Cast

Credited cast:
	Vijay	...	John
	Vijay Sethupathi	...	Bhavani
	Mahendran	...	Young Bhavani
	Malavika Mohanan	...	Charulatha
	Shanthanu Bhagyaraj	...	Bhargav
	Andrea Jeremiah	...	Vanathi
	Nassar	...	college founder
	Rajesh	...
	Arjun Das	...

Storyline

Lokesh Kanagaraj narrated the script to Vijay in May 2019, and after his acceptance, the film was launched under in August 2019. Kanagaraj wrote the script, screenplay and dialogues with Rathna Kumar and Pon Parthiban being credited as the co-writer. The principal photography commenced in October 2019 and ended in February 2020; the entire film was shot across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Karnataka within 129 working days.

Originally launched under the tentative title Thalapathy 64, the official title Master was announced on 31 December 2019. The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while cinematography and editing are performed by Sathyan Sooryan and Philomin Raj respectively.

Master was initially planned for a theatrical release on 9 April 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The makers preferred to wait for a theatrical release, rather than releasing it on any over-the-top media service. After being delayed for several months, the film finally was released in theatres on 13 January 2021, a day before Pongal. 

The film’s Hindi version titled Vijay The Master was simultaneously dubbed and released on 14 January 2021 one day after the original version, along with the Kannada and Telugu dubbed versions also releasing. Master also became the fastest Tamil film to be streamed on a digital platform, where the makers teamed up with Amazon Prime Video and premiered after 16 days of theatrical release on 29 January 2021, along with a Malayalam dubbed version.

In Nagercoil, 2002, a 17-year-old boy named Bhavani witnesses his family get murdered by his father's rivals. He is forced to take the blame and is incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility, where he is tortured mercilessly. As a consequence, he develops a ruthless and brash persona. Years later, Bhavani escapes from the facility and becomes a criminal in the lorry and trade business. Gradually, he becomes a feared gangster, and remains immune from punishment by coercing the inmates of the detention facility to take the blame for his crimes. Creating an enormous empire for himself, he grows on par with his father's former rivals and eventually kills them.

In Chennai, 2019, John Durairaj "J.D." , a college lecturer beloved by his students for his student-friendly approach, is struggling with alcoholism and bitter dislike from fellow staff. Only Charulatha aka Charu, a newly hired lecturer at his college, sympathises with him. After he organises a college election that goes awry, he is assigned to a juvenile detention facility for a three-month assignment he does not remember volunteering for. He reluctantly assumes his new position, and is warned by the prison authorities of the rampant drug abuse and violence there, but J.D. pays no heed.

Two brothers, Sabari and Manikandan, who are supposed to surrender for one of Bhavani's murders, slip J.D. a note unknown to him, and later that night try to call him while he is drunk. When they are caught, Bhavani kills them and their bodies are discovered hanging from the ceiling of the detention centre classroom next day. J.D. is detained for the murders. A grief-stricken Charu admonishes J.D. for his negligent behaviour, revealing that she was the one who had signed him up for the job, believing him to be the only teacher capable of understanding the needs of the inmates. She reveals herself as a non-governmental organisation worker investigating the crimes occurring in the facility; the brothers had desperately contacted her for help. While in detention, J.D. discovers the brothers' note to him, detailing the horrific activities taking place inside the centre. Heartbroken, he clobbers Bhavani's goons who had been dispatched to kill him and calls him, promising to make him pay for the boys' deaths.

Having quit drinking, J.D. slowly gains control over the institution and begins to reform the inmates. His actions are opposed by Das, an older inmate (found to be an adult) responsible for controlling the younger children. With the assistance of a young inmate, Undiyal, J.D. uncovers crimes in the facility and gets the inmates to record statements. J.D. discovers that Bhavani regularly makes the inmates take the blame for his crimes. J.D. then records a video of the younger inmates including Undiyal, speaking about Das' crimes in the facility. Bhavani's goons target Charu and retrieve the video from her, sparing her only because of Undiyal's intervention. Undiyal reveals that select inmates are tattooed with the Tamil letter  ("Pa"), which allows them unrestricted access to free food and drugs from Bhavani's associates in exchange for surrendering for his crimes. J.D. raids the respective establishments and cuts off the drug supply to the detention facility, much to Bhavani's frustration. He also sneaks into Bhavani's hideout and threatens him and his men with dire consequences, while unknowingly holding Bhavani himself at knifepoint using a ball pen.

Bhavani retaliates by killing some of J.D.'s batchmates and ex-students. With J.D. incapacitated by grief, Das abducts most of the inmates, intending to take them out of Tamil Nadu along with Bhavani's property documents. J.D., with the help of his ex colleague and expert archer Vanathi, defeat Das' men and rescues the children. J.D. confronts Das and makes him realise Bhavani will kill him because he is the link between Bhavani and the crimes in the detention facility. Das reforms and transports J.D. to Bhavani's meatpacking plant along with the children. Das overpower the men sent to kill him while J.D. confronts Bhavani. Although at first Bhavani gets the upper hand, J.D. manages to get the better of Bhavani. Bhavani urges J.D. to join him in politics, but J.D. kills him, thus avenging Sabari and Manikandan's death. With the children safe, J.D. and Das surrender to the police.

The detention facility is shut down by the government, with the inmates being sent to other detention facilities and state prisons, on the basis of their age. J.D., Das and the other adults from the facility are sent to prison, where they intend to reform the inmates there.
  

Details

Box Office

Company Credits

Technical Specs