Rajinikanth's 1987 blockbuster hit Manithan, directed by SP Muthuraman, is getting a re-release in theatres in an all-new restored and digitised format on October 10.

Starring Raghuvaran as the antagonist and Rupini as the female lead, the film also starred Senthil, Delhi Ganesh and Srividya in prominent roles.

It revolves around Raja, who is sent to juvenile detention after attacking his teacher with a table weight when falsely accused of theft—an allegation rooted in his father’s belief that children born on Amavasya are destined for crime. After serving his sentence, Raja dedicates himself to social service through a local welfare organisation, earning both admiration and enemies. The story tracks his fight against those who oppose him, as he challenges prejudice and proves superstition wrong.

The film, scripted by Panju Arunachalam, ran for 175 days in theatres all over the state and became a silver jubilee hit despite facing stiff competition from Kamal Haasan's Nayakan. The film was the second highest grosser that year, behind Nayakan. The music was composed by Chandrabose and all songs were chartbusters at the time of the film's release. Manithan was also dubbed and released in Telugu as Prabhanjanam.

The film's re-release after 38 years comes at a time when Rajinikanth fans across the globe are celebrating his golden jubilee year in cinema.