Vedalam

Vedalam (Phantom) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action film directed and co-written by Siva, following the pair's earlier collaboration Veeram. Ajith Kumar plays Ganesh, a taxi driver in Kolkata who arrives with his sister Thamizh to enrol her in an arts college, and who is later revealed to be a ruthless thug-for-hire in his past, known as Vedalam. Shruti Haasan and Lakshmi Menon play the other leads, with Ashwin Kakumanu, Rahul Dev, Thambi Ramaiah, Kabir Duhan Singh and Soori in supporting roles. When a French human trafficking ring of three brothers is active in the city and its members clash with him, Ganesh is drawn back into violence. Anirudh Ravichander composed the music, Vetri handled cinematography and Ruben edited. The project was announced in mid-2014, and delays came from the completion of Ajith Kumar's Yennai Arindhaal. Principal photography began in April 2015, mainly in Kolkata, with Chennai and Milan also used, and finished that October. Working title Thala 56 gave way to Vedalam in September 2015. It was released on 10 November 2015, timed to Diwali, was profitable for traders and exhibitors, and was remade in Telugu as Bhola Shankar in 2023.