Nayakan_
Original: நாயகன்
"Are you a good man or a bad man?"
Velu Naicker, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman and escapes to Mumbai, only to become a gangster.
Starring
Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Karthika
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
Prime Video
4 countries
DROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Year context
Nayakan was released 39 years ago in 1987.
Overview
Velu Naicker, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman and escapes to Mumbai, only to become a gangster.
Nayakan is a Drama, Crime film with a runtime of 2h 36m.
CAST (20)
Kamal Haasan
Sakthivel 'Velu' Naicker
Saranya Ponvannan
Neela
Karthika
Charumati
Janagaraj
Selvam
Vijayan
Durai
MV
M. V. Vasudeva Rao
Hussain Bhai
Delhi Ganesh
Iyer
Nizhalgal Ravi
Surya
Nassar
Assistant Commissioner Patil
Tara
Shakila
B
Babitha
K
Kuyili
Self (Special appearance in the song "Nila Adhu Vanathumele")
R. N. Sudarshan
Reddy
A. R. Srinivasan
Police commissioner
RN
R. N. K. Prasad
Reddy
RN
R. N. Jayagopal
Reddy
Goga Kapoor
Chandrakant Kohli
PS
Pradeep Shakti
Inspector Kelkar
Kitty
Rathnavelu Naicker, Velu's Father
Tinnu Anand
Ajit Kelkar
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
156 min (2h 36m)
Original Title
நாயகன்
Language
TA
Country
Rating
7.8/10 (88 votes)
Popularity
2
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Nayakan about?
Velu Naicker, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman and escapes to Mumbai, only to become a gangster.
How long is Nayakan?
Nayakan has a runtime of 156 minutes (2h 36m).
Who stars in Nayakan?
The cast of Nayakan includes Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Karthika, Janagaraj, Vijayan.
What is the rating of Nayakan?
Nayakan has a rating of 7.8 out of 10 based on 88 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (2)
Drama
Crime