Vetri is a 1984 Tamil action crime film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar. It stars Vijayakanth, Viji, Vennira Aadai Moorthy and P. S. Veerappa, with a young Vijay as a child artist. Music by Shankar–Ganesh. It was released on 17 February 1984.
Vijay is a college student who cannot resist a dare, and he wins a bet against his prankster friend Arun by keeping a girl, Shanti, confined in a guest house for three days; the stunt gets Arun expelled by Professor Ramanajam. When a young woman named Lalitha takes her own life after being assaulted by the professor, her brother Appusami begs Vijay to kill him. Vijay cannot go through with it and stages the professor's 'death' instead, but Arun, secretly bent on his own revenge, arrives and actually commits the murder. Vijay ends up on trial for a killing he did not commit, and the case becomes entangled with Arun's powerful father Dharmaraj and an incident from Vijay's childhood.
Vijay, aged about ten, appears as the child version of Vijayakanth's character (young Vijay). It was his first on-screen appearance, in a film directed by his father S. A. Chandrasekhar.
Figures are trade estimates reported at the time and may vary.
Vijay's first-ever screen appearance, as a child artist playing the younger version of the hero.
Directed by Vijay's father S. A. Chandrasekhar, who later launched Vijay as a lead hero in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992).
A remake of the director's own Kannada film Geluvu Nannade (1983).
An earlier plan to make the film as 'Vetri Namadhe' with Vijayakanth and Mohan was shelved after Mohan left the project.
The film was launched at Prasad Studios with a song recording in 1983.
Producer P. S. Veerappa also acted in the film, playing Dharmaraj.
Music was composed by the duo Shankar–Ganesh.
Interestingly, Vijayakanth's character in the film is named Vijay, the same name as the child actor who plays his younger self.
Contemporary coverage is thin; Kalki's reviewer Jayamanmadhan singled out the performances of Y. G. Mahendran and Vennira Aadai Moorthy for praise.
Remembered chiefly as the debut screen appearance of Vijay, and as an early part of the S. A. Chandrasekhar–Vijayakanth collaboration; Vijayakanth later co-starred with adult Vijay in Sendhoorapandi (1993).