Panakkaran is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by P. Vasu.
The film stars Rajinikanth and Gautami, and was released on January 14, 1990, coinciding with the Pongal festival.
The movie is a remake of the Hindi film Lawaaris (1981) and tells the story of Bhuvana, a famous singer who falls in love with Vishwanathan, a leading businessman. After getting pregnant, she decides to break up with him and leaves with her brother Rao Bahadur.
Meanwhile, Aarumugam, a drunkard, is asked to kill the baby, but instead decides to raise it on his own. The film follows the journey of Bhuvana's son as he grows up and eventually reunites with his biological father, Rajini, who is a poor man working in a labor factory.