The American Mappillai is a much lampooned creature in Tamil cinema and provides a lot of fodder for comedy. He is usually an affected gentleman with a penchant for branded clothes or stifling suits worn in the peak of a tropical summer and of course, a horribly pretentious accent. His spoken Tamil is enough to make the ears bleed and his ego is usually the size of Texas. Obviously the heroine turns her back on him in favor of the ‘local’ hero who has already cut him down to size and the America Mappillai has to return with his tail tucked between his legs and the hot air pumped out of his ego, though he usually remains insufferable to the bitter end. This slideshow is in honor of the American Mappillais who came, saw and failed to conquer.