# Darbar (தர்பார்) (film)
**Darbar** (தர்பார்) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language action thriller directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Subaskaran under Lyca Productions, starring [Rajinikanth](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajinikanth) as Aaditya Arunachalam, the commissioner of Mumbai Police who hunts a drug syndicate while pursuing a secret personal agenda.[1](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/) • [2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9635540/credits/) It was Rajinikanth's first film with Murugadoss and his first police role in roughly 25 years, since the 1992 Tamil film *Pandian*.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020) • [4](https://www.telugubulletin.com/darbar-censor-report-vintage-rajini-is-back-49841)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 9 January 2020 (India, wide theatrical); about 7,000 screens worldwide, with 4 a.m. special shows permitted in Tamil Nadu[5](https://www.dailythanthi.com/cinema/cinemanews/darbar-movie-review-and-release) |
| Lead role | Rajinikanth as Aaditya Arunachalam, Mumbai Police commissioner; his first police role since *Pandian* (1992)[1](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/) • [4](https://www.telugubulletin.com/darbar-censor-report-vintage-rajini-is-back-49841) |
| Main cast | Nayanthara (Lilly), Suniel Shetty (Hari Chopra), Nivetha Thomas (Valli), Prateik Babbar (Ajay), Yogi Babu (Kaushik)[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9635540/credits/) • [6](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/darbar/ET00100458) |
| Key crew | Music Anirudh Ravichander; cinematography Santosh Sivan; editing A. Sreekar Prasad[1](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/) |
| Certification | U/A from the CBFC, certified 30 December 2019 with 11 modifications, mostly violence and vulgarity cuts[7](https://cbfc.watch/film/darbar-2019) |
| Box office | ₹2.478 billion (₹247.80 crore) worldwide gross on a ₹2 billion (₹200 crore) budget; verdict "below average" per Sacnilk[8](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Darbar_2020) |
| Critical scores | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 50% (8 reviews); The Times of India 3/5[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020) • [9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
Aaditya Arunachalam, a top cop deputed to Mumbai to end the drug menace, does not work by the rule book: he kills gangsters in encounters across the city, driven by a hidden personal motive.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms) • [10](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/darbar-movie-113060) After eliminating Ajay Malhotra ([Prateik Babbar](https://www.edgepedia.org/prateik-babbar)), son of the businessman drug supplier Vijay Malhotra (Nawab Shah), he draws the return of Hari Chopra ([Suniel Shetty](https://www.edgepedia.org/suniel-shetty)), a gangster who had humiliated the Mumbai police 27 years earlier and now targets Arunasalam and his daughter Valli ([Nivetha Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/nivetha-thomas)).[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms) Lyca's own synopsis adds that the commissioner's pursuit of a drug peddler uncovers a deeper controversy linked to an international drug lord.[1](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/)
The father-daughter relationship between Rajinikanth and Nivetha Thomas was repeatedly singled out by critics as the film's strongest element, while Nayanthara's Lilly is a limited role and [Yogi Babu](https://www.edgepedia.org/yogi-babu) appears as the comic sidekick.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms) • [11](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/darbar-review-rajinikanth-thoroughly-entertaining-stale-cop-film-115768)
## Production and certification
Murugadoss wrote the screenplay and directed; the crew included composer [Anirudh Ravichander](https://www.edgepedia.org/anirudh-ravichander), cinematographer [Santosh Sivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/santosh-sivan), and editor [A. Sreekar Prasad](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-sreekar-prasad).[1](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/) The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film as U/A on 30 December 2019, certificate 1A032512201900091, issued by the regional officer in Chennai; the recorded modifications included trimming fight and stabbing sequences, blurring blood-splash visuals, and replacing a kissing scene and a profane word.[7](https://cbfc.watch/film/darbar-2019) India Today reported it was Rajinikanth's fourth film to receive a U/A certificate after *Kaala*, *2.0*, and *Petta*.[12](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/rajinikanth-s-darbar-gets-u-a-certificate-makers-asked-to-trim-kissing-scene-1633866-2020-01-04)
## Release
The film opened on 9 January 2020 in India and overseas markets including the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand, with Australia and the United Kingdom following on 10 January.[13](https://www.moviebuff.com/darbar-2020-tamil) • [14](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Darbar-%28India%29) After the [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu) government permitted special shows, screenings began at 4 a.m., and Daily Thanthi reported fans gathering outside theaters and a worldwide release across roughly 7,000 theaters.[5](https://www.dailythanthi.com/cinema/cinemanews/darbar-movie-review-and-release) It began streaming on 25 February 2020 and is available on Prime Video and Apple TV.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020)
## Box office
Sacnilk's compiled figures put the worldwide gross at ₹2.478 billion (₹247.80 crore), made up of ₹1.738 billion (₹173.80 crore) India gross (₹1.496 billion (₹149.60 crore) net) and ₹740 million (₹74.00 crore) overseas, against a reported budget of ₹2 billion (₹200.00 crore); the site assigned the film a "below average" verdict.[8](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Darbar_2020) Reported international totals differ between trackers: The Numbers lists $711,256 from Australia ($341,720), the United Kingdom ($328,762), and New Zealand ($40,774), while [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists $1,738,535.[14](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Darbar-%28India%29) • [2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9635540/credits/)
## Reception
The film received mixed reviews. The Times of India gave it 3/5, calling it "an engaging commercial cocktail of action and drama" while noting uneven writing.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms) Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 50% Tomatometer from 8 critics and a 48% audience score.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020) Reviewers converged on a similar judgment: Rajinikanth's screen presence carried a familiar cop story. The News Minute wrote that his "trademark swag keeps the scenes alive in a predictable film";[11](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/darbar-review-rajinikanth-thoroughly-entertaining-stale-cop-film-115768) Cinema Express rated it 3/5 and called it "one more generic Rajini film that tries to cash in on nostalgia, but gets salvaged by the actor's performance";[15](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2020/jan/09/darbar-movie-review-an-enthusiastic-rajinikanth-propels-this-passable-bad-cop-film-16446.html) and NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee called it "out-and-out pulp meant strictly for Rajinikanth fans".[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020) Anirudh's background score, much of it a variant of the *Annamalai* theme, drew both praise for amplifying the mass moments and criticism for overuse.[16](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/darbar/darbar-review.html)
## References
1. [Darbar, Lyca Productions](https://lycaproductions.in/movies/darbar/)
2. [Darbar (2020), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9635540/credits/)
3. [Darbar (2020), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/darbar_2020)
4. [Darbar censor report: vintage Rajini is back, TeluguBulletin](https://www.telugubulletin.com/darbar-censor-report-vintage-rajini-is-back-49841)
5. [தர்பார் திரைப்படம் வெளியானது, Daily Thanthi](https://www.dailythanthi.com/cinema/cinemanews/darbar-movie-review-and-release)
6. [Darbar, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/darbar/ET00100458)
7. [DARBAR, CBFC Watch](https://cbfc.watch/film/darbar-2019)
8. [Darbar (2020) Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Darbar_2020)
9. [Darbar Movie Review {3/5}, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/darbar/movie-review/73165150.cms)
10. [Darbar Movie (2020), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/darbar-movie-113060)
11. ['Darbar' review, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/darbar-review-rajinikanth-thoroughly-entertaining-stale-cop-film-115768)
12. [Rajinikanth's Darbar gets U/A certificate, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/rajinikanth-s-darbar-gets-u-a-certificate-makers-asked-to-trim-kissing-scene-1633866-2020-01-04)
13. [Darbar (2020), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/darbar-2020-tamil)
14. [Darbar (2020), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Darbar-%28India%29)
15. [Darbar Movie Review, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2020/jan/09/darbar-movie-review-an-enthusiastic-rajinikanth-propels-this-passable-bad-cop-film-16446.html)
16. [Darbar (aka) Dharbar review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/darbar/darbar-review.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2020s › Tamil films of 2020 and 2021*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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