Vathiyar (2006): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2006, Vathiyar is an action and drama film directed by A. Venkatesh, running about 159 minutes.

What it’s about. Dorai (Arjun) is a do-gooder don. But a police force led by ACP Easwara Pandian (Prakash Raj) and his sidekick (Sathyan) are after him. However, the poor need him as he is a Good Samaritan running an orphanage. He has help from his friends (Manivannan and Vadivelu). But Dorai has a problem. His mother (Sujatha) doesn’t approve of his ways. She feels that he is just a loutish goon. There is also Anjali (Mallika Kapoor), a TV journo, who is in love with Dorai because of his dare devil ways. Dorai has a past too. He was just an honest-to-goodness school teacher, who ends up as the deathly Dorai after a fire ravages a school and kills several children. The incident forces him to take on the system of venal officials and politics. Now, Dorai’s biggest task is to nip a dark and dire politician who wants to bomb the city. The rest, as they, is all cinematic clichés.

Who’s in it. Vathiyar stars Arjun Sarja as Annadurai, Prakash Raj as Easwara Pandian, Mallika Kapoor as Anjali and Vadivelu as Ayyanar, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.8/10, Vathiyar has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Vathiyar page.

If you liked it. Fans of Vathiyar tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.