Nerrukku Ner is a 1997 Tamil romantic action film directed by Vasanth. It stars Vijay with Suriya, Simran, Kausalya and Karan. Music by Deva. It was released on 6 September 1997.
Raghu, a passport officer in Chennai, confesses to his wife Shanthi that he was unfaithful to her, and she walks out to her mother's home. Raghu's younger brother Vijay and Shanthi's brother Suriya end up as bitter rivals over the break-up, even as each of them falls in love. Meanwhile Raghu refuses to help the fraudster Muthukumaraswamy get a fake passport and calls in the police, making a vengeful enemy. When Raghu and Shanthi's young daughter Sona is hurt in an accident while in Suriya's care, the feud between the two young men gets worse.
Vijay plays the hot-headed younger brother of Raghu, locked in a feud with his sister-in-law's brother. It was an early two-hero film for him under Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, and it launched his long-running pairing with Suriya.
Figures are trade estimates reported at the time and may vary.
Suriya, son of actor Sivakumar, made his acting debut in the film.
Ajith Kumar was originally cast opposite Vijay but quit 18 days into the shoot because the full story had not been told to him; Prabhu Deva was briefly reported as a replacement.
Produced by Mani Ratnam under Madras Talkies; written and directed by Vasanth.
It was briefly reported under the working title Manasukkul Varalaama?, with Swathi in the cast.
Suriya said he took the role partly to repay a ₹25,000 loan his mother had taken.
Cinematographer K. V. Anand recalled giving Suriya two-inch heels and shoulder pads so he would hold his own on screen next to Vijay.
It was Simran's first Tamil project; her voice was dubbed by Sreeja Ravi.
Vasanth signed Kausalya after seeing her photo in a jewellery shop, not knowing she had already made her debut.
Filmed mainly in Trivandrum and Kochi, with parts in Chennai and Kolkata; 'Aval Varuvala' was shot at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai.
Several of Deva's songs borrow from other music, including Bob Marley's 'Buffalo Soldier' and 'Get Up, Stand Up' and Ofra Haza's 'Im Nin'alu'.
Kalki's reviewer dismissed it as a 'garam masala' mix of a villain, a bike chase, fights, songs and cheesy comedy, though he still called Vasanth a good director. Despite that, the film became a commercial success.
It launched Suriya's career and the first of two Vijay–Suriya pairings (the second being Friends, 2001); the song 'Aval Varuvala' was reused in the 2026 film With Love.