Dheena (2001)

Dheena is the hot-headed younger brother of Aadhi, a powerful Chennai rowdy, and does much of his brother's dirty work. When he falls for Chitra, a girl who knows nothing of his violent life, he starts to want something different, but his past, rivals and his brother's ambitions all stand in the way, and a misunderstanding sets the brothers against each other. Dheena was the debut of A. R. Murugadoss, who later made Ramanaa, Ghajini and Thuppakki, and it transformed Ajith into a mass hero; the film gave him the nickname "Thala" that has stayed with him ever since. Malayalam star Suresh Gopi plays the elder brother, and Yuvan Shankar Raja's songs were big hits.