Mersal's Artical

Mersal, which means "zapped" in translation, is an Indian Tamil-language action thriller movie released in 2017. Atlee, who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad and S. Ramana Girivasan, directed the movie. Produced by Thenandal Studio Limited, it was their 100th production, starring Vijay and S. J. Suryah, alongside Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Hareesh Peradi in supporting roles.
The story of Mersal revolves around two brothers, where one is a magician seeking revenge for his parents' deaths and medical crimes, and the other is a renowned doctor who only charges minimal amounts from his patients. Principal photography commenced on February 1, 2017, in Chennai, and was completed in September of the same year within 130 working days. The film was shot in Gdańsk, Poland, and Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.



A. R. Rahman composed the background score and soundtrack album of the film, while G. K. Vishnu did the cinematography and Ruben edited it. Mersal was released worldwide on October 18, 2017, during Diwali. The film received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the performances of Vijay and S. J. Suryah, A. R. Rahman's soundtrack, cinematography, social message, and Atlee's direction. However, they criticized the cliched plot and excessive length.
Mersal earned various accolades and was a commercial success, grossing ₹260 crore (US$33 million) worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing Tamil films. The film completed its 100-day theatrical run on January 25, 2018. It was released in China by HGC Entertainment on December 6, 2018, due to high demand, and was also screened at the largest cinema theatre in Europe, Grand Rex, France. Additionally, the film was featured at the Hainan International Film Festival in Hainan, China, and at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.


Plot

At dawn, an ambulance driver, medical broker, hospital worker, and a surgeon are abducted, and the culprit is traced back to Dr. Maaran, a Chennai doctor known for offering affordable medical care. Inspector Ratnavel "Randy" interrogates Maaran and learns that the four individuals were responsible for the death of an auto driver's daughter and his wife's subsequent suicide due to their greed and negligence. Maaran reveals the hostages' location but insists that they can only be saved if they receive proper medical attention promptly, as the auto driver's daughter did not. Maaran, however, is not who he claims to be but is, in fact, his doppelgänger Vetri, a magician who also killed corrupt doctor Arjun Zachariah during a stage performance in Paris two years ago.



Daniel Arokiaraj, another corrupt doctor and the head of the state's medical council, views Maaran's affordable healthcare as a threat to his profitable hospital business and decides to have him killed. Vetri saves Maaran's life by swapping places with him, providing clues to the police that led to his arrest. Maaran is rescued, while Vetri manages to escape from Randy. Later, Maaran confronts Vetri, believing him to be the cause of his troubles, but Vetri's assistant Vadivu intervenes and explains why Vetri is targeting corrupt doctors.



In the past, Maaran and Vetri were the sons of Aishwarya "Aishu" and Vetrimaaran, an altruistic village wrestler and chieftain. Vetrimaaran establishes a hospital in his village after a fire breaks out during a festive event, killing two children due to lack of mobility. Daniel and Arjun become the hospital's chief doctors, but it soon becomes clear that they are money-minded misanthropists who perform a Caesarean section on Aishu, leading to her death and the stillbirth of Vetri. When Vetrimaaran confronts Daniel, he is attacked and ultimately killed by Kasi, Daniel's assistant. After Vetrimaaran's death, Daniel and Arjun embezzle money from medical services and create a massive genocide.



Maaran is saved by Vetrimaaran, who places him safely on a truck but loses his memory. Vetri and Vadivu are adopted by a magician, Salim Ghosh, and Vetri learns all of the magic tricks in order to seek revenge. In the present, Maaran and Vetri reconcile and decide to take down Daniel, switching places to achieve their goal. When Daniel's nephew Sesha tries to make a deal with Vetri (who is actually Maaran), Vetri injures him, and Daniel rushes to Vetri's hideout. Vetri defeats Daniel's henchmen and injures Daniel but is struck by Kasi, who crashes a bus into him.



Maaran also gets involved in an accident orchestrated by Daniel, and he wakes Vetri up in the truck. As Vetri is injured, Maaran kills Kasi and Daniel. Vetri is arrested for his role in the murders but gives a press conference exposing corrupt medical practices and embezzlement of funds in the field. He vows to continue his mission until the system is reformed. In prison, Vetri watches a news report about another young girl who died due to negligent medical treatment and escapes to continue his mission. Maaran is then awarded a state-recognized medical counselor position.



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Cast

Here is a reformatted version of the same information:

• Vijay plays three different roles:

  • Vetrimaaran, a village wrestler known as "Thalapathy" who is killed by Daniel. He is Aishwarya's husband, Maaran and Vetri's biological father. He is paired with Nithya Menen.
  • Vetri, Aishwarya and Vetrimaaran's younger son, a magician who is arrested for the murders of those involved in healthcare corruption. He is Maaran's younger brother and is paired with Kajal Aggarwal.
  • Dr. V. Maaran, Aishwarya and Vetrimaaran's elder son, a doctor who charges just 5 rupees for his services and is appointed as a statewide medical counselor. He is paired with Samantha Ruth Prabhu.






• Akshath Das plays Young Maaran. • S. J. Suryah plays Daniel Arokiyaraj, a former doctor turned dictator who kills Vetrimaaran and Aishwarya to gain power. • Sathyaraj plays DCP Rathnavel "Randy", the investigating officer for Vetri's murders. • Vadivelu plays Vadivu, Vetri's assistant, Maaran's compounder, and their paternal uncle. He is also Vetrimaaran's younger brother. • Nithya Menen plays Aishwarya "Icy" Vetrimaaran, Vetrimaaran's wife and Maaran and Vetri's biological mother. • Kajal Aggarwal plays Anu Pallavi, Vetri's love interest and a doctor who works as an assistant of Arjun Zachariah. • Samantha Ruth Prabhu plays Tara, Maaran's fiancée and a media reporter. • Kovai Sarala plays Sarala, Maaran's adoptive mother. • Sathyan plays Maniya, Randy's assistant. • Hareesh Peradi plays Arjun Zachariah, Daniel's friend and another corrupt doctor who is killed by Vetri during a magic trick performance. • Sangili Murugan plays Salim Ghosh. • Kaali Venkat plays Poongodi's father, an auto driver. • M. Kamaraj plays Kasi, Daniel's henchman. • Bharath Raj plays Sesha, Daniel Arokiyaraj's nephew. • Yogi Babu plays Nolan, Tara's friend who works in a media channel. • Rajendran plays Tamilnadu Health Minister. • Devadarshini plays a nurse. • Surekha Vani plays a nurse. • Priya plays Tara's mother. • Misha Ghoshal plays Tara's friend. • Shivani Murali plays Paapu, Anu Pallavi's friend. • Senthi Kumari plays Selvi. • Seeni Amma plays Chitti Kuruvi, Vetrimaaran's mother. • Abdool plays Vetrimaaran's friend. • Thavasi plays a priest. • Sai Dheena plays a prisoner. • Pasanga Sivakumar plays Kumar, the hospital HR. • Pandian plays a police officer. • Madras Central Gopi plays a show host. • Madras Central Sudhakar plays a show contestant. • Poo Ramu plays a victim's father.