Jailer is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language action comedy, which restored the mass appeal of superstar cinema and matured it emotionally. The film, which was written and directed by Nelson Dilip Kumar and produced by Sun Pictures, boasts of a powerful, restrained, and impactful role of Rajinikanth. Jailer was released on 10 August, 2023 worldwide, and it was not just a box-office hit, but also a cultural phenomenon. The movie demonstrated that an experienced actor did not have to use dramatic heroism to dominate screens. Having a sleek direction, crispy writing, and a pulse-altering soundtrack by Anirudh Ravichander, Jailer won the hearts of both the fans of the movie and the neutral audiences and set new standards in terms of modern Tamil commercial movies. This article provides the full cast of Jailer Movie, Budget & Box Office Collection, Awards and More.
Jailer: Movie Details
Fundamentally, Jailer is a tale of consequences, morality, and losing a person. The movie is based on the life of a retired jailer whose quiet life is disrupted when his family falls prey to a criminal gang. The movie does not show the protagonist as an invincible fighter; instead, he is a quiet strategist, whose previous fame is sufficient to instill fear. Director Nelson Dilipkumar does not use clichés that are prolific. The humor is dark, situational, the violence is intentional and the emotional scenes are given a chance to breathe. The plot gradually builds tension, and the film earns every action sequence instead of forcing them. This made Jailer look like something out of an ordinary action entertainer.
| Category | Details |
| Title | Jailer |
| Director | Nelson Dilipkumar |
| Writer | Nelson Dilipkumar |
| Producer | Kalanithi Maran |
| Production Company | Sun Pictures |
| Music Director | Anirudh Ravichander |
| Cinematographer | Vijay Kartik Kannan |
| Editor | R. Nirmal |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Crime |
| Language | Tamil |
| Country | India |
| Release Date | 10 August 2023 |
| Runtime | 169 minutes |
Jailer Movie Plot
Act I (Setup)
Tamil Nadu Retired jailer Muthuvel Pandiannickname Tiger Muthuvel has led a disciplined life with his family in Tamil Nadu. Muthuvel who was once feared by criminals in the country has decided to forget his violent background and concentrate on being a husband, father and grandfather.
His son, ACP Arjun Pandian is a harmless police officer who investigates a huge smuggling racket of idols run by Varman, who is a crazy and unscrupulous criminal with international contacts. Arjun is about to blow the whistle on the syndicate when he abruptly vanishes. The police department fails to solve the case on time, and hints suggest that Arjun took his own life due to work pressure.
Act II (Confrontation)
The loss breaks Muthuvel. He faults himself because he has brought his son up in a corrupt system using strict values. Things however, go dark when the men belonging to Varman are seen trying to kill the grandson of Muthuvel to scare him. This assault brings to life the vicious jailer who Muthuvel had been. Muthuvel is not seeking legal justice; rather, he takes matters in his own hands. He assassinates one of the most important men of Varman and quietly starts to gather supporters. The film reveals that during his tenure as a jailer, Muthuvel reformed several criminals who now owe him unwavering loyalty.
Act III (Resolution)
Just as Muthuvel destroys Varman in his smuggling business in various states, a startling fact comes to light, Arjun is still alive. Worse, he is corrupt. Arjun had made himself allied to Varman secretly in money and power and will even betray his own dad. Muthuvel kills Varman and demolishes his criminal organization in the last act. He then offers Arjun a final opportunity to give up his hands. When Arjun refuses and tries to kill him, Muthuvel orders his men to shoot his son. The movie concludes on a sad note, stressing that justice can be unbearably expensive to a person.
Complete Cast of Jailer Movie
Given below is the complete cast of Jailer movie with their roles:
Full Cast of Jailer and their Roles
| Actor | Role |
| Rajinikanth | Muthuvel Pandian (Tiger) |
| Mohanlal | Mathew |
| Shivarajkumar | Narasimha |
| Jackie Shroff | Kamdev |
| Ramya Krishnan | Vijaya Muthuvel Pandian |
| Vinayakan | Varman |
| Tamannaah Bhatia | Kamannah |
| Sunil | Blast Mohan |
| Vasanth Ravi | Arjun Pandian |
| Yogi Babu | Vimal |
| Kishore Kumar G. | Jaffer |
| Nagendra Babu | Balsingh |
| G. Marimuthu | Panneer |
| VTV Ganesh | Dr. S. Dhandapani |
| Sunil Reddy | Balu |
| Mirnaa | Swetha Arjun |
| Rithvik | Arshad |
| Saravanan | Seenu |
| Aranthangi Nisha | Kanagalakshmi |
| Mahanadhi Shankar | Padam Kumar |
| Makrand Deshpande | Sikander Singh |
| Karate Karthi | Sugunthan |
| Billy Muralee | Mithun |
Jailer Movie Release Date
The Tamil action entertainer Jailer, directed by Rajinikanth and released theatrically worldwide on 10 August 2023, was delayed in production and postponed its initial release in April 2023. The movie received huge reception in Tamil Nadu, other South Indian states and the international market. Its massive initial day and theatrical run largely made it the largest Tamil blockbuster of 2023.
Jailer digitally premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 7 September 2023, after having a successful theatrical release. The film came out in various languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada and, therefore, reached a pan-Indian audience. It was reported that the streaming rights were bought at approximately ₹100 crore, and it was one of the costliest OTT buys of a Tamil movie. The OTT release made the film even more popular, drawing the attention of those who did not go to theatres, and increasing the blockbuster reputation of the film.
| Category | Details |
| Theatrical Release | 10 August 2023 |
| OTT Platform | Amazon Prime Video |
| OTT Release Date | 7 September 2023 |
| Worldwide Collection | ₹600–650 crore |
| India Net Collection | ₹295–330 crore |
| Day 1 Collection | ₹44.5 crore |
| Verdict | All-Time Blockbuster |
Jailer Movie Budget and Box Office Collection
The makers shot Jailer on a grand scale with an estimated production cost of ₹200–220 crore, making it one of the most expensive Tamil films of its time. When released in August 2023, the film registered huge occupancy in South India and the foreign markets. Jailer would proceed to be one of the biggest-grossing Tamil movies of all time, grossing an estimated 600-650 crore globally and about 300-330 crore in India alone due to strong bookings. Jailer had a lengthy and successful theatrical run with a strong word of mouth and the star power of Rajinikanth. The film received strong acclaim, emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil movie of 2023, and ranked among the year’s top-grossing Indian films, confirming its blockbuster status.
| Category | Amount |
| Estimated Budget | ₹200–220 crore |
| Worldwide Gross | ₹605–650 crore |
| India Gross | ₹420+ crore |
| Overseas Gross | ₹180+ crore |
| Verdict | Blockbuster |
Jailer Soundtrack Details
Jailer is a movie that has a strong soundtrack that is widely acclaimed and composed by Anirudh Ravichander, who has worked with Rajinikanth in Petta and Darbar. Music was an important element in enhancing the mass-appeal of the film and Anirudh provided a mixture of peppy anthems, cool dance films, and poignant tunes. His background score especially was generally acclaimed as having enhanced the screen presence of Rajinikanth especially when it comes to silent build-up scenes and action blocks.
Their debut single, Kaavaalaa, which was released in July 2023, is a catchy tune and dance hook that became a viral sensation and received tremendous popularity on social media platforms. This was succeeded by Hukum -Thalaivar Alappara, which became a complete mass anthem in the glory of the superstar Rajinikanth. The best songs, such as Rathamaarey, gave the story an emotional touch, whereas Jujubee gave the song a fun and energetic feeling. For the film, the makers released the eight-song soundtrack album in late July 2023, which generated strong pre-release buzz and contributed to the film’s post-release success.
| Song Title | Singer(s) | Lyricist |
| Kaavaalaa | Shilpa Rao | Arunraja Kamaraj |
| Hukum – Thalaivar Alappara | Anirudh Ravichander | Super Subu |
| Rathamaarey | Vishal Mishra | Vignesh Shivan |
| Jujubee | Anirudh Ravichander | Super Subu |
Jailer Movie Awards and Recognition
Jailer received widespread acclaim across major award ceremonies. The film also earned multiple nominations for acting, cinematography, editing, lyrics, and supporting performances.
| Award Ceremony | Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
| Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | 2024 | Best Music Director (Songs) | Anirudh Ravichander | Won |
| Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | 2024 | Most Popular Film | Jailer | Won |
| IIFA Utsavam | 2024 | Best Film (Tamil) | Jailer | Won |
| IIFA Utsavam | 2024 | Best Lyrics (Tamil) | Super Subu – “Hukum” | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Film (Tamil) | Jailer | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Director (Tamil) | Nelson Dilipkumar | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Supporting Actor | Vasanth Ravi | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Comedian | Yogi Babu | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Music Director | Anirudh Ravichander | Won |
| South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) | 2024 | Best Lyricist | Vignesh Shivan – “Rathamaarey” | Won |
Jailer Review and Ratings
The movie manages to intertwine dark humor, stylish action, and emotionally charged family feelings and comes out as a mass entertainer to the larger-than-life image of Rajinikanth. the first half is unique in its tight tension, the peaceful but threatening style of Rajinikanth, and the well done comedy of Yogi Babu, which all lead to the climactic interval block, which is neither too emotional nor action-driven.
The background score of the film by Anirudh Ravichander greatly increases the effect, even as the scenes are silent. The second half is however met with mixed feelings because of protracted heist scenes, cliched twists, and several subplots that slows down the pace. Although it is exciting to see Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar making cameo appearances, critics observe that tighter editing would have made the entire flow more effective. Nevertheless, Jailer stands out as a powerful fan-oriented blockbuster, driven primarily by Rajinikanth’s presence.
| Source | Rating | Summary |
| Times of India | 3.5 / 5 | Strong first half, entertaining direction |
| IMDb Users | 7.1 / 10 | Mass appeal with uneven pacing |
| Great Andhra | 3 / 5 | Solid start, routine ending |
| Roger Ebert | Positive | Rajinikanth anchors the film |
Conclusion
Jailer is a landmark film in the career of Rajinikanth, along with the rest of the cast of Jailer. It demonstrates that a true super-stardom does not necessarily mean constant action, but rather a strong screen presence, a deep character, and emotional honesty. Nelson Dilipkumar has delivered a film that not only entertains but also respects the intelligence of the audience. After a massive box office success, critical appreciation, and the confirmation of a sequel (Jailer 2), Jailer has become one of the most influential Tamil films of the decade.
FAQs
A1. No, it is a fictional story.
A2. Vinayakan plays Varman.
A3. This movie is available on Amazon Prime Video and Sun NXT
A4. It contains violence and is suitable for mature audiences.
A5. Yes, Jailer 2 is officially announced and will be released on 12 June, 2026.
A6. Superstar Ranji Kant played the role of the lead cast of Jailer.
Article Code: SRV WP-08
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