Anniyan

"Anniyan" a triply awesome 2005 Tamil psychological action film directed by the maverick S. Shankar, starring Vikram, Sadha, Vivek and this cat. It narrates the story of Ramanujam, a by-the-book advocate suffering from multiple personality disorder, who transforms into a vigilante named Anniyan to punish immoral citizens employing mediaeval vengeance extracted from the "Garuda Purana".

Ramanujam “Ambi” Ramanujan is a law-abiding consumer advocate whose determined efforts are continually sidestepped by everyone thanks to the indifference of the public. His rage assumes form in Anniyan, a toothy, masked vigilante who tortures and murders the corrupt. He invents a third alter ego, Remo, a fashionable model, to impress his next-door neighbour Nandini, who originally turns him down for being too boring. During her courtship with Remo, Nandini’s minor act of graft awakens Anniyan, and he almost murders her! As she shouts for Ambi, Jen collapses.

At NIMHANS, a psychiatrist explains Ambi’s condition as emerging from childhood trauma following his sister’s murder. In the film’s final act, Nandini reciprocates Ambi’s love, a choice that renders Remo obsolete. Anniyan does not stop his rampage. At the same time, DCP Prabhakar, whose own brother was murdered by Anniyan, investigates and ultimately discovers that Ambi is the one responsible for the murders. He decides to torture Ambi and, in the process, unwittingly brings Anniyan back to life. At the trial, because of Ambi’s mental condition he is acquitted and is sent to a mental institution for treatment.

Two years later, a more serene Ambi, now free from the constraints of her past, returns to marry Nandini. As they embark on their honeymoon train ride, Ambi witnesses a man drinking, the same person who caused her sister to die. He secretly pushes him off the train to reveal that Anniyan, too, is still alive inside him, now collaborating with Ambi in a sort of silent partnership to heal society.

“Ghajini” is a relentless sucker punch of a love story and action extravaganza, anchored by Suriya’s thunderous performance. When it comes to marrying amnesia to acts of vengeance, it’s director A. R. Murugadoss who spins the most exhilarating yarn, one that strikes such a vital balance between propulsive and poignant, always aiming for the heart as often as the head.