Naan Sigappu Manithan (Eng:I am a Red Man) is a 1985 Tamil film directed by S.A. Chandrasekhar. The film stars Rajinikanth, Sathyaraj, Bhagyaraj, Ambika in lead roles with music by Ilaiyaraja. It is loosely based on the 1974 American action film Death Wish with Charles Bronson. It was also remade in Kannada as Mahatma starring Saikumar and V. Ravichandran. This movie was a commercial success at the box office and was later dubbed in Telugu as Mr. Vijay.
Vijay (Rajinikanth) is a Tamil professor living with his widowed mother and his sister. He is in love with Uma (Ambika), a lawyer. During a visit to his friend Ravi’s (Nizhalgal Ravi) house, he is disgusted by goings-on in his neighborhood. Illicit liquor is being sold at a tea-stall while prostitution is flourishing in another house in the same colony. But his complaints to the police, yield nothing since the policeman is on the villains’ payroll and manages to warn them before making a raid. When Ravi’s sister is raped and killed and the perpetrator Mohanraj (Sathyaraj) gets off scot-free with help from a minister, Vijay and Ravi take matters into their own hands and clean up the tea-stall and brothel on their own. Wanting to teach Vijay a lesson, Mohanraj and his goondas rape his sister (who then commits suicide) and kill his mother. Vijay then turns into a vigilante, walking the streets at nights and dealing out his own brand of justice – shoot first and ask questions later – to the rowdies and goondas. He soon becomes known as Robinhood, helper of the poor and the police sends Singaaram (Bhagyaraj), a CID officer to unmask Robinhood. Vijay kills Mohanraj and his uncle. Now Vijay surrenders to Singaram revealing the truth but Singaram mentions that he has already found the truth and decided not to arrest Vijay as he cleans up the society. But Vijay feels guilty for his murders and surrenders to police. Uma appears in court in favour of Vijay and argues. The day before the judgment, Singaram masks as a criminal and tries to molest the judge’s daughter, seeing which the judge tries to shoot the criminal. Now Singaram reveals his identity and mentions that his intention was to make the judge understand the Vijay was also under similar situation before. Finally the judge sentences Vijay for lifetime imprisonment but recommends to the president of India for granting pardon.
Directed by S.A. Chandrasekhar
Produced by A. Poorna Chandra Rao
Written by S.A. Chandrasekhar
Starring Rajinikanth, K. Bhagyaraj, Ambika, Sathyaraj
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography M. Kesavan
Edited by P. R. Gautham Raju
Production Lakshmi Productions
Distributed by Lakshmi Productions
Release date 12 April 1985
Country India
Language Tamil
