Amaidhi Padai Amavasai is returning to share his wits and political strategies once again in theatres after 32 years as Manivannan’s iconic directorial gears up for a re-release. While the makers previously announced that the film would be re-released ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections, on Wednesday, they confirmed that it would hit theatres on April 10. The trailer for the film’s re-release will be unveiled on March 30.
Released in 1994, Sathyaraj stars in dual roles in Amaidhi Padai as Amavasai, a lazy and corrupt politician, and Thangavel, his illegitimate son who becomes a police officer. As the son grows up, he vows to stop his father’s illegal activities. The film, which achieved critical and commercial acclaim upon release, went on to become a cult classic and continues to remain relevant to contemporary politics. With Tamil Nadu heading to elections soon, Amaidhi Padai‘s re-release is more than relevant and is set to happen in 4K technology with Dolby sound.
Apart from Sathyaraj, the film also stars Manivannan, Sujatha, Kasthuri, and Ranjitha in key roles. It had music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The film’s success led to its remakes being made in Telugu as M. Dharmaraju MA (1994) and in Hindi as Executioner (1995). The character and the film have been an indelible part of pop culture discourse for the last three decades that the character has been discussed, parodied and recreated by the public, films and other forms of media.
A spiritual successor, Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, was released in 2013, with Sathyaraj returning. It was Manivannan’s 50th and last film as a director and actor, as he died a month after the film’s release. Sathyaraj once again wore the politician’s attire in Tughlaq Durbar (2021) and played Amavasai’s son, MLA Pournami, in Love Marriage (2025).
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