The Tamil film industry has been making strides in the past couple of decades, much more than in the 80s and 90s, touching on important social issues and day-to-day problems, without losing their much renowned elaborated style. Proof of that is shown through their IMDb rating, where most of the films which appear in the top 10 list comes from this century (Unlike the previous list featuring the Malayalam films). Here are the movies, and the streaming platforms where you can view them.
10. A Peck On The Cheek (2002) IMDb Rating-8.4:
Synopsis: On being told she is adopted by her parents, a little girl decides to find her mother who is in Sri Lanka. Determined on her mission, she begs to be taken to the island country, where her mother works with a militant group of activists.
Starring: R.Madhavan, Nandita Das, P.S.Keerthana and Simran.
Originally titled: Kannathil Muthamittal
As the only war film in this list, this movie talked about the ongoing tensions between the Sinahalese speaking Sri Lankans and the Tamil speaking Sri Lankans at the time. A beautiful film, it touches on some painful yet heartfelt topics such as abandonment and adoption. Watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
9. Asuran (2019) IMDb Rating-8.5:
Synopsis: When the teenage son of ‘lower caste’ farmer kills a rich ‘upper caste’ landlord, the loving and pacifistic man must do whatever he can to protect his hot-blooded son and his family.
Starring: Dhanush, Manju Warrier, Ken Karunas, Teejay Arunasalam and Pasupathy.
This film was veteran actress Manju Warrier’s first role in a Tamil film for which she received rave reviews. Set in 1980, the film follows a farmer and his family trying to fight the caste system prevalent in his village. This film was influenced by the real-life Kilvenmani massacre in 1968. Stream this feature on Amazon Prime Video.
8. Thalapathi (1991) IMDb Rating-8.5:
Synopsis: A benevolent crime boss named Devaraj takes an orphan named Surya who grew up in the slums, under his wing. Their existence is threatened when a new honest collector arrives in their district.
Starring: Rajnikanth, Mammootty, Shobhana, Arvind Swamy and Srividya.
This Tamil crime film was a huge hit on release and has an immense cult following. Mammootty who predominantly acts in Malayalam movies, couldn’t make it into the top 10 Malayalam films but his performance along with everyone else grants him a position on this list. Superstar Rajnikanth is brilliant and the director Mani Ratnam gave Rajnikanth’s character a backstory that drew parallels with Karna from the Mahabharata. This movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.
7. Visaaranai (2015) IMDb Rating-8.5:
Synopsis: Police torture four labourers to confess to a theft they have not committed.
Starring: Attakathi Dinesh, Anandhi, Samuthirakani, Ajay Ghosh and Aadukalam Murugadoss.
This film talks about real-life issues of police brutality happening around the country. A situation where neither law nor lawmen will help you, the things you are forced to do to survive leaves behind a mark, extremely brutal on the human soul. An ingenious film, this was one of the features that proved to the Tamil audience that good films can be created without big, established stars in this century. This film can be streamed on Netflix.
6. 96 (2018) IMDb Rating-8.6:
Synopsis: Two high school sweethearts meet at a reunion after 22 years and reminisce about their past.
Starring: Vijay Sethupathi, Trisha Krishnan and Varsha Bollamma.
Unlike most love stories, this is not a boy-gets-girl film. This heart-wrenching, relate-able film had us in tears by the very end. Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan were electrifyig and the film drowned us in nostalgia, which made us think of our own first loves. This film is available online on MX Player.
5. Nayakan (1987) IMDb Rating-8.6:
Synopsis: After facing heavy brutality from the police, a young man eventually rises to be a Don, who is respected and feared by all. But his growing power and influence has a heavy toll on him.
Starring: Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Delhi Ganesh and Karthika.
The oldest film on this list; this 20+ year old film was one of Kamal Hassan’s best and it has a cult following among the Tamil audiences like no other. You won’t see any other actor dominating other films list like Mohanlal did for the Malayalam top 10 list, but Kamal Haasan is brilliant enough to feature over three of his films on IMDb’s top 10 Tamil films list. Amazon Prime Video is where this cult film is featured for online viewing.
4. Vikram Vedha (2017) IMDb Rating-8.6:
Synopsis: Vikram, a pragmatic police officer and his partner Simon are chasing a smuggler and murderer Vedha. When Vedha voluntarily surrenders, he offers to tell Vikram a story, which throws Vikram’s life into disarray.
Starring: Vijay Sethupathi, R.Madhavan, Shraddha Srinath and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar.
This cat and mouse chase, featuring R.Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi is a movie of epic proportions. This psychological thriller gives the audience the nuances of right and wrong and the film makes the characters dance on the edge of that line. This film can be viewed on Disney+Hotstar.
3. Anbe Sivam (2003) IMDb Rating-8.7:
Synopsis: An ad-filmmaker, Anbarasu, goes to Bhubaneshwar for a business trip and gets stranded at an airport due to heavy rains. He meets a heavily scared man, Nallasivam and bonds with him during his crisis .
Starring: R. Madhavan, Kamal Haasan, Kiran Rathod and Uma Riyaz Khan.
One of the few films in this list that bombed in the box office, this film is considered to be one of the best works of both R. Madhavan and Kamal Haasan. This cult film touches on age-old themes such as “doing the right thing” and “love yourself no matter the situation or circumstance”. Watch this critical hit on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Raatchasan [Ratsasan] (2018) IMDb Rating-8.7:
Synopsis: A film maker sets aside his dream of film making and becomes a Sub-Inspector and sets out to catch a serial killer who targets teenage girls and brutally murders them.
Starring: Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul, Radha Ravi and Ammu Abhirami.
This film came out of nowhere and became a blockbuster hit overnight. This critical and commercial success is a gritty crime thriller, which keeps viewers on the edge of their seats constantly. This crime drama has been released on Disney+Hotstar for viewing.
1. Pariyerum Perumal (2018) IMDb Rating-8.8:
Synopsis: When a law student belonging to a ‘lower caste’ begins a friendship with his classmate, a girl from a ‘higher caste’, her family members start brewing trouble over this seemingly trivial matter.
Starring: Kathir, Anandhi, Yogi Babu and G. Marimuthu.
This film shows a real depiction of caste tensions and brutalities done in the name of caste, which is common all over the country. The film touches on these hard topics which is centered around a friendship and a semi-love story. This film needs to be watched more than it can be explained and it is featured on Amazon Prime Video.
Special Mention: Thevar Magan (1992) IMDb Rating- 8.8:
Synopsis: London-educated Saktivelu returns to India and wants to open a chain of restaurants in Chennai. His father, however, wishes that he would stay back and help the villagers.
Starring: Kamal Haasan, Sivaji Ganesan, Revathi and Gautami.
Normally this film would be take the first spot or second spot on this list. But this film cannot be legally streamed on any of the available OTT platforms yet. Which is a shame, because this cult film was widely acclaimed and was India’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 65th Academy Awards.
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