Moondru Mugam

<p>Arun, the son of wealthy businessman Ramanathan, returns to India after spending 10 years in the United States – but as a saint. Shocked by his transformation, Ramanathan enlists Rekha, a press reporter, to help to change him back to his former self. Rekha first arranges an interview, which Arun deliberately disrupts. Undeterred, she devises another plan under the pretence of taking him to a temple. On the way, Rekha fakes a car breakdown. As Arun wanders around, he encounters a crying child and offers a chocolate. Suddenly, he is swarmed by other children and villagers, who accuse him of being a child-kidnapper. Taking advantage of the situation, Rekha cuts off Arun’s beard – a symbol of his piety. After orchestrating a few more incidents, Arun renounces his sainthood. Returning to work, Arun grows curious about why his father has been sending money to a woman named Sagaya Mary for over 20 years. Meanwhile, Sagaya Mary learns that someone has proposed to her nephew, John. When questioned about John’s parentage, she recounts the story of her brother, Alex Pandian – John’s father. A flashback reveals Alex’s past. As a fearless and just police officer, Alex frequently clashes with local mob boss Egambaram. Their conflict escalates, and Egambaram ultimately stabs Alex fatally. With his dying breath, Alex vows to return and avenge his death. His wife dies soon after giving birth to twins. At the same hospital, Ramanathan’s wife loses her child – as she had during her previous pregnancies. Sagaya Mary entrusts one of Alex’s sons to Ramanathan, who raises him as Arun, while she raises the other twin, John. On Arun’s 25th birthday, he experiences a divine epiphany, realising he is the reincarnation of Alex. Arun agrees to meet a woman named Asha at a hotel, but it turns out to be a trap. In the ensuing struggle, he kills his attacker and is arrested. During the court hearing, a man claiming to be Alex Pandian appears, revealing that he had been in Sri Lanka all along. This “Alex” is, in fact, John – unknowingly working with Egambaram, the man who murdered their father. Later, Arun confesses to the police that he fabricated the story of reincarnation to lure the killers out. John eventually learns the truth about Alex Pandian and his brother Arun. Determined to save him, John confronts Egambaram but is mortally wounded. In his final act, John kills Egambaram and disposes of his body in the sea – the same way their father was murdered. The film concludes with Arun and Rekha, now married, paying respects at John’s grave. was directed by and produced by V. Thamizhazhagan and of Sathya Movies. It is the first film where played three distinct roles. For the role of Alex Pandian, he wore a wig and sported dentures. The soundtrack was composed by with lyrics written by , and . was released on 1 October 1982. wrote that portraying the titular three characters differently was an achievement not only for Rajinikanth, but the director too. Rajinikanth won the for Best Actor. The character “Alex Pandian” became one of the memorable characters in the career of Rajinikanth. The popularity of the character’s name inspired the Tamil dubbed version of the Telugu film (1994) to take on its name, as well as a . ‘s character Telex Pandian from (1994) was named after Alex. The title inspired two unrelated series: one on Polimer TV and another on Zee Tamil. The name Alex Pandian inspired the name of Rajinikanth’s character in the film, as it mixes the last name “Pandian” and the first name is reference to the film .</p>