Kaithi (2019 film)

Kaithi (transl. Prisoner) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures and Vivekananda Pictures, it is the first instalment in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe. The film stars Karthi in the titular role, alongside Narain, Arjun Das, Harish Uthaman, George Maryan and Dheena. In the film, taking place mainly within one night, a recently released prisoner drives poisoned policemen to a hospital while evading criminals, in exchange for meeting his daughter.

Lokesh initially worked on two scripts after the success of Maanagaram, which he scrapped working on due to issues regarding the extensive research and casting process, until he came across a news article about an ex-prisoner's life. He initially wanted Mansoor Ali Khan to play the lead role, but during the writing process, Karthi was asked to play the lead with the scale of the budget being increased further. Principal photography began in December 2018 and was completed by August 2019. The film was largely shot at night. It is a songless film with a score composed by Sam C. S. The cinematography and editing were handled by Sathyan Sooryan and Philomin Raj respectively.

Kaithi was released on October 25, 2019, ahead of the Diwali festival. The film received positive reviews from critics and became a box-office success, grossing ₹105 crore worldwide, making it one of the top-grossing Tamil films of 2019. It was further selected for official screening at the International Indian Film Festival Toronto (IIFFT) in August 2020 and won two Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, three Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards, South Indian International Movie Awards, and four Zee Cine Awards respectively. Kaithi is the first installment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe, which is followed up in Vikram, with Narain reprising his role as Bejoy while George Maryan reprises his role as Napoleon in Leo. A sequel titled Kaithi 2 is in development.