Thavasi is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by K. R. Udhayashankar starring Vijayakanth in dual lead roles as father and son, with Soundarya, Vadivelu, Jayasudha, Prathyusha, Nassar and Sriman playing other pivotal roles. The film released on 14 November 2001 and received mixed reviews from the critics but was a hit at the box office. The film was remade in Kannada as Mallikarjuna.

Plot

Thavasi is an influential do-gooder landlord in a small village, who commands respect from the village. Thavasi and his wife arrange for their son Boopathi's marriage with Priyadarshini. Sankarapandi, who raped and killed Thavasi's sister after marrying her, wants to marry his daughter (whom he had with his second wife) to Boopathi. Thavasi, since he doesn't want his son to marry his daughter, insults Sankarapandi. Sankarapandi instead to save his prestige, engages her daughter with Maragathammal's son Thangarasu, who is present there. Boopathi's engagement is done with Priyadarshini, with both of them liking each other after many chance encounters. Thangarasu is accused of stealing temple owned jewels, and Thavasi judges him to be guilty. The next day Thangarasu commits suicide. It is implied that Thangarasu is innocent and took his own life since he couldn't live with the blame. Later a mute person is arrested as the person who stole the jewel. Hearing this Thangarasu's mother Maragathammal questions Thavasi's judgement, which was said to be never wrong. Thavasi decides to give away his own son Boopathi to Maragathammal, for his injustice to her son. Maragathammal despises Boopathi and treats him like badly, though he tolerates it. Sankarapandi wants his daughter to marry Boopathi, who is now the son of Maragathammal, as engaged. Boopathi, unknown to Maragathammal, saves Thanagarasu's imbecile sister from Maragathammal's brother Kottai Perumal's sexual assaulting and also reforms Karmegam, who is the brother in law of Thangarasu, who constantly tortures his wife for due dowry. In a chance encounter before his marriage with Sankarapandi's daughter, he meets the mute thief and realises that he acted as a mute. He captures him and makes him confess that Sankarapandi was responsible for theft of Temple's jewel and Thangarasu's murder, who made it look like suicide. In the end, Boopathi marries Priya and Priya gets pregnant with twins.