Oorkavalan (1987)

Oorkavalan ("protector of the village") belongs to the run of village-set action dramas Rajinikanth made in the late 1980s. He plays a respected, quick-tempered man who sees himself as the defender of his village and its people, with Radhika as the woman in his life and Raghuvaran, one of his most memorable screen adversaries, as the villain whose schemes threaten the village and the hero's family. It was directed by Manobala, later better known as a comic actor, with songs by Shankar–Ganesh. The film combines rural sentiment, romance and Rajini's signature style, and was a success in its day. In Hindi it has circulated as Dharam Rakshak.