Dheena is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by then-debutante A. R. Murugadoss, starring Ajith Kumar, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi in his Tamil debut, and Laila. The music and background score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography by K. Aravind. It was released on 14 January 2001. The film received positive reviews and became a commercial success.

Murugadas Arunachalam, known professionally as AR Murugadas, is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. He is best known for directing action films mainly on social issues. In addition, he has worked in Telugu films and Hindi films. Murugadoss won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for his 2014 Tamil action drama Kaththi.