Plot

A veteran freedom fighter enraged with the rising crime and corruption in the society murders all the wrong doers one by one using an ancient martial arts technique.

A series of murders take place in Chennai the only common link is that all are government servants.Inspector Krishnaswamy investigating the case finds from the writings on crime site that the killer could be more then seventy years old.His investigation leads him Senapathy who was a revolutionary and part of Subhash Chandra Bose army.Chandu his son an RTO agent is tied between two women Aishwarya and Sapna he left his family due to principles of Senapathy.The motive behind the killings of Senapathy is to stop corruption and if time comes he won't even spare Chandu.—alex.mjacko@gmail.com

Circa the British rule in India, a man named Senapathy decides to rebel against the British in a violent way, learns a rare martial art that enables him to kill with his bare hands, and travels to Singapore, joins the Indian Liberation Army formed by renowned Subhash Chandra Bose, is one of the soldier's to engage the British into war. He subsequently joins a death squad in order to destroy British tanks. While all of the others succeed in carrying out their mission, Senapathy is captured, jailed, beaten, and mercilessly tortured by the British. Upon his release, he is looked after by a woman named Namrata, whose honor he had saved from the British - who had captured two truckloads of women protesters, burned their clothing, and forced them to commit suicide. Namrata and Senapathy marry, India gains independence, and they soon have two children - Chandrabose and Kasthoori. Years later Chandra quarrels with his honest and straight-laced father, leaves home, so that he can earn enough money to bribe the transport secretary to get him a job as a Transport Officer. Tragedy strikes the family when Kasthoori is grievously hurt in a house-fire. They get her to the nearest hospital - but the doctor wants them to file a police report or pay him Rs.500/-; At the police station - the Inspector wants Rs.250/- or a report from the Village Administration Officer; who in turn wants Rs.150/- so that he can start preparations for the report. This delay results in Kasthoori's death - and a vengeful Senapathy decides to teach corrupt officials a lesson - a lesson that will serve to remind other corrupt officials to do their work diligently without accepting any bribes. What Senapathy does not know is that his very son Chandra is now part of this system - and he must now make up his mind to make an exception or carry on his gruesome task - knowing fully well that the Central Bureau of Investigation is hot on his tail.—rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)

The story runs on two tracks. One is that of Chandrabose "Chandru" Senapathy (Kamal Haasan), a small-time broker outside the RTO (Road Transport Office) who gets people's work done at the RTO by accepting bribes. He is supported in this work by Subbiah (Goundamani). Paneerselvam (Senthil) is an officer in the RTO who has conflicts with Subbiah. Aishwarya (Manisha Koirala) and Chandru are in love with each other.

Sapna (Urmila Matondkar) is the daughter of Gandhikrishna, an officer in RTO. Her father promises to get Chandru a job of being a brake inspector in the RTO, if he runs errands for them. He agrees to work for them, and soon he becomes a brake inspector.

Aishwarya resets Chandru for being a servant to Sapna and her family at the cost of his self-respect.

The other track is of Veerasekaran Senapathy, alias Indian (Kamal Haasan), a 70-year-old man who kills top government officials in an extreme attempt to weed out corruption from Indian soil. Senapathy is also Chandru's father. Senapathy had given his leather belt for repair to a street vendor after his latest killing of a Government official. He finds that the vendor was killed in police firing during a riot and he needs his belt back, so he starts to track down his wife. Senapathy finds that the Commissioner of Corporation who was threatening a poor old woman Gulabo (Aruna Irani) to bribe him an additional Rs 1000 to hand over compensation amount of Rs 10,000 given by the government. Gulabo's case had reached the commissioner after bribing almost Rs 1000 to the lower ranked officers. Gulabo had sold everything and had nothing left to give. Senapathy tracks Gulabo and finds his belt. He understands Gulabo's grief and proceeds to kill the Corporation Commissioner.

Krishnaswamy (Nedumudi Venu) is an intelligence officer out to nab the Indian. Krishnaswamy finds that the killer has killed multiple Government officials so far and has never left any traces. The killer uses an old-style knife, and traces of old leather, possibly from the cover of the knife. Krishnaswamy analyzes the handwriting on a note found at a murder site and determines that the killer is a man older than 70 years of age. He also finds that the killer is using an ancient form of martial arts. He contacts a martial arts school where the master tells them the art was only taught in the old days and a few revolutionaries had also learned the art. Krishnaswamy looks at the list of all revolutionaries from 1940-1947 who are still alive. Of those, Senapathy is the only one who is alive, and his address matches the locations of the murders.

Krishnaswamy manages to somehow trace his way to Senapathy's house and finds Senapathy posing as an ex-freedom fighter. Archived newspaper reports say that Senapathy was a soldier in the Indian National Army who was an extremist.

Senapathy's wife Amirthavalli (Sukanya) is asked what Senapathy did to deserve a freedom fighter tag, and at this point, we are taken to the 1940s. Rebellions against the British, atrocities etc. are shown, culminating in Senapathy marrying Amirthavalli but leaving for Singapore to join Subhash Chandra Bose as part of the INA. He returns after independence.

Back in the present, Krishnaswamy tries to arrest Senapathy, but his attempt is foiled, and Senapathy escapes with his expertise in the ancient martial art called Varmam.

Senapathy then goes on to commit a murder in front of television audiences by killing a corrupt doctor (Nizhalgal Ravi). In the past the doctor had refused to attend immediately to Senapathy's daughter Kasturi Senapathy (Kasthuri), who was suffering from third degree burns (from an exploding kitchen gas cylinder) because he insisted on a Rs 500 bribe, which Senapathy refused. Kasturi dies a painful death, while Senapathy runs from pillar to post to get the necessary documents to get the doctor to do his job. Chandru parts ways with his father because of his excessive insistence on honesty etc. and considers these values to be dead and worthless. Senapathy decides to revert to violence to kill all the officials who were responsible for his daughter's death that night. On live TV Senapathy appeals to the public to pick up arms to end the scourge of corruption in the country.

Senapathy evades the police and escapes arrest. Public support is very high for the Indian because he exposes so many corrupt people. Senapathy does not do his son any favors either. Chandru had earlier taken a bribe and given a safety certificate to a bus with faulty brakes. The bus meets with an accident, killing 40 school children it was carrying and thus Chandru is held responsible. Senapathy is bent on giving Chandru the same punishment as he gives others, i.e. Death.

Krishnaswamy finds out that Senapathy has cornered Chandru at the morgue. Krishnaswamy confronts Senapathy and arrests him. Senpathy escapes from police lockup but turns out it was Krishnaswamy who had helped him escape. Krishnaswamy says that all politicians wanted Senapathy dead, and it is Krishnaswamy's duty to present Senapathy in court. Senapathy escapes from Krishnaswamy and goes after Chandru. After a few chase sequences, in the climax sequence at the airport Senapathy kills Chandru and apparently dies in an explosion. Krishnaswamy discovers through a video that Senapathy escaped moments before the jeep he killed his son in, exploded.

The epilogue shows Senapathy calling Krishnaswamy from a foreign land (Hong Kong), indicating that he will be back should the need for him arise.