The Scorched Forest), also known as Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu: Part I – The Kindling, is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir crime drama film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and written by B. Jeyamohan.

The film stars Silambarasan and Siddhi Idnani, with Radhika Sarathkumar, Neeraj Madhav and Siddique in supporting roles.

[3] Muthuveeran is a BSc graduate from a village in Naduvakurichi in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, who spends his days picking thorns in the sun.

Instead of posting the letter, Muthu goes to the address mentioned in it, to Mumbai, where he takes up work in a parotta store owned by Esakki and starts earning money for his struggling family.

With the help of Iyer, Muthu arranges a meeting with a group of gangsters in Allahabad who were responsible for his son's death and manages to kill them all.

In February 2018, Gautham Vasudev Menon announced a sequel to Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) titled Ondraga, which would focus on Karthik and his best friends from college travelling to the United States to attend a wedding ten years after the events of the first film.

[17][18] During the production of Nadhigalile Neeradum Suriyan, Silambarasan insisted Menon to work on a raw and rustic-toned script, leading to a change in the storyline as well as the film genre.

[19][20] Menon brought in the basic plotline of the novel Agni Kunjondru Kanden (inspired from a poem written by Subramania Bharati) by screenwriter B. Jeyamohan,[21] instead of a fresh script he planned.

[22] On 6 August 2021, Menon announced the film's new title Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu, also named from one of the lines from the same poem written by Bharati.

[24] Silambarasan shared a picture on social media revealing his current transformation for the film, to quell rumours that the first look was "photoshopped".

[27] A report from The Times of India stated that the actor had hired a special instructor to reduce his weight for the past six months and had also trained for the stunt sequences too.

[28][29] The film revolves around the plight of migrant workers, which is Menon's first attempt on portraying the tale of marginalised section in the society.

[42][43] It was reported that the team had planned to resume the shooting in Chennai and had constructed a set resembling Mumbai, in a private film studio.

[45] The team had several complications on the film's production in Mumbai, citing the difficulties in travel due to pandemic and weather conditions, and decided to begin the final schedule in Chennai for more than 25 days.

[49] A source from the production team stated that the shooting in Mumbai, will be stalled for some time due to the rise in COVID-19 infections in the city, and will be planned appropriately only after the restrictions being lifted.

[63] Karthik Keramalu of Firstpost rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The movie humanizes the lives of gangsters who’re at the bottom of the chain".

[64] M. Suganth of The Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and called it "an uneven gangster saga that works in parts".

[65] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu begins on a great note and keeps the momentum till the interval only to drop the ball in the climax.

[66] Pinkvilla rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu is an entertaining gangster drama that has some amazing performances in place".

[67] Janani K. of India Today rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu could have been Simbu’s Pudhupettai, but it falls short by a few miles.

"[69] A critic for Deccan Herald rated 3 out of 5 and wrote "The template of a small-town man getting sucked into the criminal world isn’t new.

"[70] Sowndarya Athimuthu of The Quint rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Though Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu might come across as a usual gangster saga, it is a unique attempt from Gautham Vasudev Menon, who submits to writer Jeyamohan’s vision".

[71] Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "VTK shows plenty of potential, and the disappointment is that it doesn’t quite hit as many highs as you would expect".

[75] Global Infotainment's Michael Rayappan too criticised Silambarasan, after failing to compensate the losses incurred during the production of Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (2017).

[78] Later, on 26 August 2021, Ganesh admitted to pay the requested amount on behalf of the actor in order to resume shooting; an assurance letter was submitted to the producers council.

[38] The complete title Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu Part I: The Kindling was unveiled in early September, confirming that a sequel was in development.