Sakthivelu alias Velu. Nayakan is the son of an anti-government union leader (Kitty). The child, Velu, is tricked by the police into locating his father, and then witnesses his father's death in a police shootout; he later kills the person who was th
... e cause of his father's death and escapes to Bombay. Stranded and homeless in the big city, he meets two boys who take him to their home in the suburban slum area of Dharavi. Over there, a Muslim fisherman raises Velu; the former is also a small-time smuggler known for his generosity among the slum dwellers. Upon locking horns with a senior crime lord, a corrupt local police officer named Kelkar arrests the fisherman on smuggling charges and subsequently murders him. In revenge, Velu, now a young man (Kamal Haasan) kills the inspector, but as an act of remorse, he decides to adopt Kelkar's mentally challenged son Ajith, and raise him as his own. With this act, Velu soon becomes a godfather of that area, engaged in smuggling and at the same time, supporting those who are in need of help. When he visits a brothel, he meets Neela (Saranya Ponvannan), a destitute school-girl-turned-prostitute, and is impressed by her dedication to continue studying despite being a prostitute; he later marries her.more
