'Naalai Manithan' to 'Miruthan': Five Tamil movies that had their plot revolving around a virus

Kollywood fans have witnessed films in different genres and have even surprised audiences with their unique plots. Stars often try a different genre to impress their fans and also send a social message through these films. Now, as the COVID-19 has thrown the world into chaos, we look at five Tamil movies from 'Naalai Manithan' to 'Miruthan' that had a virus as the central theme of their plots.

The story of 'Naalai Manithan' revolves around a doctor who discovers a medicine that will revive the dead. He injects the drug into the body of an orphan, which changes his mental state and sets him on a killing spree. The film featured Prabhu, Amala and Ajay Rathnam in lead roles, and was directed by Velu Prabhakaran. The plot was inspired by the American film 'Silent Rage', and was later remade in Kannada as 'Manava 2022'.

The story of 'Dasavathaaram' was written by Kamal Haasan, while the film was directed by KS Ravi Kumar. The plot of 'Dasavathaaram' is about a scientist who tries to protect a bio-weapon from being misused after realizing the dangers of it. The weapon’s vial accidentally reaches India, and the scientist, played by Kamal Haasan, has to compete against time to prevent a disaster. The actor had played ten different roles in the film, and his main role in that was of the scientist.

The famous Bodhi Dharma, a militant and physician, brought Zen to China and laid the foundation of the Shaolin Temple. However, it remains a forgotten fact that he was born in Tamil Nadu, India. In '7 Aam Arivu', a genetic engineering student tries to awaken the genetic memory of his descendants to use ancient and long-forgotten skills to stem a biological war between two of the most populous nations on earth. '7 Aam Arivu' was written and directed by AR Murugadoss, while Suriya and Shruti Haasan played the lead roles in the film.

'Vaayai Moodi Pesavum' is a satirical romantic comedy which was directed by Balaji Mohan. As part of trhe plot, the people of Panimalai hill station are shown in difficulty as the government has banned speaking among the residents to control the spread of 'dumb-fever' which has been spreading only by speaking. 'Vaayai Moodi Pesavum' starred Dulquer Salman and Nazriya Nazim in lead roles, while the music of the film was scored by Sean Roldan.

The action thriller 'Miruthan' was directed by Shakti Soundar Raja, and it starred Jayam Ravi and Lakshmi Menon in lead roles. When an intoxicated dog bites a security guard, it unleashes a zombie outbreak on a hill station. A policeman named Karthik accepts the responsibility of helping a team of doctors to find the drug. The film title 'Miruthan' derives from a mixture of two words, Mirugam meaning animal and Manithan meaning man.