Thirumalai (2003)

Thirumalai is a cheerful mechanic who spends his days with his friends in a working-class part of Chennai. He falls for Swetha, a girl from a wealthy family, and sets out to win her over in spite of their different worlds. His courtship brings him up against her protective family and, far more dangerously, against Arasu, a powerful local don played by Raghuvaran, who becomes his bitter enemy. Thirumalai is often seen as the film that remade Vijay's image: after years of romances and family dramas, it turned him into a full-blown action hero and set the pattern for many of his later hits. Vidyasagar's songs were a big part of its success.