# Vidaamuyarchi

Vidaamuyarchi (transl. Perseverance) is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni. Inspired by the 1997 American film Breakdown, it is produced by Subaskaran Allirajah under Lyca Productions. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra and Arav. Set in Azerbaijan, it follows a man on a mission to rescue his wife after she is captured by a mysterious group.
Initially, Vignesh Shivan was confirmed as the director of Ajith's 62nd film, before he was replaced by Magizh with a new script. After it was announced in May 2023 along with its official title, principal photography began that October. Shot for the most part in Azerbaijan, with a short schedule in Thailand, filming wrapped by late December 2024. The film has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography handled by Om Prakash and editing by N. B. Srikanth.
Vidaamuyarchi was initially scheduled to be released in January 2025, on the occasion of Pongal, but was postponed. The film was released in theatres on 6 February 2025 to mixed reviews from critics, who praised the lead cast's performance, visuals and action sequences, while the storyline and narration received criticism. Although it underperformed at the box office, the film became the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2025 by the end of its theatrical run, before being surpassed by Dragon (2025).

## Plot

Arjun and Kayal are a Tamil couple living in Baku, Azerbaijan. Their twelve-year-long marriage has reached a breaking point as Kayal has filed for divorce.
The story flashes back to the beginning of their relationship. Arjun and Kayal met during a vacation in Tbilisi, Georgia, where Kayal was born. They fell in love and eventually got married. They shared a loving and romantic marriage until Kayal, who was pregnant at the time, suffered a miscarriage due to an accident. The accident left Kayal infertile, which caused her to fall into depression and grow emotionally distant from Arjun. Over time, the strain between them deepened, causing their love to fade.
Arjun, a kind-hearted and successful man, tries to persuade Kayal to stay in the marriage. However, Kayal confesses that she has been having an affair with another man named Prakash. Despite his attempts, he reluctantly agrees and appreciates her honesty. He offers to drive Kayal to her parent's home in Tbilisi as a farewell gesture. Kayal initially unwilling to, agrees after Arjun insists.
Back to the present, their car, a Lexus LX, nearly crashes into a Hummer H3 carrying a group of drunk young men, while on their way. Michael, the driver of the Hummer, flips off Arjun and Kayal before driving away.
Later at a gas station, while Arjun is oiling the car, Kayal encounters another Tamil couple — Deepika and Rakshith, inside the convivence store at the gas station and befriends them. Deepika and Rakshith claim to be truck drivers. The Hummer appears again at the gas station, and tension rises between Michael and Arjun, but Arjun and Kayal leave before the situation escalates.
Further down the road, Arjun encounters an unexpected Pre-Collision malfunction in his car, prompting it to breakdown. While Arjun is trying to fix it, the Hummer drives past them again, and one of the men throws a beer bottle at them. Arjun and Kayal remain calm and don’t react. However, they notice the Hummer turning back toward them.
Feeling threatened, Kayal notices Deepika and Rakshith’s truck as it approaches from behind and flags them down. The Hummer drives off after seeing that Arjun and Kayal now have company. Deepika and Rakshith fail to fix the car but offer to drive Kayal to a nearby café, where she can call for a tow truck, considering the fact that the area has no cell signal and wait for Arjun, to which Kayal agrees.
A while after Kayal leaves with Rakshith's truck, Arjun finds a loose wire inside the car's hood that has been unplugged on purpose, which he fixes it and moves on. He drives to the café to pick up Kayal — but she’s not there. The café owner and customers claim they never saw her. Confused and worried, Arjun drives toward the next town, hoping to find her.
On the way, he spots Rakshith’s truck and catches up to ask about Kayal. To his surprise, Rakshith denies knowing Kayal or having seen Arjun before, claiming himself to be Dheeraj. Suspecting foul play, Arjun accuses Rakshith of kidnapping Kayal, leading to a confrontation. A police officer arrives and searches Rakshith’s truck but finds nothing suspicious. Rakshith’s ID also checks out. The officer advises Arjun to file a case at the police station, which he does but finds it useless.
Arjun returns to the café, where Nikhil, a mentally impaired man claims he saw Kayal being kidnapped and taken away by another truck. He also claims that the police are involved in the kidnapping. The man points Arjun toward the direction of the truck. Arjun follows the lead but is attacked and knocked unconscious.
Arjun wakes up to find himself surrounded by Rakshith's gang, including Deepika, Michael, and Nikhil (who feigned mental impairment earlier), who is revealed to be part of the gang. They claim that Kayal planned the whole thing and hired them to kill Arjun. They offer Arjun a deal: if he pays them more than Kayal did, they will kill Kayal instead. Arjun refuses to believe them. The gang makes a new offer; Arjun can pay a large sum of money to let both of them go. They reveal that they are former murderers with Antisocial Personality Disorder who escaped from a mental asylum in Tbilisi. Arjun reluctantly agrees and goes to a nearby bank to withdraw the money. While at the bank, he spots a souvenir knife on the manager’s desk and secretly takes it. After withdrawing the money, Michael picks him up and drives him toward Rakshith’s hideout, where Kayal is being held.
On the way, Arjun attacks Michael and his men with the knife, brutally wounding two of them and Michael aswell. Arjun helds Michael captive, prompting him to reveal Rakshith's whereabouts. The police officer from earlier spots the fight, unaware of the situation, the officer tries to shot Arjun but is instead shot by Michael, who then escapes. Arjun saves the officer and takes his car to track down Kayal.
Meanwhile, Deepika tries to manipulate Kayal with the same trick they used on Arjun, claiming that Arjun hired them to kill her because he’s having an affair with one of her friends, Anu. They offer Kayal the chance to kill Arjun if she pays more than Arjun did and aswell as test Prakash's loyalty towards her. But Kayal, like Arjun, refuses to believe them.
Arjun tracks down Rakshith’s hideout and attacks the gang one by one. He encounters Michael and tries to fight him off, Deepkika also tries to back down Arjun, but in an accident kills Michael after having his face down towards a Rotary saw. Enraged, she tries to kill him using a cloth, however both accidentally slip and break into a window inside the hideout, where Arjun lands with little to no injuries but Deepika having her face corroded after falling into a vat of acid, Rakshith finds her after hearing her cries and comforts her as she dies. Rakshith, deeply saddened by his loss, fights with Arjun while initially gaining the upper hand, however Arjun captures him with a hook, placing him above a Industrial shredder. Arjun pleads him to reveal Kayal's whereabouts in return for his life while also not revealing anything to the police, despite this Rakshith does not care and takes his own life after purposefully falling himself down into the shredder, crushing him to his death, and leaving Arjun devastated and clueless.
Just as all hopes were thought to be lost, Arjun notices two dogs sniffing and digging at a rubble for too long. Curious, he clears the rocks and finds a hidden bunker and goes down, there he finds a dead body covered with wrap of bandaged completely, to which he assumed it to be Kayal and cries hysterically. The police and mental asylum officers arrive at the scene. The doctor reveals that Rakshith’s gang has been running a human trafficking operation for a span of 10 years with more than 48 bodies. Their scheme involved kidnapping couples, extorting money from both the husband and wife using psychological manipulation, and ultimately killing the husband. The wife would then be forced into plastic surgery and sold to the mafia, where some die during the surgery with their body disposed into acid vats, while other victims have their whereabouts still uncertain. It is also revealed that Kayal is still alive after Arjun noticing her unconscious body lying nearby inside the bunker. When Kayal asks the doctor about Anu’s involvement, he replies that Anu was the gang’s initial target when Deepika met her at a gym, however they switched to Kayal after knowing Arjun’s wealth, while also saying that Arjun had saved her from a fate worse than hell.
Arjun continues driving, and finally drops off Kayal to her parent’s home, where she tearfully reunites with her parents and Anu. As Arjun was about to leave, Kayal asks why he had risked his life to save her despite her betrayal, affair and filling for divorce, to which he replies that he still loves her, they later both tearfully and happily reconcile.

## Cast

Adapted from the opening and closing credits:
* Ajith Kumar as Arjun M.
* Arjun Sarja as Rakshith
* Trisha Krishnan as Kayal Arjun (Voice dubbed by Krithika Nelson)
* Regina Cassandra as Deepika "Deeps" Rakshith (Voice dubbed by Andrea Jeremiah)
* Arav as Michael, Rakshith's gang member (Voice dubbed by Magizh Thirumeni)
* Nikhil Nair as Nikhil, Rakshith's gang member
* Dasarathi Narasimhan as Das, Rakshith's gang member
* Ganesh Saravanan as Biju, Rakshith's gang member
* Ravi Raghavendra as Dr. Manohar Chandrasekhar
* Jeeva Ravi as Kayal's father
* Ramya Subramanian as Anu
* Vidadi Hasanov as Omar
* Kazim Abdullayev as Jabbar
* Sveta Hakimova as Omar's mother
* Javanshir Hadiyev as Sheriff
* Rovshan Karimduxt as Deputy Majid
* Tural Ahmed as Rakshith's gang member
* Ilkin Hamidli as Jabbar's customer
* Sasan Asadi as Sarkhan Asadov
* Sandhya Janak as Kayal's mother
* Vetri Kiran as Deepika's father
* Devi Mahesh Rayan as Dr. Deepa Mathew
* Vusala Agayeva as Omar's Maid
* Eres Metant Ahmedova as a Barfly

## Production
### Development

After the success of Valimai in early 2022, it was reported that Ajith Kumar would collaborate with director Vignesh Shivan for the actor's 62nd film as a leading actor. Nayanthara would reportedly reunite with Ajith after she was previously paired opposite the actor in Viswasam (2019). Tentatively titled AK62, the production was reported to begin after Ajith completed Thunivu (2023). That March, Vignesh confirmed the project, also revealing the inclusion of composer Anirudh Ravichander. The project was funded by Subaskaran Allirajah's Lyca Productions, which distributed Vignesh's Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015). The company made a public announcement on 19 March 2022, confirming the project. However, the following January, Vignesh was dropped from the project, reportedly because Ajith was not impressed with the script after the director had developed it during the pre-production for six months. Vignesh denied this reported reason in April 2023, saying he was dropped as only the producers, not Ajith, were not fully impressed with the script.
Numerous directors, including AR Murugadoss, Atlee and Magizh Thirumeni, were reported to be in consideration for replacing Vignesh, with Magizh being the front-runner. In February 2023, it was reported that Magizh had flown to London, where Ajith was at the time, and narrated a script which impressed the actor. On 1 May, coinciding with Ajith's 52nd birthday, the production house officially announced Magizh as the director. The film's official title Vidaamuyarchi was revealed the same day. In July 2024, the film was reported to be an adaptation of 1997 American film Breakdown, directed by Jonathan Mostow, as there were previous reports of the film being so and many similarities in the promotional posters. The film's status as a remake was not confirmed until December 2024. During the promotions of the film, Magizh stated that Ajith suggested using the core idea of the source material, making Vidaamuyarchi his first directorial based on another person's story.

### Pre-production

Pre-production began in April 2023. During the process, the makers scouted for locations and chose either Abu Dhabi or Azerbaijan. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, they choose the latter location. According to Magizh, the film was initially planned to be a quick-project, with filming being held from October 2023 and being completed by January 2024, and it being released either in April or on 1 May 2024, coinciding with Ajith's birthday.
In mid-February 2023, Nirav Shah was announced as the cinematographer, in his first film with Magizh and fifth with Ajith after Billa (2007), Nerkonda Paarvai (2019), Valimai (2022) and Thunivu (2023). However, due to personal reasons, he opted out during the film's shoot and was replaced with Om Prakash. Anirudh Ravichander would score the music, in his first film with the director, whilst Magizh's norm editor N. B. Srikanth was retained.

### Casting

In addition to his usual salt-and-pepper look, Ajith would sport a full-black hairstyle for his character in flashback portions, with certain scenes shot after his weight loss regime due to his involvement in the 24H Series. Sanjay Dutt was initially reported to play the main antagonist in his second Tamil film after Leo (2023). However, Arjun Sarja was instead confirmed, marking his reunion with Ajith after Mankatha (2011). Arjun Das was initially reported to be considered for the secondary antagonist, but as he was allegedly unable to allocate dates for the film, he was reportedly replaced by Arav, who previously collaborated with Magizh on Kalaga Thalaivan (2022). Arun Vijay was reported to play an important role in the film but declined due to his busy schedule.
Tamannaah Bhatia was initially reported to play the female lead; however, Trisha, who would pair opposite Ajith for the fifth time following Ji (2005), Kireedam (2007), Mankatha and Yennai Arindhaal (2015), was instead announced. Huma Qureshi, who earlier acted with Ajith in Valimai (2022), was reportedly considered for an important role. However, Regina Cassandra was eventually cast in that role. In July 2024, Azerbaijini media reported that several local actors were a part of the film including Vidadi Hasanov and Javanshir Hadiyev. In August 2024, the production house announced the involvement of actors Nikhil Nair, Ganesh Saravanan and Dasarathi in prominent roles. Later, that December, Ramya Subramanian confirmed her presence in the film.

### Filming

Principal photography began with the first schedule on 4 October 2023 in Azerbaijan. Initially, filming was intended to begin in the first week of September 2023 but was delayed due to Ajith's commitments to his world tour. The makers' decision to shoot in Azerbaijan received negative responses from netizens as the country was then under civil unrest, particularly regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh). Furthermore, it was also reported that the production would be put on hold due to the ongoing Gaza war, but despite such reports, production continued. Art director Milan died during the film's preliminary shooting due to a heart attack. Later that month Ajith urged to set up a medical camp in case of any similar emergencies. In early November, it was reported that the schedule had been completed.
A sequence reportedly featured Ajith in a racy car action sequence, for which he did not use any stunt double. In early December, the team returned to Chennai due to the ongoing war and border issues in Azerbaijan, but later went back to Azerbaijan on 11 December to resume the production. Nirav Shah was replaced with Om Prakash due to the former not being able to allocate dates to travel to Azerbaijan. Arjun joined the film's sets in mid-December. Trisha completed filming her portions for the film schedule by 19 December, returning to Chennai on that day. The schedule concluded by 29 January 2024 with over 60 percent of the production being completed. The concurrent schedule was set to be held in London by February, but was delayed due to budget overruns and plans to complete 40 percent of the film's shooting within a single schedule were initiated for cost control.
Production was expected to resume in the last week of May, but was delayed as Ajith had started filming for Adhik Ravichandran's Good Bad Ugly (2025) in Hyderabad. The team along with Ajith returned to Azerbaijan on 20 June for the final schedule. This schedule was held around 35–45 days, with the climax portions being shot in Baku. Ajith, along with Trisha and Arjun, joined the concurrent schedule for some important sequences. According to the head of Lyca Productions, GKM Tamil Kumaran, principal photography was scheduled to be wrapped by mid-August. However, as of September 2024, it was only expected to be complete after Ajith finished shooting the October schedule for Good Bad Ugly. In December 2024, the team left to Bangkok for filming the final schedule, which would be held for ten days. Principal photography wrapped on 22 December 2024. Scenes featuring Azerbaijni actors were shot in Azerbaijani.

### Post-production

The production house on 28 October 2024 announced that the film has entered the dubbing stage. On 7 December 2024, Ajith completed dubbing for his portions in Baku.

## Music

The soundtrack is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, in his first collaboration with Magizh; third with Ajith after Vedalam (2015) and Vivegam (2017). The audio rights were acquired by Sony Music India. The first single, "Sawadeeka" released on 27 December 2024. The second single "Pathikichu" was released on 19 January 2025. The third single "Thaniye" was released on 5 February 2025.The full album was released on 17 February 2025.

## Marketing

The first look poster of Vidaamuyarchi was released on 30 June 2024, and was poorly received by fans for its minimalist details. The second look poster, released a week later, was better received and seen as an improvement.

## Release
### Theatrical

Vidaamuyarchi was initially scheduled to be released in January 2025, during Pongal, but was postponed due to undisclosed reasons. It was released theatrically on 6 February, having received a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification, with a runtime of 150 minutes and 46 seconds.

### Distribution

Red Giant Movies acquired the distribution rights of the film for Tamil Nadu, Sree Gokulam Movies for Kerala, Swagath Enterprises for Karnataka, Asian Suresh Entertainment LLP for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and Sri Lakshmi Movies for Ceded Area.

### Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for ₹100 crore. The film began streaming there from 3 March 2025 in Tamil and dubbed versions of Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages.

## Reception
### Critical response

Vidaamuyarchi received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the lead cast's performance, visuals and action sequences, while the storyline and narration received criticism.
Ankit Oljha of The National News gave 4/5 stars and wrote that the "overall winner" was the director, "who helms a glossy big-budget thrill-a-minute joyride, and gives everything a chance to shine, from its lead star's screen presence and the gritty action sequences to the excellent character work and focused storytelling." Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "If you're looking to enjoy an action flick driven by Ajith's presence, Vidaamuyarchi is worth watching, offering an engaging experience for both fans and general audiences alike." Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "While the film is heavily revolving around Ajith, and he does a commendable job of dealing with anguish and perseverance [...] Vidaamuyarchi, existing in this form, is a fascinating addition to the evolving standards of superstar films in Tamil cinema."
Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Vidaamuyarchi is not a film about a hero who smashes his enemies into dust. It is a film about a man and a woman who refuse to turn on each other." Janani K of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Vidaamuyarchi lacked an emotional arc and some solid twists and turns. While it remained true to the film's genre, it could have had more gravitas." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Vidaamuyarchi is largely engaging throughout despite the predictability, and the credit goes to Magizh Thirumeni, who is exceptional in his smooth expositions."
Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "With gripping action sequences, a well-structured screenplay, and an understanding of story sense, Vidaamuyarchi is not your typical star-driven film." Sridevi S of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Vidaamuyarchi might find its space with some niche audience, but a racy screenplay, especially considering the genre, could have made the movie dearer to all." Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "It's in the execution of ideas that Vidaamuyarchi falters the most. The basic plot is painfully simple and predictable, and the makers' attempts to add tension fall flat as we see a fair share of twists coming a mile away." Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times appreciated the cinematography but criticised the music, action sequences and felt the editing could have been "tighter".

### Box office

According to The Indian Express, Vidaamuyarchi reportedly grossed over ₹61 crore (US$7.0 million) in its opening day worldwide. In contrast, according to Pinkvilla, the film grossed ₹47 crore worldwide on its first day, and had a 4-day worldwide gross collection of ₹108.75 crore (US$12 million). Vidaamuyarchi wrapped its global theatrical run at ₹138 crore gross, with ₹83 crore from Tamil Nadu.

## Controversies

In April 2024, Ajith's manager Suresh Chandra released a video from the Azerbaijan schedule in November 2023, where Ajith and Arav faced a major accident, when a car driven by the former lost control as he intended to make a side stop. While Suresh insisted on the video being released four months later, was to dismiss rumours of the film being shelved, it was met with backlash from fans who dismissed it as an attempt to seek sympathy.
A few days after the teaser's release, Paramount Pictures reportedly filed a notice against the film's makers, alleging that the film shared similarities with Breakdown and sought damages of ₹150 crore (US$17 million) for intellectual property infringement. However, Chitra Lakshmanan, who was in contact with the makers, claimed they had brought the remake rights three months prior upon noticing the similarities between both films.
The film's postponement from January 2025 was met with criticism from fans of Ajith towards the production house as Good Bad Ugly was already pushed back from its January release window to accommodate Vidaamuyarchi, and this film's postponement left no Ajith release in January. Suresh Kamatchi, co-producer of the Pongal release Vanangaan, also criticised the producers for their sudden, uninformed decision as he felt it affected Pongal, an ideally lucrative box office season, making it less competitive and potentially minimising audience expectations.