A ruthless womaniser, taking pride in his manliness and promiscuous sexual behaviour would have least imagined of sorrow and pain.

Not until he has to pay a heavy price for his misdeeds.

Based on a true story, Mirugam takes us to Ayyanar’s (Aadi) world in rural Tamil Nadu. Anbazhagan, called Ayyanar in his village, is a ruffian, who wishes to sleep with every other woman he sees, not sparing even a beggar.

To bring him to the ‘right path’, his friend Idithangi (Kanja Karupa) arranges his marriage with Azhagamma (Padma Priya).

In spite of all this, nothing seems to stop him. He takes to drugs and moves on to conquer a fun-filled life.

But, this doesn’t last long. Soon he is diagnosed as infected with AIDS. Villagers ostracise him and his family.

Undeterred by the trauma and sufferings, Azhagamma moves on to shoulder the responsibility and looks after him.

Slowly, you see the transformation in Ayyanar from a ruthless animal to a human.

After an intense dislike for the Ayyanar character in the beginning, it is surprising to see oneself sympathising with him in the later half of the movie. Kudos to the performance of debutant Aadi.

The director has not only touched upon the issue of AIDS, but has meticulously depicted the feudal patriarchal values present in the system and the sufferings of women. The strong character of Padma Priya says it all.

Though the raw portrayal of rural life makes Mirugam a bit heavy to watch, it is a brilliant attempt in using the popular medium to send across a strong message.