Vettai: Pledged to Hunt

Vettai : Pledged to Hunt (வேட்டை; Hunt) was the first season of Singapore's Tamil, 72-part crime drama, Vettai. The series ran on-air from 23 November 2010 to 30 March 2011, every Monday to Thursday, at 10:30 pm on the MediaCorp Vasantham channel. The season was directed by Anuratha Kanderaju and Abbas Akbar.

Plot summary
A special task force was assembled to tackle crime cases pertaining to the Indian community and Indian immigrants. Not widely publicized, the unit is kept under wraps.

Spearheaded by Chief Dayanidhi, the force consists of three teams and a criminologist. Together they investigate cold-blooded murders, kidnappings and sexual crimes. But as professional and personal lives collide, the force appears headed towards a perilous outcome with lives to be lost and bonds to be broken. The group's pledge to uphold justice and peace in their country will be put to the test.

Main cast

 * Gunalan Morgan as Mugi
 * Arvind Naidu as Shan
 * Vignesh Wadarajan as Seelan
 * Shabir as Nantha
 * Gayathri Segaran as Radha
 * Sathish Rames as Prakash
 * Indra Chandran as Regina
 * Gayathri Sharma as Suganya
 * Jivvenesh Sivan as Jivva

Supporting cast

 * Rishi Kumaar as Praveen
 * Elias Mikhail as Chandrabose

Guest cast

 * Puravalan
 * Saravanan Ayavoo
 * Kishore

Characters
Team 1: Nantha (Shabir) and Seelan (Vignesh) are a powerhouse duo. Well matched in intelligence and physical strength they are a force to be reckoned with. They complement each other well and intuitively recognize one another's moves to cover themselves on duty. They bear grudges against each other, however, which could wreck the entire unit. Seelan is the unit's only married man and is a proud father of a daughter. He is responsible and practical about saving money and achieving family security. Dark and handsome, he has a broody nature that foretells secrets which only he may know. Nantha, on the other hand, is single and likes her independence. Will they collide or unite to take on their enemies?

Team 2: Mugi is paired with rookie Prakash. Frequently their personalities collide and their ideologies run in parallel without meeting to compromise. Prakash is a university graduate, while Mugi is a secondary school diploma holder who signed onto the service. Prakash abides by rules and follows protocol strictly, to Mugi's great irritation. Mugi leans toward a 'do first, explain later' attitude. He has no interest in explaining procedures to Prakash, and frequently relegates Prakash to administrative tasks like buying coffee and curry puffs, photocopying, faxing and filing. Should Prakash comment on anything, Mugi attributes it to Prakash's arrogance in being a graduate. Will these partners solve a crime without killing each other first?

Team 3: Shanmugam (affectionately known as Shan) and Radha are best buddies and the most fun-loving team in the unit. Both are in love, but not with each other. They are attractive young individuals, but their friendship and camaraderie are purely platonic. Radha is secretly in love with Nantha, while Shan adores Gina, the in-house criminologist. How will their love interests play out?

Crew

 * Directors: Anuratha Kanderaju and Abbas Akbar
 * Executive Producer: Prema Pon Rajoo
 * Assistant Directors: Radha Jeevan, Vathsala Naidu Danabalan and Pavithra Chandra Kumar
 * Screenplay / Dialogue: Jaya Rathakrishnan and Rajarathinam Tamilmaran
 * Photography: S. Ananth and R. Asogan
 * Music and Effects: L. Chandiramogan
 * Sound: A. Selva Kumar and Gan
 * Camera: Terence Yap and Geeshan Srimantha
 * Editing: Agustin K.M., David Anil Sharma and K. Sailenran Pragash
 * Stunts: Jimmy Low
 * Post Production: Video Houze

Vettai finale preview
Vettai's final three episodes were shown on Cathay, Orchard Cineleisure, at 7:00 pm.

Soundtrack
Vettai's soundtrack consists of two tracks composed and sung by Shabir and Rishi Kumaar. The song "Tadak Tadak" also included Malaysian rapper Emcee Jazz. "Oru Murai" love theme lyrics were written by Jaya Rathakrishnan.

Awards
The police drama Vettai : Pledged to Hunt took home many awards at Pradhana Vizha 2011, Vasantham's annual awards show honouring the best in the local television industry.
 * Best Opening Title - Pradhana Vizha 2011
 * Most Popular Series - Pradhana Vizha 2011
 * Best Actor, Shabir - Pradhana Vizha 2011