Thiruvannamalai released on 19 December 2008. The film was a decent hit at the box-office. It was later dubbed in Hindi as Main Hoon Vinashak and in Telugu as Jai Sambasiva.
Plot
Easwaran is an upright, honest youth who runs a local cable channel in Kumbakonam. He is known to fight for causes of the society and the common man. He enters into fisticuffs with local MLA Poongundran after he exposes his corrupt and greedy ways through his cable TV channel. Fearing trouble, his mother Alamelu takes him to a saint in Thiruvannamalai. Guruji resembles Easwaran. A sequence of events forces them to swap places. The soft-spoken Swami tries to sort all issues through non-violent means (Gandhian philosophy). Halfway through, Duraisingam dies in the hands of Poongundran and Poovarasu. In the climax, Guruji kills Poongundran.
Immediately after the release of Pazhani in January 2008, Perarasu announced that he would make another action film starring Bharath titled Thiruthani.[2] However the actor's commitment to Durai's Nepali and Venkatesh's Killadi meant that he was unable to start the project at the time, so Perarasu announced his next project Thiruvannamalai with Arjun Sarja.[3][4][5][6]
Sanya Vakil was selected to play the lead heroine but she opted out.[7] instead Pooja Gandhi was selected.[8]
Reception
Indiaglitz wrote: "Though the screenplay and script are quick-paced, several sequences sans logic fails to attract attention".[9] Behindwoods wrote: "Thiruvannamalai is a full length Arjun action show in true Perarasu style".[10] Kollywoodtoday wrote: "On the whole, it’s a ridiculous film to watch for miniscule [sic] audiences who are fond of watching avant-garde filmmakers".[11] Sify wrote: "The plodding plot by Perarasu is a rehash of so many films and is as stale as day before yesterday’s Sambar! It follows the hoary formula of all mass masalas, and there is not even one scene or dialogue which is original".[12] Cinefundas wrote: "On the whole, Perarasu makes you feel that he has done something different on the interval where a great challenge is established between two characters. But with everyone anticipating that the screenplay would be sans stunts, it’s completely letting down us with a regretful work".[13]
