aniruddha070 Yes, the movie is really meaningful, it truly depicts the ups and downs of a common man, i say this because Kamal in the movie is just a common man he acts like that, In the movie he doesn't even show his don style attitude. Well thats what defines the power in the movie. Scenes in the backyard(beating his daughter),throwing furniture out of the house in the first half are truly amazing, hero does bad things, we sense these acts are against the law but the power of narration makes us believe he does it for people. The best part of the movie "It is straight to the point no beating around the bush"A GOOD AND MEANINGFUL MOVIE TO WATCH!!!!!!!!

MartinHafer This film is supposed to be based on the life of mobster Varadarajan Mudaliar. However, when I read up on this criminal's career, it was quite different from the guy in this film--very. While both were apparently beloved by the community, Mudaliar's real life death was incredibly boring and was nothing like the film. Additionally, while Mudaliar might have been a good guy in some ways, in real life he was responsible for the sale of narcotics--something not exactly heroic. There are probably man other differences. Suffice to say, the film is fiction."Nayakan" begins with a little boy being beaten by some cops. They want to know where the boy's father is but the kid won't talk. So, they let him go and follow at a distance. Then, when they found the father, they murdered him. his offense--being a union organizer. Later, at the funeral, the young boy, Ratnavelu, grabs a knife and stabs one of the policemen there. He then runs off to Mumbai (far from his Tamil roots in Southern India) and lives life on the streets--with no family and no home.Years pass. Now Ratnavelu is an adult and has learned the life on the streets well. Now he's a mobster--a mob boss who is adored by the poor. Considering his childhood, this shouldn't come as a big surprise. However, like Robin Hood, Ratnavelu ALSO tries to bring justice to the poor and is a very just man--in his own way. There's MUCH more to this movie than this--just see the film for yourself to see.Some of what is bad about this film is not the fault of the filmmakers and will only cause issues if you watch the Pyramid DVD. This is because too much of the dialog is NOT captioned! Why?! It could be worse--but at least they captioned the songs--something other video companies often don't do! Another problem I don't blame the filmmakers for is the tinny sounding music (yes, singing in a gangster film). In ALL the 70s and 80s Indian films I've seen, the sound of the music was pretty terrible. Fortunately, newer Indian films are VERY professional--among the best made and produced films in the world. What the filmmakers could have done better was the direction and editing. In one sloppy scene, the rooftop changes mid-scene--and as the sun went down, the two scenes were probably separated by 15 minutes or so--making the sun seem VERY weird in India! Apart from these cosmetic problems, the film was excellent. If you are making a film to glorify mobsters and make the police evil, you couldn't have done a better job. An interesting script and nice acting sure helped. Well worth seeing.

rajiyer1989 what it is about- it traces the journey of life of an underworld don,how he gets pulled into it,his rise to becoming the don.starting his life from slums and poverty to becoming a Saviour,guardian and leader for justice for the poor and till his fall is what the film is all about.what's hot- this film marks the outcome of 3 genius coming together.ace director Manirathnam,Thespian Kamalhassan,Music maestro Illayaraja.Mani being also credited for the excellent screenplay and story.one of the best background ever to be heard in the Indian film history.it compliments the situations and emotions expressed in the film to the hilt.Kamalhassan has proved why he is the best actor in India by his stellar performance.if Manirathnam is the brains behind this masterpiece then it is Kamalhassan who justifies it by his through performance and Illayaraja by his heart wrenching music.emotions expressed in the film straightly strikes a cord in your heart.Kamal's portrayal of the character Shaktivelu from his young hey days to his becoming the veteran don is something which is like an open acting institution.from his speech to his body language he literally lives the part.the music and the background score especially makes the situation and plight more pitiable specially in the part where the don comes to know about his son's death.the song ThenpandiCeemayela rings in your mind and makes you have tears and sympathy for the hero who loses his son and is unaware of the fact till the message is convened to him by others.the climax of the film which is heart wrenching is superbly shot and has equally well background score which makes it more memorable.kudos to Mani,Kamal and Illayaraja for making such a masterpiece which we all will be proud of.what's not- the songs in the film apart from ThenpandiCeemaleya reduces the pace of the film a bit.coming from an acclaimed director like Manirathnam scenes openly lifted from godfather is not expected from him.what to do- go for it,it is an once in a lifetime that such a movie is made in India.not only it is a total entertainer and it leaves a print in your mind even after ending which will remain forever.no film expresses emotions as good as it does.

quzario This movie is by far the best (and I think it'll remain the best) Tamil movie I've ever seen. Superb acting by Kamal Hassan and excellent directing by Mani Ratnam considering the resources he had in that era back then...no special effects/CGI or any of that bullshit modern age mumbo-jumbo, just pure flawless acting, cinematography and a great and moving music score to fit the story oh so ever well. People seem to compare this movie to the Hollywood's version of the Godfather but in my opinion this one surpasses the Godfather by a mile simply for the fact cause of the way the harshness of the lead character's life is portrayed and the circumstances in his life that compels him to do the things that he does and for the cause that he does them for. A whole city of people who love and fear him but the true affection that he seeks from his daughter eludes him due to what he does and eventually connecting the events that would bring about his demise. Kamal Hassan's best performance to date and for those Godfather fans out there, take a look at this one and perhaps you'd change the ranking spots in your movie lists.