Kaththi was both a commercial juggernaut and a critical triumph. It became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2014 and firmly established Vijay as a box-office king capable of carrying heavy, content-driven narratives.

A selfless, highly educated social activist fighting a losing battle to preserve his village's groundwater and agricultural land from a predatory conglomerate.

Even a decade after its release, Kaththi is relevant. The issues of water management and corporate colonization of agriculture are worse now than in 2014. Vijay’s monologue at the end of the film—where he asks the audience to "choose their side"—remains one of the most powerful moments in Kollywood history.