Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1959) is a Tamil feature film directed by B. Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu. The cast includes Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, S.Varalakshmi, and Ramaswamy V.K. Eighteen kilometres north west of Tirunelveli lies the hamlet of Panchalankurichi, a place of historical significance. The chieftains ruling Panchalankurichi put up stiff resistance against the British East India Company, between 1798 and 1801.Veerapandiya Kattabomman was a fearless chieftain who refused to bow down to the demands of the British for agricultural tax on native land, a brave warrior who laid down his life for his motherland. The fight he launched in Panchalankurichi has been hailed as the inspiration behind the first battle of independence of 1857, which the British called the Sepoy Mutiny.