Padikkadavan (transl. Illiterate) is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Suraj and produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy. It stars Dhanush and Tamannaah alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Vivek, Atul Kulkarni, Suman, and Sayaji Shinde. The music was composed by Mani Sharma with cinematography by A. Venkatesh and editing by Manoj. Filming began in March 2008, and the film released on 14 January 2009 during Pongal and received a huge positive response. The film was successful, grossing ₹15 crore in Tamil Nadu and established Dhanush as one of the top five saleable heroes of Tamil cinema after then.