Velaikaran (1987) starring Rajinikanth was directed by S.P. Muthuraman, who directed several successful Rajini films in the 1980s. The film is a commercial entertainer with social messages. A. Jagannathan, Manobala, and Manivannan were all active in Tamil cinema but Manivannan was primarily an actor-writer-director known for character roles and supporting parts, not the director of Velaikaran.