Perarasu (film)

Perarasu is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film directed by Udhayan. The film stars Vijayakanth in a dual role with Debina Bonnerjee, Prakash Raj, Sarath Babu, Anandaraj and Pandiarajan. The music is composed by Pravin Mani. The film follows the pattern of southern masala movie with good-cop-versus-bad-guy story. This film became an average grosser.

Perarasu is similar to several earlier films of Vijayakanth, like Vallarasu (2000) and Pulan Visaranai (1990). He plays a dual role of identical twins as a law enforcer and a vigilante.

Plot
CBI officer Kasi Viswanathan (Vijayakanth) is entrusted to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Judge Sadhasivam (Nassar). The Kasi Viswanathan team comprises junior officer DCP Kesavan Nair IPS (Anandaraj) and a head constable Kandhasamy (Pandiarajan).

Soon Kasi finds out that a state minister Ilakkiyan (Prakash Raj) is behind all crimes in the city, and he is assisted by three senior cops. Suddenly, one by one, the bad cops are killed, with needle of suspicion resting on Kasi, as a lookalike is behind the murders. It is revealed that it is a revenge killing by Perarasu Pandiyan (Vijayakanth), Kasi's twin brother, and that Kasi's birth name is Ilavarasu Pandiyan.

We are told in a flashback by the family retainer Maarimuthu (Chandrasekhar) that Kasi was the long-lost twin brother of Perarasu Ilavarasu Pandiyan, and their father, the local chieftain Chakkaravarthi Pandiyan (Sarath Babu), was at one time the kingmaker of Panchalankurichi. After making Sivapprakasam (Mansoor Ali Khan) and Ilakkiyan MLAs, he falls out with them and they murder him. Perarasu, who has seen this murder, now wants to take revenge.

In the end, Perarasu fits a bomb on a chair in a meeting on which Ilakkiyan sits. Kasi, desperate to save Ilakkiyan, goes into the room and prefers to die with Ilakkiyan. Perarasu feeling proud for his brother preferring to give up his life for his duty, saves both of them, but is shot by Ilakkiyan. Kasi then shoots Ilakkiyan, and Perarasu takes the blame before dying. The film ends with Kasi returning to become the next chieftain of his native village.

Production
The film began production in December 2004.

Soundtrack
The music was composed by Pravin Mani.

Reception
Chennai Online wrote "It' a fast-paced entertainer that at times trips and stumbles with loose ends, flaws, and quite a few unanswered questions. But what keeps it going, with not a moment to dwell on the flaws and get distracted, is its racy narrative. The debutant director (with years of experience apprenticing under directors like Maharajan) keeps the action moving rapidly with not a lagging moment". Indiaglitz wrote "Udayan on the whole knows what he has attempted. He has taken ideas from various movies. In the end, the cloth he has stitched looks an agreeable quilt work". Now Running wrote "It is a regular entertainer for the Vijaykanth fans with a difference in Vijaykanth himself taking on the two diametrically opposite ways of opposing evil. We are not sure which way the Politician Vijaykanth advocates for the people". Rediff wrote "Perarasu is probably worth a watch". Lajjavathi of Kalki praised the Vijayakanth film for giving space for other actors too while praising the sharp dialogues but panned for having revenge plot as flashback.