Sardar (2022 film)

Sardar (transl. Chief) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language spy action-thriller film directed by P. S. Mithran based on a script he co-wrote with M. R. Pon Parthiban, Roju, Bipin Ragu and Geevee and produced by S. Lakshman Kumar under Prince Pictures. The film stars Karthi in a dual role alongside Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Pandey, Laila, Rithvik, Munishkanth, Avinash, Yugi Sethu and Balaji Sakthivel in pivotal roles. In the film, a disgraced spy returns from a long exile to stop the launch of a suspicious water company which plans to spread toxic water across the country. The film marks Panday's debut and Laila's comeback to Tamil cinema, as well as films in general, after 16 years.

The film was launched on November 2020 without a title and the official title announced in April 2021. Principal photography commenced the same month and continued till July 2022, despite being halted twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Karthi's commitments to other films. Filming locations included Chennai, Kodaikanal, Pondicherry, Mumbai, Mysore, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with cinematography handled by George C. Williams and editing done by Ruben.

Sardar was theatrically released on 21 October 2022, prior to the Diwali week and received positive reviews from critics and audience. The film was a commercial success, grossing ₹100 crore (US$12 million) and became one of the highest grossing Tamil films of 2022. The sequel, titled Sardar 2, is slated to release in 2025