Thunichal is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Majith who earlier directed Vijay starrer Thamizhan. Starring Arun Vijay and newcomer Shiva Manjal, the film was released on 1 January 2010, after many delays.The shooting for Thunichal began shooting in May 2005 and was completed by the end of the year, except for the dubbing portions. Subsequently, the film was postponed indefinitely due to unknown reasons, and remained unreleased. The actors and director involved moved on to participate with other projects. However, after the success of lead actor, Arun Vijay's Malai Malai, the producers decided to use his new-found publicity to launch their own film. Arun Vijay, worried that the move could hamper his new-found image at the box office, lodged a complaint with the Nadigar Sangam, alleging that the producers of Thunichal were attempting to release the film without his voice. Soon after, he retracted his statements and refuted that the film would not damage his reputation.