# Madraskaaran

Madraskaaran (transl. Man from Madras) is an 2025 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Vaali Mohan Das and produced by B.Jagadish under the banner of SR Productions. The film stars Shane Nigam, Kalaiyarasan, Niharika Konidela and Aishwarya Dutta.
Madraskaaran released in theatres on 10 January 2025 and received mixed response from the critics and was a box-office flop.

## Plot

Sathya alias Sathyamoorthy is an engineer turned farmer who lives in Kovilpatti with his father and his wife Meera. Things take a turn when he’s attacked by unknown assailants. He realises that his enemy, Singam has sent his henchmen to kill him. Why Singam wants to kill him, how will Sathya protect his family from Singam forms the story.

## Cast

* Shane Nigam as Sathyamoorthy "Sathya"
* Kalaiyarasan as Singam
* Niharika Konidela as Meera
* Aishwarya Dutta
* Karunas
* Pandiarajan
* Super Subbarayan
* Geetha Kailasam
* Lallu
* Deepa Shankar
* Udayaraj
Palakshi

## Production
### Development

The film is produced by B.Jagadish under the banner of SR Productions. The film's music is composed by Sam C. S. with cinematography by Prasanna S Kumar and editing by R Vasanthakumar. The film marks the debut of Shane Nigam in Tamil as the lead actor alongside Kalaiyarasan and Niharika Konidela in her second project in Tamil who was last seen in Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren (2018).

### Filming

Principal photography began in February 2024 and took place in Chennai, Madurai and Kochi, and the entire shooting was completed on June 2024.

## Music

The music is composed by Sam C. S in his third collaboration with Shane Nigam after RDX: Robert Dony Xavier and Vela (both 2023). The first single "Thai Thakka Kalyanam" released on 18 September 2024. The second single "Kaadhal Sadugudu", the remix version of the song by the same name from Mani Rathnam's Alai Payuthey (2000) composed by A. R. Rahman was released on 7 December 2024. The pre-release audio launch event was conducted on 6 January 2025 at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai.

## Release
### Theatrical

Madraskaaran released in theatres on 10 January 2025, coinciding Pongal weekend. The film has been certified U/A by the Central Board of Film Certification.

## Reception
### Critical response

A critic of Dinamalar rated 2.25/5 stars. Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Despite competent performances — Shane Nigam and Kalaiyarasan do their level best to rise above the din — Madraskaaran can’t overcome the weight of its own contrivances. By the end, you’re left wondering why it took so many fights and tear-stained close-ups to say so very little." Anusha Sundar of OTT Play gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Shane Nigam choosing to play a rooted Tamil character in his debut would have been more appreciable if the film too had chosen to stay grounded and simple. Even as the film has some emotional stretches to give him that space, an incoherent screenplay that doesn’t immerse you, makes Madraskaaran a letdown and wasted opportunity."
Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "On the whole, Shane Nigam and Kalaiyarasan do their best to steer this action drama towards victory, but the contrived writing that results in convenient and predictable revelations makes Madraskaaran drive right into a wall." Malaiarasu M of News18 wrote, "Director Vali Mohan Das has tried to tell various things with a screenplay full of twists and turns, such as an unexpected accident, the events surrounding it, the pain caused by guilt, the unforgivable 'ego' of human minds, the 'tightness' that grips caste, and the 'dictatorship' of the village". Akshay Kumar of Cinema Express wrote "It is disheartening to not find a single impressive character or an overriding emotional core in a film like Madraskaaran, where the bare minimum expectation is to appeal to our senses, if not intelligence".