Spark)[5] is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Atlee and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under the banner V Creations.

After post-production work and a formal launch ceremony in June 2015, the film began production in Chennai in early July.

In addition, poor climatic conditions in China meant that the team had to abandon their idea of filming sequences there and instead opt to shoot in Bangkok.

[9] Joseph Kuruvilla is a non-violent person who runs a bakery and leads a peaceful life with his five-year-old daughter, Niveditha Nivi, in Kerala.

Vijay finds that she was sexually assaulted to death, and further investigation leads him to Ashwin, the son of Labour Minister Vanamaamalai.

The killings continue to be a mystery to the public, but Sibi Chakravarthy, who is revealed to be secretly aware that Vijay is alive, re-employs him in the police force.

[15] Several of the technical crew involved in Atlee's previous film, Raja Rani, were also added to the team including cinematographer George C. Williams, editor Ruben and art director T.

[18] Several titles for the film including Moondru Mugam, Vetri, Thuppaki 2, Khakee and Thaarumaaru were considered, before the makers finalised Theri in late November 2015.

[30][note 2] An official launch event was held at the Kerala Club House on the East Coast Road in Chennai, with several members of the cast and crew in attendance on 26 June 2015.

[32] Further scenes in Chennai were shot at Adityaram Studios and at Binny Mills, where art director T. Muthuraj had erected a huge set.

[37] In mid-September, the team shot few sequences at veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan's ancestral house Annai Illam and the shoot went for 2–3 days.

[38][39] In November 2015, it was revealed that the film was "seventy percent complete" and portions involving Samantha Prabhu had finished being shot.

[41] Hollywood stunt choreographer Kaloyan Vodenicharov worked with the team in early December 2015 to help shoot the climax portions for the film.

[42] Poor climatic conditions in China meant that the team had to abandon their idea of filming sequences there and instead opted to shoot in Bangkok.

[43] Sets were erected in a factory in Chennai to shoot the climax scenes, with Kaloyan recruited to help train artistes and film the sequences during December 2015.

[56] The teaser which was initially uploaded on the midnight of 5 February, was removed after copyright claims from an anonymous channel,[57] but was later restored by the technical team.

[69] Producer K. E. Gnanavel Raja supported Thanu's decision, and said that the films he had distributed – Suriya's 24 and Singam 3 – will face boycott in the Chengalpet region, if the issue had not cleared.

[69] On 29 April 2016, the film was screened in Chengalpet, two weeks after the original release, as the talks with the producers and stakeholders became fruitful, leading to resolve the issue.

[71] On 15 April 2016, a group of actor Vijay's fans caught a videographer for recording the film at a theatre in Coimbatore for piracy purposes.

In March 2016, it has been reported that Star Vijay and Jaya TV were considered for acquiring the television rights of the film, which did not happen.

[75] In November 2016, following its launch in India,[76] Amazon Prime Video had acquired the digital rights of the two films and streamed them exclusively through the platform.

[82] M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "A cop story that is entertaining despite being predictable and [a formulaic film] can be best described only with another cliché — old wine in a fancy, extra-large bottle.

"[83] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Theri is a film you go to with battalions of friends or family on a weekend, and come back without giving it a second thought".

[84] Sify gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Theri is strictly escapist fun...a satisfying Vijay masala entertainer.

"[86] Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The mass movie will be well savored by Ilayathalapathy’s ardent fans.

[88] Goutham VS of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The movie, possibly the millionth remake of Rajnikanth’s revenge film Baashha, where the hero is a daredevil with a larger-than-life persona, is yawn-inducing".

[100] During the COVID-19 lockdown in India, a group of Tamil Nadu Police members performed a parody version of the song "Jithu Jilladi" to create awareness to control the pandemic.

Additionally, a Telugu adaptation titled Ustaad Bhagat Singh, directed by Harish Shankar and featuring Pawan Kalyan in the titular role, is currently in production.