Puli is a 2015 Tamil fantasy action-adventure film written and directed by Chimbu Deven. It stars Vijay in a dual role, with Sridevi, Sudeep, Shruti Haasan and Hansika Motwani in key roles. Music by Devi Sri Prasad.
In the mythical kingdom of Vedhalapuram, demon queen Yavanarani (Sridevi) — psychologically possessed through a magic ring — rules in thrall to the demon commander Jalatharangan (Sudeep). Marudheeran (Vijay) is the son of the legendary demon prince Pulivendhan (also Vijay). As he unravels his ancestry and faces the forces that destroyed his bloodline, the film weaves between two eras and two generations of the same family.
Released on October 1, 2015, Puli was one of the most ambitious Tamil films of its time — featuring Sridevi in her last Tamil film (29 years after her previous one), Vijay's only dual role, and a budget estimated between ₹87 and ₹130 crore. It collected approximately ₹101 crore worldwide and received a mixed domestic response.
Sridevi's appearance in Puli marked her return to Tamil cinema after 29 years — her previous Tamil film was Guru (1980). It was also her last Tamil film before her death in 2018. The Bollywood legend agreed to play Queen Yavanarani — a possessed villain — in a role unlike anything she had played before or would play after.
This is Vijay's only dual role in his entire 69-film career. He plays both Pulivendhan (the father, a demon prince from a past era) and Marudheeran (the son, the film's present-day protagonist). He had avoided dual roles throughout his career up to this point, making Puli's choice significant.
Sudeep (Kiccha) — one of Karnataka's biggest film stars, known for Eega (2012) and the Kotigobba franchise — plays the villain Jalatharangan. This was one of the few times a major pan-South star headlined a negative role in a Tamil A-list film.
Director Chimbu Deven constructed an entirely original fantasy world — the kingdom of Vedhalapuram ruled by Vedhalangal (demons). This genre — high fantasy with mythological overtones — was unlike anything Vijay had attempted before. Vijay has not made another fantasy film since.
The budget was reported variously between ₹87 crore and ₹130 crore, making it one of the most expensive Tamil films of 2015. The worldwide collection of approximately ₹101 crore placed it either at break-even (against the lower estimate) or significantly below budget (against the higher estimate).
Devi Sri Prasad's background score for the fantasy sequences was widely praised even by critics who gave the film negative reviews overall. The BGM created the immersive world that the screenplay sometimes failed to sustain. It was DSP's second collaboration with Vijay after Jilla (2014).
Vijay lent his own voice to the title song "Puli Puli" — one of the rare occasions in his career where he sang in one of his own films. His voice on the title card was a significant pre-release talking point.
The film was simultaneously dubbed in Telugu (released October 2) and Hindi — one of the earlier wide multi-language releases for a Vijay film. The fantasy genre's universal appeal made multi-language release a logical commercial strategy.
Multiple Tamil film critics drew comparisons to Baahubali (2015), which had released earlier that year. The consensus: Baahubali showed what committed world-building in Indian fantasy cinema looked like, and Puli showed what happened when world-building was prioritised over storytelling. Puli had the cast and budget; Baahubali had the screenplay coherence.
Natarajan Subramaniam (Natty), who handled cinematography, was known for his vibrant visual palette. The colourful fantasy world of Vedhalapuram gave him material to work with, and the visual design of the kingdom sequences is among Puli's genuine strengths.
Vijay reportedly delivered many lines in the film as implicit declarations of political intent — critics noted this at the time. In hindsight, with Vijay now Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, those lines carry a peculiar retrospective weight that was not intended by Chimbu Deven.
Shruti Haasan and Hansika Motwani were cast as the two female leads — Shruti as the present-day Marudheeran's love interest Pavazhamalli, and Hansika as Princess Manthagini in the historical Pulivendhan storyline. Having two prominent female leads served the dual-timeline narrative.
The film performed better overseas than in Tamil Nadu — a reversal of the usual pattern for Tamil films, where domestic Tamil Nadu collections typically drive the verdict. The fantasy genre's visual-spectacle appeal translated better to international markets.
Nizhalgal Ravi provides the film's narration — giving Puli a storytelling device that helped bridge the dual timelines. His deep voice lent the mythological world a gravitas the narrative sometimes struggled to earn on its own.
Puli has since acquired cult curio status. It is the only Vijay film that is: a fantasy, a dual-role, features Sridevi, and was released during Vijay's peak commercial era. There will never be another one like it — and that uniqueness is now part of its appeal, regardless of its original critical reception.
Puli is the one that got away. A high-concept fantasy with one of Tamil cinema's greatest casts — Sridevi in her last Tamil film, Sudeep as the villain, Vijay in a dual role — built on a budget that could have sustained a different kind of film. In execution, the screenplay's internal logic was shaky and the VFX were uneven against a backdrop of Baahubali's released that same year. Fans were divided. Critics were unkind. The box office was inconclusive.
But Puli was genuinely ambitious in a way few Vijay films had been. It tried something completely different, built an original world from scratch, and cast Sridevi as a villain 29 years after her last Tamil film. That attempt, even flawed, earns a kind of retrospective respect. Chimbu Deven dared — and in Tamil cinema, daring is rarer than succeeding.