Top 10 Tamil movies of 2015/16
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- DirectorKarthick NarenStarsRahmanPrakash RaghavanSharathkumarA police officer retires after an accident during a case investigation. Years later, he is forced to relive the past as he narrates the story to his friend's son.A 21 year old Karthick Naren wielded the microphone for one of the best thrillers Indian cinema has seen in recent memory. Starring Rahman as an ageing cop who is asked to recollect the final (unsolved) case of his career, the movie impresses big time owing to its intricately written screenplay, tremendous attention to detail and an impressively executed climax. The cinematography and musical score fetch further brownie points.
- DirectorM. ManikandanStarsVijay SethupathiRitika SinghPooja DevariyaGandhi and Pandi decided to get a passport and travel to London to get rid of debts in their village. Things didn't happened has they planned.If there’s any filmmaker in the Tamil industry who has made a name for himself in the last couple of years by creating splendid cocktails of arthouse and commercial cinema, its M. Manikandan. This one is about a village lad (played by Vijay Sethupathi at his relaxed best!) who is debt-ridden and therefore, decides to illegally migrate to the U.K in search for a job that’d let him earn big bucks. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (Yogi Babu is terrific with his puns and rhymes!) and digs taken at the corrupt/fraudulent ways followed by the undiscerning youth of today. What impresses is the light-hearted treatment of unfavourable situations, the social satire it inadvertently grows to become, and the well-etched central characters. Ritika Singh may not have perfected her lipsync yet however she does a neat job conveying the right set of expressions. The supporting cast that includes Pooja Devariya, Nasser, George, Vinodhini and Singampuli, is excellent. K’s musical score gels well with the proceedings.
- DirectorM. ManikandanStarsVidharthPooja DevariyaAishwarya RajeshA young man with a visual impairment uses his other heightened senses to unravel a murder mystery.M. Manikandan’s second venture is about a man suffering from tunnel vision. There is a quite a bit of inspiration from Hitchcock’s “Rear Window“, yet this one holds its own firm ground thanks to certain stand-out performances, focused narrative and the inclusion of neo-noir elements. Cinematography by the director himself and musical score by Ilayaraja warrant praise. The versatility of the filmmaker is clearly established as he takes on a completely different genre from his first venture.
- DirectorMohan RajaStarsJayam RaviArvind SwamyNayantharaSiddharth Abimanyu, an influential scientist, is involved in various illegal medical practices. Mithran, an efficient IPS officer, decides to expose him.One of the most entertaining cat n’ mouse thrillers Tamil cinema has churned out lately. Arvind Swamy as the suave and stylish Siddharth Abhimanyu treaded fresh ground completely ignoring all the usual character traits associated with a menacing antagonist. When was the last time a Tamil movie started off detailing the shrewdness of the villain? Music and BGM by Hip Hop Thamizha also played a significant role adding to the slickness. Mohan Raja’s most dapper film to date. The screenplay is injected with ample doses of pulpiness by novelist duo Suresh-Balakrishnan (Subha).
- DirectorAnucharan MurugaiyanStarsCharlieDavid Solomon RajaMarimuthuKathir is a selfish youth in search of a job. Despite being married and having a child, he is waiting for a job offer that he feels meets his standards. Meanwhile, his wife Anitha is the breadwinner of the family. Prabhakar, a friendly neighbour who acts as his father figure, gets him a job as an informant with the less than honest local police inspector. Kathir uses this opportunity to take revenge against the violent bar owner who humiliated him in front of his friends, despite Prabhakar's advice. With his tip-off, the police raids the bar and arrests the owner for running an illegal gambling den as a side business. One night, Prabhakar is murdered by a group of thugs while a scared Kathir runs for his life. Suspecting that Prabhakar was murdered because he too was an informant, Kathir starts becoming paranoid. Eventually, he comes to realize that the inspector he is working for is now in cohorts with the bar owner after being promised a large sum of money as commission in return for permission to run their illegal businesses. Since Kathir is the only witness for most of the inspector's corrupt activities, the inspector has the bar owner send his thugs to kill Kathir too. However, the inspector eventually feels sorry for Kathir and allows him to live as long as he stays silent about all the underground operations being carried out by the local police station. In the end, Kathir takes up a low-paying but proper job at his wife's garment factory and earns an honest living.M. Manikandan takes on the role of writer in this crime-thriller that paints almost all its characters (including the lead played by Kathir) grey. K’s tunes add to the overall feel of the movie. Reshmi Menon who plays the female lead, Charle who plays informant Prabhakar, G Marimuthu and the rest put on a stellar show. Directed by Anucharan, this flick serves as a decent-enough character study with reference to people on both sides of the law (the keepers and the breakers!)
- DirectorVetrimaaranStarsDineshSamuthirakaniAnandhiFour labourers are tortured by the police to confess to a theft they have not committed.A spine-chilling experience is what Visaranai is. Based on the novel Lock Up by M. Chandrakumar and written/directed by Vetrimaaran, it was selected as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Police brutality has been showcased in all its viciousness in the movie. There wasn’t a single character that felt out-of-place. Samuthirakani was brilliant, and so were the rest. The climax leaves the viewer with a bitter aftertaste.
- DirectorVignesh ShivanStarsVijay SethupathiNayantharaParthiban RadhakrishnanA wannabe rowdy who falls for a hearing-impaired girl faces a dilemma when the girl makes a shocking request.A black-comedy thriller centered around a woman plotting to kill her dad’s murderer and a bunch of wannabe-thugs who help her in accomplishing it. Sethupathi-Nayantara duo’s onscreen chemistry is delightful and a bunch of supporting actors (Parthiban, Anandaraj, RJ Balaji and co.) add to the hilarity. Vignesh Shivan rises to the occasion the second time around (after 2012’s ‘Podaa Podi’) and succeeds in tickling the funny bone on plenty of occasions. The songs by Anirudh Ravichander were instant chart-busters.
- DirectorM. ManikandanStarsRamesh ThilaganathanJ. VigneshAishwarya RajeshTwo slum kids yearn to taste a pizza after being enticed by the pizza shop that has opened near their locality. What happens when they manage to find the money to buy one?A story of two slum kids and their antics to procure/taste a pizza is what Kaaka Muttai is all about. It’s M. Manikandan’s debut directorial and that speaks for itself. The kids are endearing and their performances are as level-headed as they can get. Iyshwarya Rajesh, Ramesh Thilak, Yogi Babu and the rest lend great support. The film received multiple accolades on release and was screened at various international film festivals. A fine specimen of exceptional craftsmanship and brilliant writing, here is one movie that is bound to have impressed every single viewer.
- DirectorVijay KumarStarsVijay KumarChandruMime GopiFour friends studying in an engineering college unintentionally end up becoming a part of caste politics led by corrupt politicians.This movie came across as a surprise in many ways..the subtle and realistic stunt choreography (the director Vijay Kumar even mentions a few genuine injuries on set), the unabashed portrayal of violence, and the utterly bold screenplay (depicting the unruly system of caste-based political parties) that throws cliches in a well. It holds good as a buddy film as well as a political thriller with gritty, violent undertones. Song compositions by Masala Coffee are first-rate.
- DirectorR. RavikumarStarsVishnu VishalMiya GeorgeKarunakaranElango and his friend Pulivetti come into possession of a time machine and they start profiting from it. However, their meddling with time prevents the death of a gangster, who begins to wreak havoc in their lives.Sci-fi has now become a reliable genre in Tamil cinema. Certain star-backed sci-fi vehicles (falling mostly in the masala genre) had previously failed to rise to the expectations surrounding them (Maattraann, 7aum Arivu to name a few!). Indru Netru Naalai is essentially a low-brow romantic comedy revolving around the element of time-travel. For a low-budget flick, the technical values seemed pretty competent and the screenplay was smartly conceived. Karunakaran is a blast!