Nayakan
1987 · Movie · 156 min
★ 7.5(94)unSUB Rating
After witnessing a brutal loss, a young man strikes back at corruption and is forced to flee to a new city. There, his fight for survival and justice pulls him into the criminal underworld, where power, loyalty, and hard choices reshape his life.
Also known as Hero · People's Hero
Where to watch
Streaming on Eros Now Select.
3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- நாயகன்
- Years
- 1987
- Release date
- 1987-10-21
- Language
- TA
- Runtime
- 156 min
- TMDB rating (input)
- 7.9/10 (94 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an emotional, character-driven gangster saga about power and moral trade-offs, with strong performances and memorable songs; Not for you if you dislike slow builds or crime stories like Thalapathi.
Pros: powerful performances; gripping gangster journey; memorable music | Cons: slow early stretch; some songs interrupt pace; heavy emotional moments
Themes
- gangster
- gang war
- symbolism
- revenge
- tragedy
- religion
- india
- family tragedy
- rise to power
- corrupt system
- life in the slums
Awards & recognition
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1988 · nominated
Cast & crew
Kamal Haasan
as Sakthivel 'Velu' Naicker
Saranya Ponvannan
as Neela
Karthika
as Charumati (adult)
Janagaraj
as Selvam
Delhi Ganesh
as Iyer
Nizhalgal Ravi
as Surya (adult)
Nassar
as Assistant Commissioner Patil
Tinnu Anand
as Ajit Kelkar
Vijayan
as Durai
M. V. Vasudeva Rao
as Hussain Bhai
Directed by Mani Ratnam