I endured many insults,
I faced countless hardships,
The harsh words and accusations thrown at me turned my heart into stone,
During a movie shoot, I sat down to eat, but they stopped me, saying the hero was here,
That’s when I promised myself to serve good food when…
I started my company, Rowther Films,
I introduced serving food on a banana leaf,
Call it pride or arrogance, it doesn’t matter to me,
Vijayakanth loves providing good food to everyone,
Vijayakanth lived, thrived, and will keep living…
for the welfare of the people,
What’s the use of money?
In the end, we’re cremated, stripped of everything,
Not even crores of money can buy this kind of love!
What greater blessing could I ask for?
When a man’s death brings tears to his mother,
he was a good son,
If his children grieve, he was a good father,
But if an entire nation mourns his loss,
he was a great leader!
This nation sheds tears for you,
The people of Tamil Nadu don’t love easily,
but once they do, they love till their last breath!
I am an atheist, I don’t pray to any god,
But if I get his picture, I’ll place it in my auto and worship him every day!
An artist never truly dies, his legacy is timeless!
Priest!
-Priest! -Coming…
What is it, Somu?
Here, Have some,
What is it--
What's up with all this sweet?
Priest, this isn’t enough, I should just give you the whole basket,
-Why? -It’s good news! Come with me,
Come on! Come on!
What is it?
Come here, Take a look at this,
What’s making you so happy?
Priest, you know that Lakshmi hasn’t calved in 5 years, right?
Yeah,
Remember what the doctor said?
That my cow will never ever yield a calf?
-Yeah, -But what did you say?
You said my Lakshmi will get pregnant,
And I told you, I’ll bring you the calf and the mother and feed you Seem Pal,
Priest, my Lakshmi is pregnant now,
-What about the Seem Pal? -It's all for you!
Hey,,,
Was it me? It was our Deity’s word,
Take all of this and offer it to our Deity, Go,
Okay, Priest, I’ll do that right away,
Come on, guys! Please, have some,
Hey, brother! How long has it been?
Don't drag me into this!
You all go ahead, I'll be right behind,
-Start the work, -Okay, Ponni,
Have your food, then continue working,
Okay, dear, Take care,
Dear,,,
Get back soon,
Hey! Spare no pregnant cow,
No! No!
Don't take our cows away!
Please don't! Please!
Hey,,,
Leave the cow!
Hey!
Get all the cows up here,
Don't take our cows away! Leave them here!
Please leave our cows,
Dad! Where are you rushing off to?
I’ll go meet our Deity and be right back,
What are you talking about, Dad?
She’s been appearing in my dreams quite often,
She’s been asking me why I abandoned her,
Let me at least offer her a feast,
Dad,,,
Kogura's men are there,
-I don't care who's there, I'll go, -Priest!
Will you never listen?
They've hanged so many, right before our eyes,
All for what? To make us fear,,,
,,, to stop us from offering or worshiping,
More so, to stop us from even visiting the temple!
Don't throw away your life for a lifeless Deity!
Stop this!
If you visit the temple now, they won’t stop with you
They'll kill us all,
My Deity gave me this life, and I’d lose it for her,
No one else will care for her but me,
-Let me go! -Priest,
Who else does she have, if not you?
Why should we lose our lives for the Diety?
-Go home, -But…
Just go home, Priest,
Take him home,
He’s even taken away our freedom to see our Deity,
I want to see her once,
At least once before I take my last breath,
My Almighty Mother, who will set this right?
'Sethumadai - Pollachi Taluk'
Between life and life, There lies no divide!
Once realized within, All difference will die,
Body lives, soul thrives, Breath flows on through—
Sunshine and rain, Are they not one too, my dear?
Time won’t split itself apart,
Between life and life, There lies no divide!
The sky belongs to neither you nor me,
The air we breathe flows endlessly— Can winds be measured in halves?
The earth we walk doesn’t divide for each of us!
Our harvest won’t pick sides, In nature's arms, all are one,
Jewels of many hues dance on a string,
Can’t we too find such harmony and sing?
Oh dear! We are the jewels that sing together,
Between life and life, There lies no divide!
Once realized within, All difference will die,
A house built with boundless love,
A father with a mother’s care No words can describe that love,
A thatched roof, yet the God resides there, Isn't that enough?
Won't this might mountain Spare a space for us to live?
Water and land live eternal, Beneath the boundless sky's embrace!
Our payback is the love of nature,
In nature’s fold, life flows free, Let’s live in this shared destiny,
Between life and life, There lies no divide!
Stop it, old man!
Brother, look at him— he’s breaking all the pots!
How can someone buy it without testing? That’s how people buy pots!
Brother, enough with the testing, Just buy something already!
Hand it over! What a way to run a business,
Here,
Hey, Velu!
It's the son-in-law raising his voice,
What is it, son?
My father-in-law has asked for you,
Tell him we’ll be there,
He told me to stay and bring you both there,
What if we say no?
If you do that, I’ll take your elephant,,,
- Hey, Velu! - Just leave,
He’ll stomp you into the ground,
Trying to scare me with the elephant you took a loan for?
- Get lost! - I’ll show you who I am!
Why are you acting like a kid?
The loan shark called for us, and you're fighting his man?
Come on, let’s go meet him,
I'll pay you on time,
Come on,
Here,
The interest is 10%, And the GST in 18%,
What? GST?
That's how it works,
- Do you want the money or not? - I do,
I’m giving you 10,000,
By evening, I need 12,800 back,
For sure, sir,
- You know about the Boss, right? - I do, sir,
If I don't get the money by evening,,,
Look at them,
I'll deal with you the same way,
I will pay you back without fail, sir,
Oh Lord, I need the business to go well today,
Vanakkam Vellaichamy brother,
Welcome, Vellaichamy,
Hello,
No sign of your for three months,
What is this mapla?
You're calling me by name?
You came to us for money,
If you’d paid it back, why would we call you by name?
You know it well,
For the past three months,,,
it's been raining non-stop,
No job worked out,
Did the rains stop you from bathing, sleeping, or eating?
Did you at least pee or poop? Or not even that?
Rain, summer, cold — they come every year for three months,
You knew that before taking the money, right?
Listen son-in-law,,,
In money matters,,,
there’s no family,
A man must keep his word, Vellaichamy,
Just because we’re in debt, you think you can speak disrespectfully?
Wow,,, mad because we disrespected your father?
Velu, I need my money before sunset,
How can we repay such a large amount today?
-If you could give us a week… -That's not my problem,
A day or a week, you stand here until I get my money back,
What, Velu?
It’s fine if your dad stands for a day,
Will he survive a week?
You're mad?
Velu, your elephant isn't here,
Leave now,
Son, you leave now, I'll take care,
Dad, you leave, I'll stand,
Won't you listen to me?
Your sister is alone at home,
You leave, I'll take care,
Madam,,,
Tell me, Velu,
I need 25,000 urgently, Can you give it on credit?
Look, Velu, Your pots are still unsold,
I’ve already paid you 20,000 as advance,
Now you're asking for more? Don’t make this a habit,
Okay,
What happened, buddy? You look off,
Kuberan has made my father stand,
I've never seen my father like this,
It was humiliating,
Why did you bring your father there?
I never expected he’d do this,
What's the amount?
Tell me, bro,
It's,,, 25,000,
- Hey, - Brother?
Get the money from near the idol,
Here,
There's 15,000 in this, Go meet Venkat,
I'll follow right behind, Go,
Bro, I need,,,
Come on,
Bro, get my father,
Okay,
Wait, Let me count,
You brought the money, That's good,
Pay me the principal with the same speed,
If it's for my father, I won't consider family as well,
You’ll get your principal,
Come on, Dad,
What Kuberan said keeps troubling me,
I need to do something and settle his debt,
I have an idea,
But you'll be angry if I say it,
Bro, when has any of your ideas ever worked out?
Shut up!
Just tell me,
A film manager often visits my shed,
I overheard him talking on the phone about paying 50K to 1 Lakh for an elephant,
For a film?
An elephant would cost at least a lakh and a half,
That's the minimum, sir,
That's what we paid for the last one,
I think if we talk to him about our Manian,
We might find a good solution,
What do you say?
I understand,
But my dad will feel bad about all this,
Isn’t Manian like a son to your dad too?
If he were human, wouldn’t he try to settle the debts?
Think of it that way,
What he says makes sense,
Let's meet him in person,
[In Malayalam] I already told you, you won't get it cheaper than this,
- Sir, - Huh?
- Vanakkam, - Ahh, Dhana,
One minute,
[In Malayalam] Think about what I said, I'll call you later,
People are here to meet me,
-What is it, Dhana? -We came to talk to you, sir,
This is Velu,
He's raising an elephant and is in debt,
I brought him here to see if you could help,
- Is that so? - Yeah, sir,
- How long have you had the elephant? - For 25 years,
- Do you have it's picture? - Yes,
- Do you have the papers? - Yes, sir,
Listen Dhana,,,
The elephant needs proper training to perform in a film,
Since your friend is in debt,
How about I arrange to sell the elephant for a good price?
We’ve raised it like our own child, We can’t sell it, sir,
Sir, we just wanted to see if it could perform in films,
But you're asking us to sell it?
Dhana, how about we use it for weddings or temple festivals?
Let the elephant train properly,
Then, I'll let you know,
Okay, sir,
- Hello, - Chetta, tell me,
- Where are you, sir? - I'm out for collection
Let's meet in person, I have something to discuss,
-Dad, -Yes, son,
I have something to say, Promise you won't get mad?
When have I ever gotten mad at anything you’ve said?
Tell me,
The thing is, to settle Kuberan’s debt in seven to eight months,,,
Dhana has an idea,
Shut up!
Dude, why are you getting me into touble?
Dhana has become intelligent, is it?
Come on, tell me your idea, I’m listening,
It's just that,,,
if we send Manian for weddings and temple festivals, we could earn a lot,
We wouldn't have to be in debt to anyone,
Seems like you've already decided that I’ll never be able to repay the debt,
-I didn't mean it that way, -Then what did you mean, son?
Just because someone made me stand,,,
you’ve all decided to make my son beg in front of strangers, right?
It's not like that, Dad,
Dad,,,
Don't think of our Manian as just another animal,
He’s in high demand at many places,
Just say yes, and we’ll handle everything else,
Dad,,,
I think Dhana's right,
Why hesitate?
Let's just ask Manian,
What do you say, Manian?
Priest,,
We have an elephant,
Can you let us know when there's a temple festival?
We have a festival next year,
Give me your number, and I’ll call you for sure,
Okay,
This is our number,
-Don't forget to call us, -I will call you, Thanks,
Hey, stop,
Why are the children wet?
They fell into the river, sir,
And you’re acting casual about it? I’ll whip you!
Leave,
Is this how you raise the children?
If such things happen again, I'll whip you as well,
Take them,
Father-in-law,,,
the manager is here to meet us,
Call him in,
Come in,
Namaskaram,
This is the party I told you about,
- Namaskaram, -Vanakkam,
Have a seat,
We have something important to discuss,
Sir, this elephant is from your village, right?
Ohh,,, that's Velu's elephant,
Yeah, I was about to seize it for the debt they owe me,
Feeding it seemed like a huge task, so I dropped it,
-You made a mistake, sir, -Yes, sir,
This elephant is a treasure chest,
Treasure?
My native had 1300 elephants, now only 300 remain,
Just 9 have shooting permits,
An elephant with a single owner for 25 plus years gets licensed,
This one has it, sir,
An elephant can earn 2,5 crores a year,
- 2,5 crores? - Yes,
Sir, help us buy the elephant,
We’ll pay you 25 lakhs,
- Every year, - Really?
Yes, sir,
25 lakhs?
This elephant is yours, I'll make the deal happen,
Thank you, sir,
Who is it?
- Vanakkam, sir, - Welcome,
Sir, we're coming from Sethumadai,
Okay,
I heard you're looking for an elephant for your daughter's wedding,
- Ohh,,, Vellaichamy's elephant? - Yes, sir,
But he turned me down earlier,
Yes, but now he agreed since it's for something auspicious,
I'm happy to hear this,
If you give us the date, we'll bring the elephant then,
The wedding is on the 18th,
Bring the elephant,
Okay, sir, Thank you,
Okay,
Selvi, this side,
-The back is not wet, son, -Brother…
Huh?
It seems like Velu is still angry,
Uncle, I'm a loan shark,
If people knew that I made my own uncle stand for his debt,
They would fear me and settle their dues,
That's why I made you stand,
Listen, I told you I'll settle our debts, What more do you want now?
Be quiet, Mapla, I'll talk to your father,
Uncle, whether the elephant is with you or me, it's the same,
Give it to me, settle your debts, and live your last days in peace,
Watch your damn mouth!
- Leave him, - Brother, stop it,
Don't raise your hands, He only made me stand, right?
Let me talk to him,
Hey, what did you say?
Elephant?
To merciless scumbags like you, it’s just an elephant,
But for me,,,
it’s the child I never had, the one my wife never bore,
If my wife were alive, she'd have beaten the hell out of you,
Don't ever come to my house with such petty thoughts again,
If you'd settled your debts, I wouldn't be here,
I need both the principal and interest in three months,
Otherwise, neither you nor your elephant will be around,
You will get it, Now, get out!
He wants my elephant! As if you actually donated the money!
Raising your hand at me? I know how to deal with you,
[background song plays]
Who's Devipatnam Manu here?
[background song continues]
We're here to see Manu,
[In Malayalam] I'm Manu, What's the matter?
We want to discuss something important with you,
What?
Hey, Kolappa!
Stop the song,
Get lost!
- Get lost! - Okay, Chetta,
Leave,
We need to make an elephant go rogue,
[In Malayalam] That's not what I do,
Manu,,, I know exactly who you are,
Kolappa! Four more!
Sir,,,
I have a medicine in hand,
Feed it to the elephant, and in half an hour, it'll go rogue,
It'll even kill its owner,
Be there tomorrow without fail,
I'm pretty sincere once I get paid,
You can go, sir,
Go on!
Collect the rest of your payment after the job's done,
Okay, sir, Go on!
Brother, can you frame this picture,
Sure,
Frame it along with this 10 Rupee bill,
- Can you wait for 10 minutes? - Sure,
Come on,
It's ready,
Here,
After all these years,,,
Manian's money has helped frame your mother's picture,
What, Manu?
The plan will work, right?
Everything will work perfectly, sir,
Hey, hand me that,
Sir, in half an hour, this place will be deserted,
You too, sir, Leave before that,
Hey, get down,
Be very careful, Don't miss the video,
Okay,
[Tamil song playing on speaker]
We'll leave,
Take the picture from there,
Step away,
- Hey, let's move, - No, wait,
Dude, take care of this,
A kid is crying, Let me go check on him,
What happened, buddy? Where's your mom?
Who's the child's mother?
Manian, wait here, I'll be back in 2 minutes,
Brother, give me one,
Here! Give me one!
No, no, Not that, This one!
Why would you leave your child alone?
Manian!
Hey!
Manian!
Why take a rogue elephant to a wedding?
Don't you guys have any sense?
Sir, my elephant is not rogue,
You elephant is not rouge?
How do you explain this?
Not just me, even my higher officials
and the whole world have seen this,
Present your story about the elephant not being rogue in court,
Submit your certificates, and you can retrieve your elephant from the camp,
You're glaring at me?
I should lock both of you up for the damage you've caused,
Now go, save your elephant, Leave,
Manian,,,
you're totally fine,
Manian, my dear,
Are you well?
Son, your elephant didn’t go rogue on its own,
Someone must have induced it,
What?
Yes, Get a lawyer quickly,
Sir, the elephant turned wild at the wedding because of the crackers,
Not because it went rogue,
Who's the DFO who attended to this case?
Sir,
We received a call from the public that their elephant had gone rogue,
Our team attended promptly
and controlled the animal with an injection,
We have submitted all the necessary medical certificates for that
Who's the inspector handling this case?
Sir!
Their elephant struck around 24 people at the wedding, sir,
Half of them are still in the hospital undergoing treatment
The video of the attack went viral and everyone has seen it,
I've submitted the video as evidence, sir,
Based on the video evidence, this is my final judgment,
You must submit all necessary papers to prove that your elephant is not rogue
and then retrieve your elephant,
Until then,,,
it is the court's order to keep your elephant at the Varakaliyar camp
Sir,,, Sir,,, trust me,
Manian is not rogue, sir,
Sir,,,
Please, sir,
- Please believe me, sir, - Hey!
Sir,,,
Sir!
Sir,,,
Don't belive what you see,
Your elephant is attacking our officer right in front of my eyes,
and you're acting all innocent?
How can I not believe this?
- I beg you, sir, - Stop this nonsense,
Listen, as I said, get all the certificates
and visit him at the camp,
There's no other way, Now leave,
Hey, load it onto the truck!
Hey!
Get it up!
Come on!
Sir, sir,,, please, sir,
I'll talk to him, Let me talk,
Manian,,,
listen to me,
You go with them,
Wherever they take you, I'll bring you back,
Be brave,
Dad,,,
I shouldn't have taken Manian to the wedding,
It's my fault,
Did you see the empty shed without Manian?
It's devastating to look at,
My father used to say that,,,
this human life is meant to experience both joy and misery,
There might be some who don't smile in times of joy,
But misery will break even the coldest of hearts,
My father used to say this often,
I never understood his words back then,
I used to ask him what misery was and laugh,
But now, I understand,
To be away from someone you love is the true pain,
It's as if you're dead,
Manian has gone to the camp trusting your word,
Don't let him down, son,
Save him, somehow,
I will bring him back, Dad,
I will,
What did you eat last night?
-Tell me, -Sir…
Kommu!
Maybe he ate something bad,
Hey,,,
Don't be mischevious,
Is he eating well?
Yeah, he's eating fine,
Is he fine?
Doctor,,,
Court order, sir,
Greetings, sir,
They lied, sir, saying that my Manian has gone rogue and took him away,
If you confirm that he's not rogue, they'll let him go,
I beg you, sir,
- Velu, tell him, - What he said,,,
Hey! Duraikannu!
Sir?
Move aside, Sir,
What's the issue?
They need your certificate to visit their elephant at the Varakalayar camp, sir,
Certificate? Go! Get them seated,
Okay, sir,
Come on,
Mind your step,
Sit down,
You too, Sit down,
No, it's fine,
Do you think you can meet the doctor directly?
Have you ever been to a government office before?
Huh?
Listen carefully,,,
Diesel for the jeep, lunch for the staff,
and even if you don't offer biryani to the doctor,
bun and a cool drink is a must,
Is it mentioned in the government order that we need to provide all this?
The government only gives the orders,
It doesn't specify all this,
Okay,
We'll do as you said,
Have some tea,
Hey!
You want me to have tea? Huh?
I'll break your jaw!
From the moment,,,
those cruel men took my Manian away,
He must've been starving,
3 hours!
3 damn hours!
The case went on for that long,
Not a single soul was there to feed him anything,
And he's no less,
He has so much pride,
He wouldn't eat anything from others,
Even if we try to feed him,
These heartless pricks,,,
talk about law and nonsense, but don't even let us feed him,
When my son is in that state, how am I supposed to have tea?
Get lost or I'll beat you to death!
How dare he ask me to have tea,,,
Until I take my son home, I won't touch a drop of water,
Not even a drop!
- Duraikannu! Get the jeep, - Sir? Okay, sir,
All of you, get in the jeep too,
Brother, here's the diesel money,
Hey, let's take care of that later,
Just ask them to get a bun and a cool drink on the way,
Okay, sir,
Sir, have some,
Do you want the certificate or not?
-You have some too, -Sir,
Son, take this,
- Here, Have some cool drink, - Okay, sir,
When I told my father I wanted to be a doctor,
He decided to make me a veterinary doctor,
When I refused to become one,
He said,,,
More than caring for those who can speak,
it's a greater service to care for animals who cannot speak,
If I had become a regular physician,
I would have only seen those who cry for their own kin,
But now that I'm here,
I get to witness extraordinary people who shed tears for beings beyond humans,
Sir, I’ll give the certificate anyway,
You just focus on dealing with the other government officials,
I saw the video of your elephant going rogue,
Looks like it's trending now,
Highly educated people like you shouldn't believe all that, madam,
Madam, we can only get our Mani back with the certificate you provide,
You need to get a certificate from the Tasildar first,
Then we'll see,
You think the issue will be sorted just by visiting the doctor and VAO?
Do you think I have no power?
Sit down,
Certificates,
- Hey, - Sir?
Okay, sir,
Here, sir,
Fill up all these forms,
I'll put my signature confirming that it's your elephant and that it is well,
But we've already provided you with all the necessary documents,
No, this is a different one,
Can you let us know what it is, sir?
Under whose name is the elephant registered?
On what date was it registered?
How many times has it been vaccinated?
The medical certificate and tax papers —get all these documents,
and I'll sign the papers,
You'll get it all by next Friday?
Sir,,,
will it take that long?
It can also be done in an hour, Whatever works for you,
If I get the required papers, I'll sign the document,
If it had been a human,,,
it will find a way to survive,
It's an innocent animal, sir,
It might get lost and never find its way,
All the documents that my son gave are correct,
I beg you to consider, sir,
If all your documents are correct,
Then get the documents I asked for as well,
I'll sign it,
Sir, the thing is,,,
Stop wasting my time,
- Hey, take them out, - Okay, sir,
Come on, Get up both of you,
Come on,
Leave now,
You have no idea how to deal with authorities
Go wait outside, I'll come,
I'll come and explain,
Sir,,,
They have all the necessary documents,
How about I ask them about the elephant's father
and get 10K out of them?
What? Just 10K?
Someone has offered 2,5 Lakhs to demand 2 Lakhs from them,
2,5 Lakhs?
Now go deal with them, Leave!
Wait! I'll be back,
Hey, old man, don't you have any sense?
Arguing with the officer?
He’s a hothead, no use talking to him,
Listen,,, I’ll handle it, Okay?
Come home this evening, and we’ll discuss further, Got it?
- Just do as I say, Now leave, - Thank you, sir,
Okay, sir,
- Those men came,
And I did as you instructed,
- Inform him as well, - I'll tell him, sir,
I really don't understand you,
You make people stand all day for 2000 bucks,
But now you're giving away 2 lakhs just like that?
I have my own reasons, You won't get it,
Let's go,
- Welcome, - Greetings, sir,
I knew you'd come,
The officer won't even sign online applications without taking money,
Your situation is worse,
He'll want something big,
Get it?
He's expecting 2,
2000?
Velu, give him the money now,
What? 2000?
Like they say,,, elephant owners always look down on others,
He's expecting 2 Lakhs!
Don't waste time,
Or his wife will hike the amount,
She's far less considerate than him, Got it?
Arrange the amount and pay him soon,
You'll get the certificate at your doorstep within half an hour,
I guarantee it, Now leave,
-Go do the necessary, -Let's go, Dad,
Dad! Wait here for a bit, I'll be back,
Brother, 2 tea,
Here,
What happened, Dad?
Your mother,,,
She got lucky
She left this world early, spared from enduring all this,
It's my fate to stand witness to this disaster,
Dad, don't do this,
After all this, what’s the point of me living?
You tell me,
Dad, what’s this?
You’re the one who’s supposed to give us strength,
If you break down like this,,,
What is it, Dad?
You're worried about Manian, right?
I’ll bring him back, one way or another,
Don’t worry, Dad,
Okay, son,
Let's go now,
Why is he here at this hour?
Uncle, I'm not here as a loan shark,
I've come as family,
Don't mistake me, uncle, but only family will stand by family,
It's not the time to hold a grudge, Velu,
That elephant is tied to your father's life,
Find a way to get Manian back,
-This has 2 Lakhs, uncle, -Dad…
are you going to get the money and then stand at his doorstep again?
Even Manian won't accept this when he comes back,
Uncle,,,
I understand your pride,
But you have to save Manian, what are you gonna do?
Mapla!
Here,,,
The documents for my house,
Uncle, what is this?
We're family, Don't insult me,
Shut up!
You've shown me your worth,
Now let me show you mine,
Here,,, take this,
Take my house documents as security,
I'll get them back after I settle your debt, Take it,
-You just won't listen,,, -Just take it,
Okay then,,,
Find a way to get Manian back,
- I'll take care of that, - I'll leave, uncle,
Velu,,,
are you worried?
Don't be,
We should get our Manian back,
That's the priority,
Now, do what needs to be done,
Greetings, sir,
Sir, here's all the certificates to retrieve our elephant,
Hey,,,
bring me that letter,
What is this, sir? You're giving us a new letter?
Sign the letter and leave,
You must have noticed on the way here,
The elephant went rogue, broke the chains, and ran into the forest,
Sir, our Manian wouldn't do that,
You saw how it attacked me when I raised my hand at you,
Even the judge saw it,
Sign the letter now, There are a lot of formalities,
Otherwise it'll end up fighting with the wild elephant and die,
Sir,,,
You're lying,
Manian trusted our word and agreed to come with you,
If he wanted to escape, he would've done it in court itself,
Yeah,
I'm lying, What can you do about it?
Don't sign the letter,
I'll handle it in court,
Leave,
Sir,,,
don't hesitate,
If you're looking for a bribe, you can ask us directly,
- We can pay you, - WHAT?
Do I look like a beggar? Huh?
Brother!
It's our Manian's bell,
I’m the one who did it, What are you going to do now?
This isn’t the only elephant I hit, I hit yours too!
He'll go to any extreme for that elephant,
I think,,, this is going to be a big problem,
What, Balram Bhai?
It's been a while since you gave us any work,
You've forgotten us?
Don't you know that I only come when the right job comes along?
Now, the right job has come,
The one with luck will hit the jackpot,
Earlier, the clients used to fix the rates for the job,
But for the first time,,,
They've asked us the rate to kill someone,
Who is that, Bhai?
From the top to the bottom level, send this to all of our men,
Whoever chops his head off,,,
In the next minute, their whole life will turn around,
Hey, wait,
Let him in,
Go,
What is it?
As per the court order, we got the certificates and went to the camp,
That DFO says that my Manian has gone rogue again
and is asking me to sign a letter,
If they say it went rogue, then it must have,
Sign the papers now,
We'll find out soon,
Normally, when an elephant goes rogue,
it takes at least a year for it to happen again,
I've been with my elephant for 20 years now,
He's lying,
I trust you to find my elephant, sir,
Okay,
You come back tomorrow,
Brother, have you seen this elephant anywhere?
What's the issue?
It's my Manian,,,
He was at the Varakalyar camp,
When we went to retrieve him, they said he ran off into the forest,
Since you handle many elephants,
we wanted to check with you,
It's unlikely that it took off into the forest,
I'll look into it,
I'm here after hearing what's going on,
If you were after money,,,
you could have gotten it from the family and spared their elephant, right?
What, sir?
You think I did this for the money?
I got lots of calls and pressure from higher-ups for the elephant,
If you'd been in my place, you'd have done the same,
Please don't come to talk to me about this elephant again, sir,
Please,
Damn this cycle!
Dad,,,
What, dear? Why are you running like this?
That elephant you said you saw in your dream?
- Yeah, - I saw it for real,
- Really? - Yes,
-Where? -Near the falls,
It's no use trusting anyone anymore,
We have to do it ourselves,
Only then can we bring Manian back,
What you said is right, son, Come on, let's go,
Dad,,, wait! We'll take care of it,
Oh God,,,
is this a bad omen, with the picture breaking?
Don't think of it as such,
Consider it a blessing from your mother to bring our Manian back home!
Get going, son!
Have your food on time,
Don't starve yourself thinking about Manian,
Hey,,, hey,,, hey,,,
What are you doing?
Get up!
- What is he doing? - I don't undestand, Dad,
Get up!
Stand up now,
What happened now?
It's nothing, uncle,
I've humiliated you every chance I got because of the debt,
But you gave life to my children and never once mentioned it,
I finally managed to get the stubborn Vellaichamy to give his land,
What are you saying?
We've already built a house for our elder child,
On this land, I'll build a house for the younger one,
The ones whose land you just got,
if not for them and their elephant,
our children wouldn't be alive today,
What are you saying?
Do you remember the day our kids got wet in the river?
If it hadn't been for them,,,
the river would've taken our children,
You thought of my kids as your own, Uncle,
But I betrayed Manian, who was your life,
I betrayed him,
I betrayed Manian, Uncle,
What?
What do you mean by that?
I'm the vile guy who made Manian go rogue,
Hey! I'll kill you!
Velu,,, Velu,,, Stop it!
Leave him, Velu,
-Kill me, -Let him go!
A scumbag came to me,
He tempted me, saying we could make a lot of money with Manian,
I got greedy and committed a despicable act,
I swear on my children,
The last I knew, Manian had left the camp,
Someone else has kidnapped him,
Nothing is more important than my children,
Please, take it back,
No, no,
Let the documents be with you, I'll get it later,
Velu,,,
Please forgive me,
I'll come along to see Manian as well,
I'll bear all the expenses,
-I'll go with you, -No, it's okay,
We'll handle it,
I won't be back without my Manian,
Guys,,, let's go,
Where is the load permit?
[in Hindi] Bhai, Isn’t there an order to kill him?
Send his photo and location to our men immediately,
[phones notify]
-Insurance? -It's in the vehicle, sir,
[phones notify]
[in Hindi] We've received a message to kill him,
Start the vehicle,
[In Hindi] Whose phone is this?
That's mine, sir,
Here, Open it,
Why are you looking for him?
Whoever chops his head off,,,
In the next minute, their whole life will turn around,
-Hello, -Velu, where are you now?
Near the toll, sir,
Velu, the inspector has called for you, Get in,
Come,
Have you seen these guys before?
No, sir,
Apart from the elephant, do you have any other personal issues?
Nothing like that, sir,
They've put a nationwide bounty on your head for a huge reward,
If somone has put a nationwide bounty on you,,,
I guess it's a very big network,
Do something, Forget your elephant,
Go back home and try to lead a peaceful life,
I'm saying this as a brother, that's the best thing for you,
Manian left because of the promise I made,
Whatever happens, I'll handle it,
Thanks, sir,
Brother, wait a minute,
Sir, we have a small issue,
Okay, sir,
Okay,,, Okay, sir,
I'll send him over, Thank you, sir,
There is only one person in all of India who can save you,
That's our professor,
Go meet him,
He will definetely help you,
Velu,,,
Please don't misunderstand me for asking this,
but we left home with courage to search for Manian,
However, we have no idea where he is,
How do we find him?
The other day at court, Manian refused to board that truck,
But he agreed to go trusting my word,
The way he looked at me then still haunts me every single moment,
Whatever happens, even if I lose my life,
I will not go back without Manian,
I'm going in search of him with the same hope he had when he left,
Anything can happen in this search,
This is my problem, and I'll take care of it,
You both leave,
Velu, we just wanted to know how we can find him,
not to abandon you,
We'll face anything that comes our way in this search for Manian,
Velu,,,
Let’s meet the professor the inspector talked about,
Come in, Have a seat,
It's okay, sir, We're good,
However big the problem may be,,,
first you have to eat,
Then we can discuss, Okay?
Sir, the inspector asked us to meet you,
Are you the professor?
Do you feel like meeting the professor?
Even the people want to,
When the professor strikes, it affects everywhere,
It's been a while since he did that,
But I feel the pain,
I don't know why,
Say what you want, and it will be heard,
Everyone knows that,
Sir, you are?
Me? I'm Saravanan,
Police,
I used to wonder 'why' police,
After meeting the professor, I became 'ex' police
It's not enough to wear a uniform, you must treat everyone uniformly,
That's what the professor taught me,
I took off my uniform that day,
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't succeed,
Now, we've come seeking your help,
Saravana!
When I don't see your face My day doesn't begin, my dear
The places I roamed seem distant, My heart refuses to stay still
The spot where we ran and played Now lies deserted and bare
The mighty forest soil Keeps searching for you and me
Where are you? Where are you? The forest searches, dear one
How can you stay apart, Away from us, all alone?
When I don't see you face My day doesn't begin, my dear
When I don't see your face,,,
Thank you, brother,
They offered fortunes beyond measure To take you far across the lands
Did I raise you with love Only to be sold at a market?
Can gold or jewels Ever equal a soul's worth?
Your heart won't accept this divide Though words can’t express its hurt
How will I find you, bring you back?
When I don't see your face My day doesn't begin, my dear
When I don't see your face,,,
Where is the other guy?
[speaks Hindi]
Have you forgotten your parents, The life you shared with me?
Thoughts of you fill my heart daily, The weigh too much to bear
Where are you? Where are you? The forest searches, dear one
I stand here, a lonely tree, Hurting every moment
Praying to the divine, I’ll bring you back again
When I don't see your face My day doesn't begin, my dear
The places I roamed seem distant, My heart refuses to stay still
The spot where we ran and played Now lies deserted and bare
The mighty forest soil Keeps searching for you and me
Where are you? Where are you? The forest searches, dear one
How can you stay apart, Away from us, all alone?
When I don't see your face My day doesn't begin, my dear
When I don't see your face,,,
Brother,,,
Where's the money I paid?
Velu… What happened?
What is it?
Nothing, bro,
I had this 10-rupee bill with me for a while,
Why did it go missing now?
And why did we find it here in this temple?
- I don't get it, - In this world…
who else but a mother can show deep affection for her child?
When I was a kid, the day we left Manian in the forest,
only I knew how much my mother suffered that night,
When Manian found his way home the next morning,
she said she now has three children, not two,
If my mother were alive,
no matter how much we try to stop her,
she would’ve come searching for Manian herself
Now that she’s no more, her spirit has guided us to this temple,
Until now, we couldn’t figure out how to find Manian,
Now,,,
with my mother’s blessings,
we’ll begin searching from the nearby villages,
We will find Manian, for sure,
Dude,,,
We'll head into the village,
You go to the DFO's office,
inform them that our elephant is missing,
and that we're entering the forest to search,
Join us in the village after that,
Okay?
Let's go,
Brother,,,
Have you seen this elephant?
[In Hindi] No, I haven’t seen it,
Brother, have you seen this elephant around here?
[In Hindi] No, I don't know,
Dammit,
Let's ask him,
Brother,,, have you seen this elephant around here?
-No, -No, no,
Not at all!
Our almighty Kali!
I offered you a vegetarian feast every day,
But now they sin by slaughtering animals in your name,
Save us all, Mother!
Or this forest won’t survive,
It won't survive,
We are counting on you,
May you protect all of us,
Brother,,,
[In Hindi] No,
Let's check with them,
Brother,,,
- Have you seen this,,, - Tell me, son,
Brother,,, have you seen this elephant around here?
Elephant?
- No, I haven't, - Brother,,,
Take a good look at the picture once,
We heard that it was taken here…
Since you speak Tamil,
it would be a great help if you could come with us,
I have work to do,
Ask someone else,
Thank you,
Come, dear,
- Dad,,, - Huh?
But we know where the elephant is,
They look young,
I don't want these boys,,,
to get killed by them,
Can't you see?
They are not strong enough to face them,
Dude,,,
When we asked about Manian,
it seemed like the Priest had something to say,
Bro,,, everyone there spoke Hindi,
Only the Priest spoke Tamil,
That's why it feels that way,
Come on,
Let's check if there's another way to find Manian,
Someone help me!
A woman trying to stand up to us?
Let me go!
You've lost your fear,
-Let me go! -Let's bring that fear back today,
Lift her up,
Hey!
Oh my god!
Let her go! She's pregnant!
Let her go!
Let her go…
Oh, Mother Almighty!
They're hanging a pregnant woman
and you're all just standing by, letting it happen?
[In Hindi] Go hang him now!
Go, dear, Get her,
Die!
Son! Killing him won't solve anything,
They're a big gang,
They'll kill us all,
-What are you saying? -Let's go,
You messed with me in my village,
You and your elephant won't leave here,
Oh god,,,
Give one fore each,
They must be hungry,
Please, have some,
You messed up with Kogura without knowing who he was,
How dare he try to hang a pregnant woman?
That's exactly what I'm saying,
It shows how ruthless he is,
I have nothing more to add,
Try to understand,
His men will be sweeping the forest looking for you,
Get out of here as soon as you can,
I'll show you the way, Let's go,
Come on, son,
I'm not looking for a way to escape, Priest,
I want to find my elephant,
- You said you don't know, - Yes,,, I don't,
If we caused you any trouble, please forgive us,
-No,,, -We'll leave now,
You get going, son,
- I know where your elephant is, - Shut up, Ponni!
Shut it!
Don't mind her, son,
Dad,,,
They don't care about their lives,
The elephant is more important to them,
The entire village is petrified about Thilagan making animal sacrifices,
At the Vana Bhathrakali Temple,,,
I saw them take your elephant there,
For a sacrifice,
Kogura, the one you fought with, is just a henchman,
There's a monster behind him, draining the life of our people,
His name is Thilagan,
He has no mercy,
He is truly a monster,
You've grown bold enough to file a complaint against us?
It's a mistake to get educated here,
Now you've become a police officer,,,
and you dare to oppose me,
That's an even bigger mistake,
You know why these villagers live in peace?
Do you?!
The deer that runs from the tiger survives,
But if it ever tries to be brave and face the tiger,,,
My lord,,,
No,,,
Carrying out the punishment in public is to make everyone watch,
Please give my child back,
Thilaga, don't do this,
It's a baby,
[everyone] Let the child go!
- No, my lord, - Let the child go,
Everyone look!
If anyone dares to close their eyes, one from each family will hang,
He’s trying to seize the forest, destroy it, and make crores of money!
To do that, he deceived everyone into believing that,,,
my Almighty Mother Vana Bhathrakali demands sacrifices,
Kali! Jai Kali!
Don't do it! The cow's pregnant,
Do not sacrifice it!
My lord, please let the cow go,
[chants mantra] Let my cow go!
Hey,,, hey,,,
I brought up this cow!
Why are you doing this? You monster!
Don't do it! It's a sin,
-Please don't do this, -Priest, look what they are upto!
Oh god, no,
Lakshmi, my dear,
Oh, god,
Those who trust Thilagan,,,
and the Almighty Mother Vana Bhathrakali,
Will never ever fail,
Take a machete,
Let's not do this, Priest,
It's 11 lives,
It's not 11,
It's 22,
All the cows are pregnant,
What's more important to you? 22 lives or your business?
-My business, Priest, -Hand me the machete,
Don't do this, Let those cows go,
Please don't,
Thilaga, don't do it!
- Oh, no, - Please don't, my lord,
Lakshmi!
Please stop!
Don't do it!
Lakshmi,,,
lakshmi, my dear,
Oh, no,
Kali!
Priest,,,
If you’d listened to me, we could’ve been rolling in money together!
Believing in the power of a blood sacrifice, politicians and the wealthy lined up,
My dear lord!
Priest,,,
When I came here earlier,
I absolutely had no belief in this,
But now eveything has turned upside down,
Now, you are everything to me,
In this world, we believe certain things only when they happen to us,
My Almight Mother Vana Bathrakali will protect you always,
Hey, bring that up,
Give it,,, give it,
Priest,,,
Pleae accept my offering,
The wealthiest now lie beneath my feet,
You're not Vana Bathrakali,
You're the angel that will help me seize power of this entire forest,
Om Kali!
From goats and cows,,, now he wants to sacrifice an elephant,
It's your elephant,
Your elephant will be alive only until this full moon,
Do not get caught,
They'll slaughter you with the elephant,
I'm warning you like my own son,
If my father were here,,,
he'd want me to sacrifice my life to save the animal that depends on me,
Without Manian, I will not leave this village,
Even after all this, if you don’t go,
I get how much you care for that elephant,
I’ll also come and search,
I'll see if there is a way,
What happened, Kogura? What did I do?
Don't hurt my dad,
Move aside!
Dad,,, Dad,,,
Dad!
Stop… Stop!
Stop it!
Please don't do this,
Hey!
Even if you kill us here, we'll be happy,
We're content in knowing someone messed you up in your own place,
You're brave, is it?
First I'll kill his elephant,
Then I'll kill him,
Finally,,,
I'll hang you and your father right here,
I'll let you live untill then,
Hey,,,
[In Hindi] Find that trouble's son and chop him down,
Hey!
Dad,,,
-They're here, -Who?
Careful,,, careful, Dad,
Careful,
Oh, my!
What is this?
What happened?
Priest,,,
They broke my hand asking about you,
If you'd been there, he'd killed you for sure,
Go home, son,
You won't listen?
Dear,,,
Get everyone who were affected by him,
Have a look,
Come on,
Listen!
He doesn't want his elephant sacrificed like our animals,
He's come here trusting us, and we must help him,
Why?
All that remains is our lives,
Do you want to lose that too?
You're ready to kill yourself for the diety,
Don't make us a part of it,
In this forest,,,
they ask us countless questions just to give us a piece of land to live on,
But Thilagan is going to register this entire forest under his name,
There is no one to question him,
The deity you worship all day, instead of helping us,
demands the sacrifice of our cows,
They broke your arms just because these guys entered our forest,
We are stranded here with no way to survive,
Until now, we begged you to stop the deity from demanding sacrifices,
But today, you're asking for our help to prevent the sacrifice of an elephant,
Why should we lose our lives for a stranger's elephant?
You're asking us to take the risk, would you ask the same from your family?
Fine, I'll do it myself!
Dad,,,
sit down, I'll go,
How will you…
I don't know if the deity is as powerful as you say,
But if it is, as my father believes,
It will save us,
Come, I'll show you,
Go on, Go with her,
Come here,
When we had no hope left in a strange place like this,
you both chose to help us,
Son,,,
-Will your village be 1000 miles away? -I'm not sure,
I think it might be,
My Lakshmi,,,
they killed her right in front of my eyes,
Those fools are asking why they should die for a stranger's elephant,
But you,,,
you don't see it as just an animal,
You see it as your brother,
And you've traveled this far to save him,
They’ll never understand that kind of love,
But I understand your love and pain,
I do, son,
I don’t care if Thilagan kills me,
I’ll come with you,
Let’s go!
What happened?
What is it?
I can't, bro,
Are you tired, dear?
Fine, let's rest for some time,
Ponni, let's go,
I'll be there,
Go further this way, you'll reach Tiger Rock,
Follow the path and wait at the Chameleon Pit,
You take this route, you'll reach Dwarf Mountain,
-Wait there, -Alright!
Why is it making that sound?
It's nothing,
The elephant's owner is nearby,
That's the reason,
Hey!
I know you're close by,
If you take one step further to save your elephant,
I'll stab it,
Hey, I'll cover there, And you do here,
Hey!
Bring the elephant,
The elephant's umbilical cord is tied up,
It can deliver at any moment,
There’s no day more auspicious than today,
Commence the rituals, now,
What happened, Ponni?
I don't know,
But for some reason, they are sacrificing the elephant tonight,
What? We are so close,
Yet, we can't save Manian, is it?
Ponni! It's us,
-Come out, -Everyone, step out,
Ponni, you left in anger,
But this is not just your issue, it's ours too,
Back then, none of us had the courage to oppose Thilagan,
But today,,,
we have the strength to stand against him,
We won’t let him live,
As you and your father believed, let the deity save us,
We die every day in fear of Thilagan,,,
This isn't the sound of a regular elephant,
It's the trumpet of a pregnant one,
When the elephant makes this sound,,,
it means the calf's head is turned inside the womb,
If my intuition is correct,,,
to save the pregnant one,
all the elephants from the forest will come,
[chants mantra]
[continues chanting mantra]
Jai Vana Batharakali!
Finish him!
By the name of God, we are deceived,
Innocent people believe it and fall for the lie,
By the name of God, we are deceived,
Innocent people believe it and fall for the lie,
Mother Kali, my heart aches!
Won't you look upon us? Show us a better way,
Those who tarnish God's name must be beaten and crushed,
We must end the lives of those who try to stop it,
Those who tarnish God's name must be beaten and crushed,
We must end the lives of those who try to stop it,
By the name of God, we are deceived,
Innocent people believe it and fall for the lie,
The poor, living a dry life, are suffering and struggling,
They are deceived, their money taken, and fed lies,
Believing that God will change their lives, their days slip away,
In the lamp, money burns, and the dream fades away,
They are used to decieving they don't even feel weary,
The poor, though deceived, realize nothing,
Whatever we have faced is enough,,, it's time to rebel!
The bad things have piled up,,, everything must come to an end,
Mother Kali is furious,,,
She will settle the score,
Om Kali Kali Kali,,, Let your dance begin!
Velu, let's go,
Manian, my brother,
Let's go home?
Manian! Come let's go home,
After so much trouble, we've finally found him,
We shouldn't send him anywhere anymore,
Let's keep him safe,
Hey!
For the common man, the almighty is the last hope,
But if a few greedy men have turned that hope into a business, God, save us!
Now, in what is suspected to be a possible case of human sacrifice,
a man allegedly beheaded a five year old child,
Angry villagers then lynch the accused to death,
He was performing Kali Pooja,
Women named Roselyn and Padma performing sacrificial rituals…
send shockwaves across Kerala,
A father killing his daughter under the influence of…
a ritualistic priest has shocked Pudukottai,
Parents working as teachers sacrifice their children as part of a ritual,
sending shockwaves across Andhra,
In an attempted sacrifice,
it’s said the cat managed to escape,
Since the cat couldn't be found,
Kiranarajan considered slaughtering
Kumaresan's 5-month-old instead,
Mother!
It's been so long since I came here to see you,
Forgive me, Mother!
Mother…
My divine Mother!
[cries] Mother!
Thank you for saving us!
Mother!
Holy Mother!
Mother…
Come on,
Come,
Holy Mother!
Our divine Goddess!
We're elated, Mother!
We're so happy, Mother!
Seeing you after all these years…
gives us immense joy!
This will do, Mother!
This will do!
Save us all!
Enough,
Pour into all the lamps,
Is it done?
Go on,