Mandela(2021)

Storyline

A poor barber gets involved in a village election dominated by caste politics. He becomes an unexpected key figure who could shake up the system. The story follows whether his influence can actually improve life for the people.

“A haircut, a vote, and a village divided.”

Vibe & Tags

Cast & Crew

#1

K

Kanna RaviMathi

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#2

Yogi BabuSmile / Nelson Mandela

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S

Sangili MuruganPeriya Ayya / Karunakaran Periyar

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S

SenthikumariValli

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#5

M

Mandela MukeshKirudha

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#6

G

G. M. SundarRathinam

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#7

Saranya RavichandranVairamuthu

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Sheela RajkumarThenmozhi

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A

Arumugam BalaMurugesan

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#10

P

Prasanna BalachandranSudalai

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#11

S

S. SashikanthCrew

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#12

M

Madonne AshwinCrew

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Reunion Meter

Frequent partnerships reunited for Mandela

Cast reunions in this film: Yogi Babu & George Mariyan (6 films together), and Yogi Babu & Bharath Shankar (2 films together).

Yogi BabuActor

6th time

G

George MariyanActor

Yogi Babu × George Mariyan — 6 films together →

Yogi BabuActor

2nd time

B

Bharath ShankarOriginal Music Composer

Yogi Babu × Bharath Shankar — 2 films together →

Trivia

• The director Madonne Ashwin was a former advertising professional, and this was his first feature film.
• The film's title 'Mandela' refers to the nickname given to the barber character, not the South African leader.
• It was shot in just 28 days, primarily in and around Madurai to capture authentic village settings.
• Actor Yogi Babu, who plays the lead, reportedly did not use a body double for the haircutting scenes shown in the film.
• The movie subtly references real political symbols, like the two leaves, without directly naming any specific Tamil Nadu party.
• It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2021, a major honor for a debut director.
• The script was partly inspired by observations of local barber shops and their role as community hubs in small towns.