Paayum Puli is a 1983 Tamil-language martial arts film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by Panchu Arunachalam. Produced by AVM Productions, the film stars Rajinikanth and Radha. Inspired by The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), it revolves around a meek man who learns martial arts to seek revenge for the murder of his sister. Paayum Puli was released on 14 January 1983, Pongal day. The film became a commercial success and completed a 133-day run at the box office.

S. P. Muthuraman, also referred to as SPM, is an Indian film director who works in the Tamil film industry. He has directed 72 films in Tamil. He was one of the most successful commercial directors in Tamil cinema. Initially he worked mainly with R. Muthuraman, Jaishankar, Sivaji Ganesan and went on to direct successful films with Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.