Viduthalai Part 1 2023

A train accident occurs where many people are severely injured and dead. The emergency responders and government officials arrive at the scene, where the State and Union ministers are visibly disturbed by the level of atrocity. It is later revealed that Tamilar Makkal Padai (transl. Tamils' People's Army), an extremist group, is behind the accident in order to protest against the state government's decision to allow a mining company to take over their village for a project.

Due to this, the government announces "Operation Ghosthunt" to capture the group's leader "Vaathiyar" Perumal, who is also known to be a ghost as nobody has ever seen him, but people knew about his existence and involvements in such attacks. Kumaresan is a newly recruited constable, who comes from a lower middle-class family in Chinnapudur and is looking for a stable job to support him and his mother. Kumaresan is recruited for the operation, where he is taken to the police training ground and joins as a new driver.

Kumaresan learns about the complicated alliances and conflicts between Makkal Padai and the government, and also discovers that following orders is essential, and cannot always help the locals, which conflicts with his helpful nature. He also discovers about the meaning of bureaucracy and the need to navigate professional life, especially as a newly recruited officer. Kumaresan is also attracted to Tamilarasi "Pappa", who is the granddaughter of the woman he rescued, and they spend time together.

Due to a brutal incident orchestrated by Officer-in-charge (OC) Ragavendar, the government assigns DSP Sunil Menon as the head of the operation, where they decide to turn the villagers against Perumal. Sunil interrogates a villager and manages to sketch Perumal's face. Kumaresan realizes that the persons he helped during duty hours were actually Perumal and his men, where he relays this information to Head constable Chandran. Unknown to Kumaresan and the police force, Chandran is actually involved in "Makkal Padai" and relays about Kumaresan to Perumal.

Instead of Kumaresan, Makkal Padai targets Sunil and tries to finish him, but manages to escape where he decides to make some of the officers disguise as the members of "Makkal Padai" in order to earn the villagers' trust. Kumaresan learns from Pappa that Perumal actually targeted those police officers who are committing attrocities against innocents in the name of police interrogation. She also reveals about the police officers' involvement in her father's death and mother losing her sanity. Kumaresan realizes about the police brutality against the villagers and realizes Perumal's good intentions.

On the day of the mining company's inaugration, Makkal Padai attacks the inaugration where some of the officers get shot and killed. Enraged, Sunil orders to drag those villagers who are suspected to be involved with Makkal Padai. The villagers are arrested, where Pappa's grandmother is killed during the interrogation and Pappa herself is also tortured along with other woman. Kumaresan tells Sunil about Perumal's hideout and is assigned with 10 officers to nab him. After a massive shootout, Kumaresan manages to arrest Perumal.

In the mid-credits scene, Ragavendar suspends Kumaresan for not filing an act of subordination memo, while a photographer learns about the brutal atrocities against the police department. After getting arrested, Perumal is interrogated by Sunil.