Directed by Atlee · Music by A.R. Rahman · October 2017 (Diwali)
Triple role blockbuster. AR Rahman music. Powerful message on healthcare and GST.
This was Vijay's film 61 of 69 as a lead actor — counted from his debut Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) — released in 2017 during the 2010s.
Soundtrack composed by A.R. Rahman
Vijay played three roles across two timelines — a magician, a doctor and a village leader — in Atlee's biggest spectacle yet.
The film's dialogues on GST and healthcare sparked a national political controversy, cementing Vijay's image as a star unafraid of speaking truth to power.
Won Best International Actor at the IARA Awards (site records); A. R. Rahman's 'Aalaporan Thamizhan' became a Tamil pride anthem.
Mersal (2017) stands among the commercial high points of Vijay's 69-film journey as a lead actor — a film that resonated deeply with audiences and reinforced his stature as one of Tamil cinema's most bankable stars of the 2010s. Every blockbuster in this filmography was another step on the road that ultimately led from cinema halls to the Chief Minister's chair.