Diesel narrates the story of Vasudevan, also known as “Diesel” Vasu, a young fisherman who has learned chemical engineering. His foster father gets caught in a fuel-smuggling operation that operates out of North Chennai.
As Vasu uses his skills to take over his foster father’s syndicate and run the operations, he becomes a Robin Hood–like figure within his community. Using the illicit fuel trade as a source of income to support the welfare of his people, he eventually crosses paths with a corrupt police officer and rival smugglers.
What follows is Vasudevan’s fight against the police officer, turning the movie into a cat-and-mouse chase that sheds light on the diesel mafia and the politics surrounding it.
Cast and crew of Diesel
Diesel stars Harish Kalyan in the lead role, along with Athulya Ravi, P. Sai Kumar, Vinay Rai, Karunas, Vivek Prasanna, Sachin Khedekar, Zakir Hussain, KPY Dheena, Lollu Sabha Maaran, G. Marimuthu, Kaali Venkat, and many others in key roles.
Written and directed by Shanmugam Muthusamy, the film is co-produced by Devarajulu Markandeyan, SP Sankar, and Kishore S under the banners of Third Eye Entertainment and SP Cinemas.
The movie’s musical tracks and background score are composed by ARM-fame Dhibu Ninan Thomas, with the track titled “Beer Song” becoming a viral hit on social media.
Diesel’s cinematography is handled by M.S. Prabhu and Richard M. Nathan, while San Lokesh serves as the editor.
The film was released in theaters alongside Dhruv Vikram’s Bison and Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dude; however, it received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and audiences.