# Thamizhan (தமிழன்)
**Thamizhan** (தமிழன்) is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by debutant Abdul Majith and produced by G. Venkateswaran, starring Vijay as a crusading lawyer and [Priyanka Chopra](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyanka-chopra) in her film debut[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA). It was released on 12 April 2002[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan) and remains notable as the only Tamil film Chopra ever made at the start of an international career[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhu-chopra-on-priyanka-chopras-tamil-debut-vijay-was-really-patient-with-her-9861535/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 12 April 2002, in Tamil[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan) |
| Director / producer | Debutant Abdul Majith; produced by G. Venkateswaran[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA) |
| Lead cast | Vijay as Surya; Priyanka Chopra as Priya, her film debut[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan) |
| Supporting cast | Revathi, Nassar, Ashish Vidyarthi, Vivek, and Delhi Ganesh in pivotal roles[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA) |
| Music | Score and soundtrack by D. Imman, his film debut[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA) |
| Box office | Commercial success; satellite rights bought by Sun TV[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAjQLjt1Iw) |
| IMDb rating | 6.1/10 from about 2,400 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330977/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film follows Surya (Vijay), an unemployed law graduate with strong values who takes up social issues at the urging of his sister (Revathi)[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm). He falls in love with Priya (Priyanka Chopra)[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan). His brother-in-law Shakthivel, also an upright lawyer, is killed in the process of upholding justice, and Surya's sister too dies at the hands of criminals[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan). Refusing to give up, Surya fights a criminal boss through the courts, and his mission is to make the ordinary layman understand his legal rights, culminating in the basics of Indian law being made available as a free book to common people[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAjQLjt1Iw). The Rediff review at the time summarized the premise as a one-line story, "everyone should know law", dramatized through everyday Chennai grievances such as bus conductors withholding change and water scandals[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm).
## Production and cast
Vijay, already an established star, played the lead, with Nassar as Shakthivel, Revathi as Surya's sister, [Ashish Vidyarthi](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashish-vidyarthi) as the villain GK, and the comedian Vivek in a supporting role[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan) • [6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm). [Delhi Ganesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/delhi-ganesh) played Surya's senior advocate[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm). The film's technical team included cinematographer N. K. Ekambaram, whose work the Rediff reviewer called unobtrusive[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm).
The score and soundtrack were composed by [D. Imman](https://www.edgepedia.org/d-imman), for whom this was a debut film assignment[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA). The Rediff review found the music and dance sequences, normally a strength of Vijay films, missing here, while judging that the young composer still had a long way to go[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm).
## Priyanka Chopra's debut
Thamizhan was the first film of Priyanka Chopra's acting career. She had won the [Miss World 2000](https://www.edgepedia.org/miss-world-2000) title and was not initially looking at a career in cinema, but took the role opposite Vijay[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhu-chopra-on-priyanka-chopras-tamil-debut-vijay-was-really-patient-with-her-9861535/). She did not know Tamil and said she had to learn her lines phonetically[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/priyanka-chopra-says-debut-film-with-vijay-at-18-skewed-her-perception-of-fame-101773315977320.html). She also sang the duet "Ullathai Killathe" with Vijay; according to a Times of India report, it was Vijay who recommended her for the song after hearing her humming a tune[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/did-you-know/priyanka-chopra-made-her-acting-debut-in-thamizhan/articleshow/53261438.cms).
Her mother, Madhu Chopra, recalled in a 2025 interview that both she and her daughter were intimidated at first about a young newcomer acting opposite so big a star, but that Vijay was kind and patient and became her first mentor, never letting her lose confidence[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhu-chopra-on-priyanka-chopras-tamil-debut-vijay-was-really-patient-with-her-9861535/) • [9](https://www.ottplay.com/news/priyanka-chopras-mother-recounts-shooting-with-thalapathy-vijay-for-thamizhan-we-were-intimidated-at-first/990f57cbf3717). Chopra herself has said that seeing hundreds of fans gather on set to watch Vijay dance gave her a skewed early idea of fame as the job itself, and that she later understood fame is a byproduct of the work[7](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/priyanka-chopra-says-debut-film-with-vijay-at-18-skewed-her-perception-of-fame-101773315977320.html). In her memoir *Unfinished* she wrote that she learnt humility from Vijay on this film[10](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/priyanka-chopra-in-unfinished-reveals-she-learnt-humility-from-thalapathy-vijay-1767682-2021-02-10).
Thamizhan remained the only Tamil film of Chopra's career; she moved on to [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) with *The Hero: Love Story of a Spy* and *Andaaz*, both released in 2003, and later to English-language films[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhu-chopra-on-priyanka-chopras-tamil-debut-vijay-was-really-patient-with-her-9861535/) • [11](https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/priyanka-chopra-celebrates-20-years-miss-world-win-debut-tamil-film-thamizhan-136921).
## Reception
Critics gave the film a mixed reception, yet it proved profitable commercially, with Sun TV purchasing its satellite rights[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAjQLjt1Iw). The Rediff reviewer praised Vijay's lively screen presence and Ashish Vidyarthi's villain, but wrote that Chopra "shows no promise" and faulted the music[6](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm). Retrospective viewer ratings sit in the middle range: IMDb records 6.1/10 from about 2,400 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330977/), and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) lists 6.0 from about 2,100[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan). Later commentators commonly single out Vijay's comic timing and the courtroom speeches, while criticizing the pacing, the preachy tone, and the underused romantic track[12](https://letterboxd.com/film/thamizhan/reviews/).
The film is available for streaming in India on Sun Nxt and ManoramaMax[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan).
## References
1. [Thamizhan Full Movie – Vijay | Priyanka Chopra, YouTube (Thamizh Movies)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WNJewcWkA)
2. [Thamizhan streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/thamizhan)
3. [Madhu Chopra on Priyanka Chopra's Tamil debut: 'Vijay was really patient with her…', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/madhu-chopra-on-priyanka-chopras-tamil-debut-vijay-was-really-patient-with-her-9861535/)
4. [Tamil Full Movie | Thamizhan | Full HD Movie, YouTube (South Movie Zone)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAjQLjt1Iw)
5. [Thamizhan (2002), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330977/)
6. [The Rediff review: Thamizhan, Rediff.com (26 April 2002)](https://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/26tam.htm)
7. [Priyanka Chopra says debut film with Vijay at 18 skewed her perception of fame, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/tamil-cinema/priyanka-chopra-says-debut-film-with-vijay-at-18-skewed-her-perception-of-fame-101773315977320.html)
8. [Priyanka Chopra made her acting debut in Thamizhan, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/did-you-know/priyanka-chopra-made-her-acting-debut-in-thamizhan/articleshow/53261438.cms)
9. [Priyanka Chopra's mother recounts shooting with Thalapathy Vijay for Thamizhan, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/priyanka-chopras-mother-recounts-shooting-with-thalapathy-vijay-for-thamizhan-we-were-intimidated-at-first/990f57cbf3717)
10. [Priyanka Chopra in Unfinished reveals she learnt humility from Thalapathy Vijay, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/priyanka-chopra-in-unfinished-reveals-she-learnt-humility-from-thalapathy-vijay-1767682-2021-02-10)
11. [Priyanka Chopra celebrates 20 years of Miss World win, debut Tamil film 'Thamizhan', The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/news/priyanka-chopra-celebrates-20-years-miss-world-win-debut-tamil-film-thamizhan-136921)
12. [Reviews of Thamizhan (2002), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/thamizhan/reviews/)
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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 2000s › Tamil films of the early 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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