The story follows Subha (Shruti Haasan), a genetic engineering student who discovers that a Tibetan monk, Aravind (Suriya), is the reincarnation of Bodhidharma—a ancient Tamil prince who took martial arts (Kalaripayattu) and Zen Buddhism to China. When a sleeper agent (played by Johnny Tri Nguyen) threatens to unleash a biological weapon, Aravind must awaken his “7th sense” (intuition beyond the five senses and mind) to save the day.

As a pure entertainer, 7am Arivu delivers:

(played by Suriya), a Pallava prince from Kanchipuram. On the instructions of his guru, he travels to China to stop a spreading epidemic. Despite initial hostility from local villagers, he earns their respect by curing a young girl and defending the village from raiders using martial arts and medicine. He eventually teaches the locals self-defense—which leads to the creation of the Shaolin temple—and various medical remedies.

Which of these would you like?