Karnan

"Karnan" (2021) is a Tamil action drama directed and written by Mari Selvaraj and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu. The film features Dhanush in the lead, and the supporting cast includes Rajisha Vijayan, Lal (M. P. Michael), and Yogi Babu. The movie is made in rural south Tamil Nadu towards the end of the 1990s and revolves around a young man from an oppressed caste who chooses to resist institutional discrimination and oppression.

Podiyankulam village has no basic facilities, not even a bus stop, and its residents have to travel to nearby Melur village, where an upper-caste society rules the roost. Despite several requests, the authorities refuse to sanction a bus stop for Podiyankulam, perpetuating the socio-political divide. Karnan (Dhanush), a young, firebrand man from Podiyankulam, is selected to be the village representative at a CRPF recruitment camp, but his grandfather, Yaema Raja (Lal), worries that Karnan's aggressive personality will put an end to his future.

As Karnan gains power, he is supported by the village head, Duryodhanan. But when Karnan and his friends vandalize a government bus in protest of its refusal to stop for a pregnant woman, tensions reach a boiling point. The incident attracts the attention of SP Kannabiran, who perceives Karnan as a challenge to authority and takes revenge by assaulting the village elders in public.

Karnan saves them and decides to stay in the village even after getting a government job, ready to protect his people. After Yaema Raja's heroic sacrifice during a police crackdown, Karnan attacks Kannabiran in a climactic fight, resulting in the death of the officer. Karnan is arrested for doing so.

A decade on, Karnan is freed to a new Podiyankulam. The village is now equipped with a bus stand, education facilities, and a memorial to Yaema Raja. Karnan comes back as a symbol of resistance and progress, greeted by a people who have fought oppression.