Vishnu leaves his overbearing father and, pretending to be an orphan, finds work with a man who also adopts him. Everything goes fine until his adopted father shows a photograph and asks Vijay to kill the people in the photo if he really wants to prove the affection he has for him.
Acting
Vijay's early career dramatic flailing, absolutely unhinged.
Direction
S.A. Chandrasekhar cranks family tension to eleven.

Director
S. A. Chandrasekhar
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Vijay's fifth film and established his 'angry young man' template before it fully calcified into formula.
The 'kill to prove love' trope here echoes 80s Amitabh Bachchan films, but Vijay's tearful refusal scene became a meme template decades later.