Thirupaachi is a 2005 Tamil action drama film directed by Perarasu. It stars Vijay with Trisha, Pasupathy, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Aryan. Music by Dhina (songs also by Devi Sri Prasad and Mani Sharma). It was released on 14 January 2005 (Pongal).
Giri is a bladesmith in a village near Thirupaachi who dotes on his sister Karpagam and is determined to find her a good husband. When a man from the city marries her, Giri accompanies the couple to Chennai. There he discovers that the city is terrorised by three gangsters, including Pattasu Balu and Pan Parag Ravi, who harass ordinary people like his brother-in-law. When the violence strikes close to home, Giri secretly stays on in Chennai and takes it upon himself to wipe out the gangs.
Vijay plays a village blacksmith whose love for his sister drives him to clean up Chennai's underworld. The brother-sister sentiment combined with mass action consolidated his image as a rural action hero after Ghilli.
Figures are trade estimates reported at the time and may vary.
Directorial debut of Perarasu, who also wrote the story, screenplay, dialogue and all the lyrics.
Initially titled Girivalam.
Released with over 207 prints, the highest for a Vijay film up to that time.
Village portions were shot in Karaikudi rather than Thirupachi to avoid crowd and traffic problems.
An Aiyanar temple set with a 90-foot statue and 200 mud horses cost about ₹3 million; a song was shot there with around 1,500 junior artistes over a week.
The climax was shot at Vasan House, Chennai, over two weeks; other locations included Visakhapatnam and South Africa.
Music was mainly by Dhina, with one song each from Devi Sri Prasad and Mani Sharma, both reusing their Telugu tunes.
Opened against Ayya, Iyer IPS, Aayudham and Devathaiyai Kanden during Pongal 2005.
Godrej Sara Lee sued Super Good Films over a defamatory reference to its HIT mosquito spray and won an injunction and ₹500,000 in damages.
Vijay won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor (Special Prize).
Perarasu and Vijay reunited later the same year for Sivakasi.
Remade in Kannada and Telugu in 2006.
Response was mixed. Chennai Online called it "fast-paced and engaging" and Kalki dubbed Vijay a "masala king", while Sify saw it as old wine in a new bottle and the Deccan Herald found it disappointing; Ananda Vikatan rated it 40/100.
Its success led to an immediate Vijay–Perarasu reunion in Sivakasi (2005), and the story was remade in Kannada and Telugu.