trust, violently murder Shiva’s mother and sister over a historic feud. Devastated and filled with rage, Shiva renounces his priesthood and goes off the grid. Later, we find him again in Chennai, where he’s a ward boy at a hospital. Under this modest facade, he becomes a cryptic murderer. Renaming himself “Mortuary Shiva”, he embarks on a bloody campaign to eliminate the men responsible for his suffering.

Propelled by his quest for divine justice, Shiva begins to defeat each villain one by one in disguise as various Hindu deities, first as Lord Rama, then as Lord Krishna. He marks each murder with religious imagery, constructing himself as the hand of dharma (righteousness). As a police force obsessed with their own aesthetics investigates the series of killer-influencer Shiva’s bizarre killings, Shiva remains on the loose. In the climax, he transforms into the wrathful avenging incarnation of Lord Narasimha and obliterates the last antagonist in a cathartic, over-the-top act of revenge. For once his mission is done, Shiva disappears yet again, only to leave behind fear and mystery.

"Aalwar" is a stylised revenge drama that hunts a racy buoyancy between mythology and mayhem. Ajith Kumar’s dual role of calm devotion and intense fury is sensationally played, and Kumar humanises Siva with his charismatic performance. The story goes further into the realm of magic and metaphor; the film is otherwise celebrated for its audacious premise, striking cinematography, and profound emotional centre dealing with love, loss, and vengeance.