Pudhupettai is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by Selvaraghavan starring his brother Dhanush in the lead role, while Sonia Agarwal and Sneha play supporting roles. It follows the story of a slum-dwelling student from Pudhupettai who rises to become a dreaded gangster in North Chennai as a means of survival. Initially upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics and had an average opening at the box office. However, it became a cult classic in subsequent years and is considered as one of the best films in both Selvaraghavan and Dhanush's careers. Plot The story is narrated by the main character, "Kokki" Kumar, in a jail cell. Kumar is a secondary school student who lives in the slums of Pudhupettai, in Chennai. After coming home from a film, he sees his mother's dead body. She was killed by his father, following an argument. After overhearing a conversation between his father and his friend that they plan on killing him too, as he was a witness, Kumar flees from home. Homeless and with no food, he resorts to begging. He is arrested, under false charges, while he watches the police arrest criminals on the street. After being released on bail, he befriends Mani and the others, all of whom work for a thug named Anbu. Anbu works for the opposition party's leader Thamizhselvan, who is a criminal and local politician. They take Kumar under their wing and give him petty jobs. During a confrontation with rival gangsters headed by the ruling party's politician Murthy, Kumar kills Murthy's brother single-handedly amidst 100 goons, earning the respect of his gang. Anbu makes him join a gang consisting of professional killers. There, Kumar learns the way of being a killer while surviving attacks from Murthy's men. The gang refuses to help Kumar avoid Murthy's men since their intervention would spark a gang war. Kumar murders several of his opponents singlehandedly, earning him respect from the others. Krishnaveni is a prostitute who works under Anbu. Kumar likes her and asks Anbu to release her. Anbu is shocked at Kumar's audacity and refuses his request. He thrashes Krishnaveni and orders his men to kill Kumar. Kumar approaches Anbu and begs pardon, but when Anbu refuses, Kumar kills him. Thamizhselvan allows Kumar to take over Anbu's business only if he can survive the night from Anbu's men. Kumar survives, and Thamizhselvan makes