Top 12 Tamil Films of 2023

2023 was a somewhat good year for Tamil cinema. As always, big stars let us down with their fan-pandering and hero-worship antics. But other filmmakers were much more productive in their output and gave us some great stories. So, here is out personal Top 12 Tamil Films of 2023.

12) Asvins

A team of young paranormal investigators explores a mansion in Kent, once the property of archaeologist Aarthi Rajagopalan. Strange voices haunt the investigators one by one before they confront a mysterious entity within the mansion. Arjun, the group's leader, discovers that he alone can rescue his team. However, revelations surface that his initial intentions for visiting the mansion differ significantly from his team's.

Source: Google Images

11) Run Baby Run

Sathya, a young banker recently engaged, discovers a young woman hiding in the back seat of his car during a visit to a jewelry store. She claims her life is in danger and pleads with Sathya to keep her safe until her guardian, Father Vincent, arrives. Sathya reluctantly agrees and takes her home, offering her refuge in his guest room. He assures her she need not inform him when she departs with her guardian, unknowingly setting the stage for a grave mistake.

Source: Google Images

10) Dada

Manikandan and Sindhu, daring college seniors, face ostracization from their families after Sindhu becomes pregnant. Forced to rent a house in the slums, Manikandan battles unemployment and turns to alcohol, straining their relationship. Sindhu, after giving birth to their son, leaves Manikandan, making him a single father. With the support of his best friend, Manikandan secures a job matching his qualifications, but complications arise when he enters a new office.

Source: Google Images

9) Good Night

Mohan, an IT professional, clashes with his manager due to limited English fluency and a past complaint against the boss for inappropriate emails. Dubbed "Motor" due to his snoring, Mohan reconciles with the belief that marriage is out of reach. Little does he know that his loud snores might not be the insurmountable obstacle he believes them to be.

Source: Google Images

8) Maamannan

Maamannan, a Dalit assemblyman in Salem, faces estrangement from his son Veera, who resents his subservience to the party's upper-caste secretary, Rathnavelu. When Veera's girlfriend Leela's free coaching center is vandalized, a series of events unfolds, leading to a meeting between Maamannan, Veera, and Rathnavelu with unexpected consequences.

Source: Google Images

7) Maaveeran

Sathya, a comic book artist, depicts the tale of a brave warrior named Maaveeran. Forced to relocate to a high-rise apartment, Sathya witnesses the flaws in the system. Mistreatment of women in his slum prompts him to attempt suicide, but a twist of fate involving his own comic strip alters the course of events.

Source: Google Images

6) Chithha

Eeswaran, a civil servant, acts as a father figure to his niece Sundari. A trip to the forest takes a dark turn when Sundari's friend Ponni is assaulted, leading to accusations against Eeswaran. As he tries to prove his innocence, Sundari goes missing, intensifying the mystery.

Source: Google Images

5) Jigarthanda Double X

Kiruba, wrongfully imprisoned, receives an offer for freedom in exchange for killing a notorious mobster, Caesar. Kiruba assumes a filmmaker's identity to execute the plan but soon discovers that Caesar is more perceptive than he appears, setting the stage for a gripping confrontation.

Source: Google Images

4) Thugs

Sethu, imprisoned for murder, navigates prison dynamics after thwarting an escape plan. Tormented by a rival gang, Sethu plans an escape with his cellmate, only to face a new threat from enemies outside prison. The complexity of his situation grows beyond his expectations.

Source: Google Images

3) Viduthalai Part 1

In rural Tamil Nadu, an extremist group derails a train in protest against a foreign mining company taking over their village. Operation Ghost Hunt targets the mysterious leader Perumal, and newly recruited constable Kumaresan finds himself entangled in a complex conflict that challenges his beliefs.

Source: Google Images

2) Ponniyin Selvan: II

The Chola empire mourns Prince Arulmozhi's presumed death, while his brother, the Crown Prince, seeks revenge against Nandini. Unaware of her allegiance to Pandian rebels, the Crown Prince faces opposition from various factions, setting the stage for a power struggle.

Source: Google Images

1) Por Thozhil

Prakash, a new police detective, collaborates with Loganathan and technical assistant Veena to investigate serial murders in Tiruchirappalli. As they delve into the case, they discover connections to past crimes, uncovering a web of deception that goes beyond their initial understanding.

Source: Google Images

So, what did you think of our list? Please let us know in the comment section below. 

10 Ways How James Cameron's AVATAR Movies Pays Tribute (and perhaps Appropriates) Hinduism

The Avatar film franchise is most definitely a tractate on Hinduism and for Hindus. But even during the release of the first film in 2009, scholars were divided on the treatment of Hinduism-inspired themes. On the one hand, director-writer James Cameron himself has publicly stated, "I have just loved the mythology. The entire Hindu pantheon seems so rich and vivid," before adding, "I didn't want to reference the Hindu religion so closely, but the subconscious association was interesting, and I hope I haven't offended anyone in doing so." On the other hand, some critics have claimed the film franchise has appropriated Hindu teachings. Here are a few ways the film has both paid tribute and perhaps even unintentionally appropriated the oldest practicing religion in the world. 

Source: Google Images

1. The very word 'Avatar' itself

In a 2007 interview with Time magazine, Cameron defined an avatar as, "an incarnation of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form." That is not inaccurate at all. However, in the films, it is regular human beings who are technically reincarnated when their intelligence is remotely relocated into a new body through advanced technology. Although some critics may argue the films completely reverses the very concept of avatars, they are clearly overlooking another Hindu concept known as Parakaya Pravesha – where humans can leave their body temporarily and enter the body of another like the time Adi Shankaracharya entered the body of a king to learn about material world. Also, anyone who grew up worshipping the most popular avatars of Hindu deities would have quickly noticed how familiar the Na'vi, and particularly the protagonist Na'vi form, is; which brings us to our next point. 

Source: Google Images

2. Jake Sully's visual and story representation

Story wise, Sully's character arc in the first film is not very different from that of the heroes of Hindu epics who are reincarnated as one of the people to save them from chaos. Visually too, the Na'vi's blue skin, long hair and forehead markings all seem inspired by the traditional way Hindu figures such as Rama and Krishna have been represented. In an interview, Cameron once admitted, "I just like blue. It's a good color. Plus, there's a connection to the Hindu deities, which I like conceptually." Furthermore, in his original human form, Jakes Sully looks like any other white man. But many commentators have pointed out that as a Na'vi riding a winged-raptor next to Neytiri, the pair bear a striking resemblance to the lord protector Vishnu and the goddess Lakshmi riding the Garuda, which leads us to the next point. 

Source: Google Images

3. The Mother Goddess and tree-worship

Just like how Hindus have a Mother Goddess, the Na'vi have a female deity in Eywa which they connect to through the Tree of Souls. Hindus also worship God through certain plants and trees, the most popular being the holy basil. It is regarded as an earthly manifestation of Tulasi, an avatar of goddess Lakshmi, and thus the consort of Vishnu. However, the Hometree in the films seem more similar to a Banyan tree with its hollow vessels that  allow the Na’vi to inhabit them. The Banyan tree is not only sacred to Hindus but also Buddhists since Buddha is said to have reached his higher sense of enlightenment while meditating under a Banyan tree. 

Source: Google Images

4. The connection between the soul and nature

The Na'vi ability to connect to not just Eywa but the nature surrounding them is oddly similar to the Hindu concept of Atman. In Hinduism, the physical body is nothing more than a living vehicle between reincarnation transcendental state. The ultimate state of consciousness and connectedness with the higher self is located within ones spiritual subconscious of Atman which fuels both animate and inanimate objects throughout the universe. The Na’vi’s natural ability to directly tap into their natural surroundings' network system allows them to physically connect with Eywa’s sense of oneness, like Brahma. This system allows for the transferal of conscious minds and exchange from one entity to another through a collective psionic conscience not unlike the one that is mentioned in Hinduism. 

Source: Google Images

5. Amrita: the elixir of immortality

Amrita, the honey-like extracted from Tulkun brains is said to have anti-aging properties that are sold at a very high price on Earth. Just like the mineral Unobtanium, Amrita is another substance that serves as the reason humans wish to colonise Pandora. According to Hindu scriptures, Amrita is the celestial nectar that the deities and demons churned from the celestial ocean that grants them the intelligence to create immortality. It is worth noting that because this nectar is sought after by both good and evil celestial beings, it has become one of the main confrontations between the two.

Source: Google Images

6. The birth of Kiri

There is still a lot of unanswered questions regarding Kiri. For one, she is born to Grace's Na'vi avatar postmortem. Unlike the other Na'vi, she has unique abilities. Since she has no living relatives on Pandora, she was adopted by the Sullies. In multiple Hindu stories, the deity Vishnu reincarnated as a human by descending into the womb of a woman to help mankind. One popular fan theory is that the mother goddess Eywa has reincarnated Herself in Na'vi form to help Her people fight the human invaders.   

Source: Google Images

7. "I see you"

The Hindu way of greeting one another is by saying "Namaskaram" which means, "the divinity within me acknowledges the divinity within you." This is not that different from the way the Na'vi say, "I see you" to one another. This way of greeting has become even more fashionable nowadays in this era of physical distancing. It holds much more meaning than a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hello’. 

Source: Google Images

8. The colonization of Bharath

Even though not directly linked to Hinduism per say, the films surely draw parallels between the corporate imperialism of the RDA over Pandora and its historical equivalent in India. The privately-run East India Company had its own army that imposed profit-driven territorial sovereignty over the people Bharath by sometimes undermining the native's religions. James Cameron acknowledges how the films are "certainly about imperialism in the sense that the way human history has always worked is that people with more military or technological might tend to supplant or destroy people who are weaker, usually for their resources." Despite its anti-imperialist agenda, the first film seen by many critics as a white saviour narrative where the indigenous people were always reduced to supporting characters in which white people were either the cruel imperialists of benevolent ones.

Source: Google Images

10. Adharma running supreme 

"It is said that great minds think alike in all ages. The great saints of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) thought about this 5000 years ago and they tried to explain it to us through symbols and stories. Today we have technology explain the universal truths. But are we listening? We are slowly wiping out the green cover and destroying the Mother Earth thinking that we humans are superior and above all. But what Avatar missed is foreseen by Hindu seers the total annihilation of human race when there is rise of Adharma (today it is unimaginable greed and lack of concern for mother earth). We are fast heading towards such a situation and this divine action will be carried out by Kalki. Then there is a fresh beginning. The cycle continues and this present age is not the first cycle and it is not the last."

Source: Google Images

MONSTER, A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE By Dennis Saddleman

I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

I HATE YOU

YOU’RE A MONSTER

A HUGE HUNGRY MONSTER

BUILT WITH STEEL BONES           5

BUILT WITH CEMENT FLESH

YOU’RE A MONSTER

BUILT TO DEVOUR

INNOCENT NATIVE CHILDREN

YOU’RE A COLD-HEARTED MONSTER       10

COLD AS THE CEMENT FLOORS

YOU HAVE NO LOVE

NO GENTLE ATMOSPHERE

YOUR UGLY FACE GROOVED WITH RED BRICKS

YOUR MONSTER EYES GLARE           15

FROM GRIMY WINDOWS

MONSTER EYES SO EVIL

MONSTER EYES WATCHING

TERRIFIED CHILDREN

COWER WITH SHAME           20

I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL I HATE YOU

YOU’RE A SLIMY MONSTER

OOZING IN THE SHADOWS OF MY PAST

GO AWAY LEAVE ME ALONE

YOU’RE FOLLOWING ME FOLLOWING ME WHEREVER I GO     25

YOU’RE IN MY DREAMS IN MY MEMORIES

GO AWAY MONSTER GO AWAY

I HATE YOU YOU’RE FOLLOWING ME

I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL I HATE YOU

YOU’RE A MONSTER WITH HUGE WATERY MOUTH     30

MOUTH OF DOUBLE DOORS

YOUR WIDE MOUTH TOOK ME

YOUR YELLOW STAINED TEETH CHEWED

THE INDIAN OUT OF ME

YOUR TEETH CRUNCHED MY LANGUAGE       35

GRINDED MY RITUALS AND MY TRADITIONS

YOUR TASTE BUDS BECAME BITTER

WHEN YOU TASTED MY RED SKIN

YOU SWALLOWED ME WITH DISGUST

YOUR FACE WRINKLED WHEN YOU         40

TASTED MY STRONG PRIDE                                               2

I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL I HATE YOU

YOU’RE A MONSTER

YOUR THROAT MUSCLES FORCED ME

DOWN TO YOUR STOMACH       45

YOUR THROAT MUSCLES SQUEEZED MY HAPPINESS

SQUEEZED MY DREAMS

SQUEEZED MY NATIVE VOICE

YOUR THROAT BECAME CLOGGED WITH MY SACRED SPIRIT

YOU COUGHED AND YOU CHOKED       50

FOR YOU CANNOT WITH STAND MY

SPIRITUAL SONGS AND DANCES

I HATE YOU RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL I HATE YOU

YOU’RE A MONSTER

YOUR STOMACH UPSET EVERY TIME I WET MY BED     55

YOUR STOMACH RUMBLED WITH ANGER

EVERY TIME I FELL ASLEEP IN CHURCH

Your stomach growled at me every time I broke the school rules

Your stomach was full You burped

You felt satisfied You rubbed your belly and you didn’t care       60

You didn’t care how you ate up my native Culture

You didn’t care if you were messy

if you were piggy

You didn’t care as long as you ate up my Indianness

I hate you Residential School I hate you           65

You’re a monster

Your veins clotted with cruelty and torture

Your blood poisoned with loneliness and despair

Your heart was cold it pumped fear into me

I hate you Residential School I hate you           70

You’re a monster

Your intestines turned me into foul entrails

Your anal squeezed me

squeezed my confidence

squeezed my self respect           75

Your anal squeezed

then you dumped me

Dumped me without parental skills

without life skills

Dumped me without any form of character       80

without individual talents

without a hope for success

I hate you Residential School I hate you                              3

You’re a monster

You dumped me in the toilet then       85

You flushed out my good nature

my personalities

I hate you Residential School I hate you

You’re a monster………I hate hate hate you

Thirty three years later         90

I rode my chevy pony to Kamloops

From the highway I saw the monster

My Gawd! The monster is still alive

I hesitated I wanted to drive on

but something told me to stop     95

I parked in front of the Residential School

in front of the monster

The monster saw me and it stared at me

The monster saw me and I stared back

We both never said anything for a long time       100

Finally with a lump in my throat

I said, “Monster I forgive you.”

The monster broke into tears

The monster cried and cried

His huge shoulders shook          105

He motioned for me to come forward

He asked me to sit on his lappy stairs

The monster spoke

You know I didn’t like my Government Father

I didn’t like my Catholic Church Mother           110

I’m glad the Native People adopted me

They took me as one of their own

They fixed me up Repaired my mouth of double doors

Washed my window eyes with cedar and fir boughs

They cleansed me with sage and sweetgrass         115

Now my good spirit lives

The Native People let me stay on their land

They could of burnt me you know instead they let me live

so People can come here to school restore or learn about their culture

The monster said, “I’m glad the Native People gave me another chance     120

I’m glad Dennis you gave me another chance

The monster smiled

I stood up I told the monster I must go

Ahead of me is my life. My people are waiting for me                   4

I was at the door of my chevy pony         125

The monster spoke, “Hey you forgot something

I turned around I saw a ghost child running down the cement steps

It ran towards me and it entered my body

I looked over to the monster I was surprised

I wasn’t looking at a monster anymore             130

I was looking at an old school In my heart I thought

This is where I earned my diploma of survival

I was looking at an old Residential School who

became my elder of my memories

I was looking at a tall building with four stories     135

stories of hope

stories of dreams

stories of renewal

and stories of tomorrow           139

Top 20 Tamil Films of 2022

Although many pan-Indians dominated the limelight and box office throughout 2022, there were a few Tamil gems that were well-received by both critics and audiences too. Here is a list of my personal favourite 20 Tamil Fims of 2022: 

20) Hey Sinamika

After two years of being married to Yaazhan, Mouna starts to realize that his overly affectionate and talkative nature is overbearing. She ropes in the help of psychiatrist Dr. Malarvizhi to seduce him so that she can use it as an excuse to file for a divorce. However, Malarvizhi begins to fall in love with Yaazhan. To make things even complicated, Yaazhan's newfound blossoming career as an RJ with the psychiatrist's helps takes their friendship to a whole new level...

Source: Google Images

19) Love Today

Uthaman and Nikitha have been in a relationship for awhile and are planning to get married. However, Nikitha's orthodox father finds out about them before she can properly ask for his permission. Her father promises to give them his blessings if they exchange phones for a certain period of time. After the end of the period, if they still feel that they are the perfect, they will have his blessings. Both Pradeep and Nikitha agree to this. However, Nikitha is unaware that Pradeep has a very dark secret from his college days that he still has saved in his social media accounts...

Source: Google Images

18) Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal

Ever since childhood, Rambo has led a cursed life. His father has died, his mother is paralyzed and all his aunts and uncles remain unmarried in an effort to end the vicious cycle of misfortune that has plagued their family for generations. His mother also suffers seizures whenever he is nearby. Fearing that he emanates bad luck, he runs away from his village for good, believing that his family's luck will improve with him apart. As an adult, he strikes a friendship with two young women and finds that by having both of them in his life, he is miraculously cured of his misfortune. Problems start when both of them fall in love with him and he is unable to leave either one of them...

Source: Google Images

17) Rathasaatchi

Back in the 1980s at the height of the Naxalite unrest across India, college topper Appu rejects an offer to further his studies in London with his fiancé. Instead, he heads a Communist youth wing which travels from one village to another propagating their ideology among the lower-caste communities to rebel against their merciless landlords. While Appu consistently favours peaceful campaigning instead of his party's proneness to violence, the custodial death of his best friend instigates to kill the arrogant police officer responsible for the murder. With no other choice, Appu is forced to turn to the Naxalites and hide out in the jungle while waiting for what comes next... 

Source: Google Images

16) Selfie

Kanal is a bad-tempered student who holds a grudge against his overbearing father who bribed a college admission brocket to get him a placed at his low-level engineering college. When a friend's relative approaches Kanal and his gang for help to get his son a place at a prestigious medical college in Chennai, they decide to start their own underground college admissions racket by pretending to be a local gangster's men. However, the situation becomes complicated when the client pulls out and demands his money back. When Kanal's gang refuse to cooperate, the gangster finds out that someone has misused his name, Kanal and his friends' lives change forever...

Source: Google Images

15) Writer

Head constable Thangaraj is fighting for the establishment of a police union for lower rank police officers. On his first day at a new station, he is assigned to watch over a PhD student Devakumar who is illegally held in at a banquet hall nearby. His superiors fear that the case against Devakumar is not strong enough to convict him. Since Thangaraj is a writer, they arrange for him to write a convincing crime scene. Unknown to Thangaraj, his superiors have falsely implicated Devakumar as a Naxalite because of a unresolved case that happened years ago... 

Source: Google Images

14) Kuruthi Aattam

Shakthi is an attender in a government hospital and a Kabaddi player in Madurai, who is always at loggerheads with the wealthy kids in town, Muthu and Arivu. However, things change when Shakthi befriends Muthu after defending him in a fight. However, Muthu is forced to keep his newfound friendship a secret from Arivu and their other friends who are jealous of Shakthi. Unknown to Shakthi, Muthu is the only son of Gandhimati, the most powerful mafia kingpin in the city, and things change when a mysterious gang plans to kill their entire family...

Source: Google Images

13) Mahaan

Gandhi comes from a family of strict teetotalers who follow the principles of Gandhism closely. One evening, Gandhi reunites with Sathya, his childhood friend who runs a local liquor operation. His family abandons him after discovering he spent the night drinking. Gandhi then becomes Sathya's partner after helping rebrand their business. All this time, Gandhi's son Dada grows up despising his father who he believed left his mother in favour of drinking. He trains to become a police officer so that he can avenge his his childhood abandonment even if it means relinquishing the Gandhism principles he was raised to believe in not unlike the father he so hates...

Source: Google Images

12) Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal

The story revolves around four young men of different backgrounds in Chennai. Vijaykumar is an egoistic and hot-tempered young man who is always berating his father for being too independent for his age. Rajasekar is a hardworking employer at a famous resort in the city who is often overlooked because of his qualifications. Pradeesh is a nepo baby who is trying to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry while enjoying the perks of living under his famous father's shadows. Praveen is a senior software engineer who finally has the chance to leave for The States to live the American Dream that he was been wishing for for ages with his wife and child. A disastrous road accident that happens one night changes their lives and the lives of everyone around them forever...

Source: Google Images

11) Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

Despite receiving a permanent position at NASA, Princeton graduate Nambi returns to India to work at ISRO. After securing 400 million pounds of equipment from Scotland for free, Nambi and his team move to France for a few years to learn from the French. However, it is in Russia where Nambi strikes a deal with the Soviet Union to import cryogenic missiles. Throughout his time in America, Britain France and now Russia, Nambi is closely followed by NRI Barry Amaldev who is suspicious of Nambi's progress. Back in India, Nambi is arrested for allegedly selling military secrets to Pakistan...

Source: Google Images

10) Saani Kaayidham

Ponni is a vengeful young woman out to seek revenge against the upper-caste landlords who killed her family and raped her. After corrupt police officers and lawyers help the men escape before the court can sentence them, Ponni teams up with her estranged half-brother Sangayya to seek vengeance. During their adventures, the half-siblings multiple hurdles in the form of misogyny and casteism. Throughout their detective work to track down the perpetrators, Ponni begins to suspect that one of her daughter's blind teenage friend who is also the son of one of the landlords might have also been involved in the incident that night...

Source: Google Images

9) Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu

Muthu is a young low-caste village boy who moves into the house of a distant relative who promises to find him a job in Mumbai. However, the following day, Muthu finds the man has committed suicide after having a heated discussion over the phone the previous night. Muthu finds a bag a gun next to the body. Instead of reporting it to the police, Muthu decides to keep it and take it with him to his new job in Mumbai. To Muthu's surprise, his new job in the big city is not as glamorous as he expected and the gun he stole might come in handy in more than one way...

Source: Google Images

8) Kanam

Three friends come across a scientist who task them with a time machine. Aadhi plans to go back in time to be with his dead mother one last time. Pandi wants to make his childhood self realize the importance of education so he can get a good job as an adult. Kathir wants to convince his childhood self to befriend his classmate who ignores as a kid but grows up to become the most eligible bachelorette in the city. Although they are successful in going back in time, their younger selves start growing suspicious of them and eventually finds the time machine they used...

Source: Google Images

7) Iravin Nizhal

When corrupt film financier Nandu learns that the cops are coming to arrest him, he makes a run for it. As he hides out at a fake godman's ashram, he recounts his eventful life. Neighbors found him as a baby by his mother's corpse after she was murdered by her husband and they then raised him as their own. At ten, he runs away from home after being wrongfully accused of getting his adopted sibling killed. Living on the streets after being raped by a cop, he is adopted by a trans-woman who makes him sell drugs to help them survive. As a young adult, he gets involved in two failed relationship, which eventually forces him to join the fake godman's ashram. The people he meets here, combined with his already tragic past, would shape the rest of his adult life... 

Source: Google Images

6) Thiruchitrabalam

Thiruchitrabalam is a food delivery boy, who lives with his strict father and dotting grandfather. He blames his father for his mother and sister death in a car accident, which turned him into a self-conscious person. He avoids talking to his father even though they live under the same roof. His only comfort is his childhood friend Shobhana who helps him court the girls he has a crush on. Just as Thiruchitrabalam is about to reconcile with his father, the father suffers a stroke. While helping his grandfather care for his father, and constantly suffering one heartbreak after another from the girls he approaches, Thiruchitrabalam begins to realize that life is not always what it seems...

Source: Google Images

5) Poochandi

Journalist Murugan travels from India to Malaysia to study the influence of the ancient Chola empire in the Southeast Asian country. However, he quickly becomes fascinated by the story of Shankar and Anbu who lost their friend Guru to an evil spirit. Late one evening, the trio uses one of Anbu's oldest coins from the Kadaram period to play Ouija. Initially, they assume that the spirit they invite, Malika, is a friendly one that will help them get everything they want. However, things start getting out of hand after Guru disrespects the spirit, which seemingly results in his death. Murugan accompanies Shankar and Anbu in tracking down Malka's family to find out if she has any unresolved wishes that has left her spirit stuck in this world. To their surprise, they find Malika very much alive...

Source: Google Images

4) Vikram

The police ropes in Sepcial Agent Amar, the commander of a confidential black-ops squad to investigate a series of murders committed by a masked group of vigilantes. Of all the murders this group has committed, one is out of place. Karnan was a regular senior citizen who recently adopted his grandson following the death of his son and had nothing to do with drug dealing like the other victims. During this time, Amar and his team are being Sandhanam, the local kingpin who works for a much more dangerous crime lord who has access to much more power than Amar...

Source: Google Images

3) Ponniyin Selvan: Part 1

Vandiyathevan is sent to the capital of the great Chola empire to deliver a message from the crown prince Aditha Karikalan to the emperor. During this time, Vandiyathevan learns of an attempt by vassals and petty chieftains of the empire to overthrow the current emperor and install his nephew Madhurantakan, the firstborn son of the previous emperor as the new emperor. Vandiyathevan reports this to Princess Kundavai, who in turn asks him to go to Lanka to bring her younger brother Arulmozhi Varman back to the capital while she tries to convince her elder brother to return. However, Aditha Karikalan has vowed to never return to the capital as long as the wife of one of the chieftain lives there. Unknown to anyone, she is more than just a queen of a vassal state...

Source: Google Images

2) Suzhal: The Vortex

Okay, technically this is more of a miniseries than an actual feature-length film, but still, it is too good to be left our of this list. In the small town of Sambaloor, the local community is preparing for the annual 10 day festival of Mayana Kollai in honour of the Mother Goddess. Even the burning down of the neighbouring cement factory that employs almost half of the locals cannot stop the celebration. However, the sudden disappearance of Nila, the teenage daughter of the local union leader, and the son of the town's police inspector sets in motion an investigation that brings out the deepest, darkest secrets that the townsfolk has been trying to suppress for years...

Source: Google Images

1) Gargi

School teacher Gargi and her family become the center of public hatred after her security guard father and a few other men are accused of sexually assaulting a young girl at the posh apartment complex he works at. Since public opinion against her father is strong, their family lawyer abandons the case and Gargi is forced to seek the help of his no-note protégé, Indrans who has no reputation to lose. Since Indrans works part-time at a pharmacy, he realizes that the victim was wrongly medicated with a high dose of barbiturates, which makes her testimony against Gargi's father inadmissible in court. However, the case is still not as straightforward as it seems as Gargi refuses to accept the truth that is right under her nose...

Source: Google Images

Tp 20 Tamil Films of 2021

Please bear in mind this is my own personal list and I also did not get to watch every movie released in theaters on on streaming. Nevertheless, here you go. My Top 20 Tamil Films of 2021: 

20. Kutty Story

This anthology is made up of four different short films all dealing with love. The first story is about two college friends who might have had feelings for one another but ended up marrying other people. The second story deals with a young woman who refuses to go through an abortion even after her boyfriend dies, risking her family's reputation. The third story revolves around two gamers who meet and fall in love while playing an online video game while not knowing one another in real life. The final story shows us what happens when a man, who has cheated on his wife, suddenly is told that his wife has been cheating on him too. 

Source: Google Images

19. Kabadadaari

Shakti is a traffic cop, who discovers the skeletal remains of a three-member family who are over forty years old. He decides to investigate the case himself with the help of journalist Kumar. They approach Ranjan, a retired officer who investigated the case years ago. During the course of the investigation, Shakti is faced with multiple hurdles that force him to question his own intentions and integrity. When Shakti and his companions eventually trace the case to a very powerful individual. 

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18. Kamali From Nadukkaveri

Kamali is no different from any other Indian girl growing up in a small village like Nadukkaveri. Despite being a good student, all she wants to do is complete secondary school and marry whoever her parents choose for her. However, after watching the interview of the state topper, the dashing Ashwin, Kamali develops a huge crush for him. She starts studying hard to enroll into Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai where he is currently a student so she can get to know him. However, she has to face many challenges from the patriarchy that has dominated life in her village for generations. 

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17. Anbirkiniyal

Anbu is a nursing graduate who plans to go work in Canada for a few years so she can make enough money to pay off all her loving but conservative father's debts and start their own business. She works part time at a fast food restaurant at a popular mall in the city. One evening, Anbu helps her workmates place some stocks in the freezer room. Thinking that all his workers have gone home, Ambu's hot-headed manager unknowingly locks her in the freezer. Anbu's father becomes worried that when she does not come home at time. With the help of Charles, Anbu's boyfriend, the father tries desperately to find his daughter while she struggles to stay alive in the freezer room. 

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16. Theethum Nandrum

Dass and Siva are burglars who have successfully robbed from many wealthy citizens in the city. However, when Dass gets married to Sumathi, and Siva falls in love with Thamizh, they begin contemplating ending their life of crime. However, when Sumathi becomes pregnant, Dass is unsure if working as a labourer will be enough to provide for his small family. He and Siva are then approached by an old friend, Maaran, who convinces them to do one last job. However, the heist is much more complicated that they were led to believe and the young men are finally forced to confront the law. 

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15. Nenjam Marappathillai

Mariam, a selfless orphan, becomes the governess for a wealthy family to help the nun who raised her run the orphanage she grew up in. Although, Rishi the young boy she is tasked to care for grows to adore her, his manipulative father, Ramsay, lusts after her while his arrogant mother, Swetha, looks down on her. One night, while Swetha is away and Rishi is asleep, Ramsay and his men plan to take advantage of Mariam. When she threatens to expose them, Ramsay makes a decision where there is no coming back from. 

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14. Boomika

After her architect husband is contracted to refurbish a grand estate in Ooty for a large sum of money, Sam and her family move into the area with their business partner. While preparing to stay at the mansion for the night, Sam's sister-in-law starts texting Krishna, their old-friend and even sends a selfie to which he eerily replies that he too is in the picture. Later, Sam's husband reveals that Krishna had died in a car accident the previous night, and that there is no phone signal in the estate. Soon, more paranormal activities begin to occur and the group's attempts to flee are consistently thwarted by all kinds of unexplainable events...

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13. Thalaivii

In the late 80s, Jaya, a former movie star turned member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly questions the chief minister on the various false allegations leveled against the opposition while demanding his resignation. However, her outspoken speech leads to violence where Jaya is assaulted and humiliated. Comparing her plight to Draupadi, Jaya pledges she would only return to Fort St. George after she has become chief minister. The story then is told in flashbacks of how Jaya, a young girl with many dreams, would soon become one of the most powerful women in India...

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12. Lift 

Guru is a new employee of a renowned IT company in Chennai. His first day goes as normal but he is then asked to stay back and complete an assignment till late in the evening. As he tries to leave, he finds that the lift has malfunctioned and he ends up in a random floor where he witnesses a security guard committing suicide. Guru tries to escape but ends up in the lift again with Harini, the human resources manager who dislikes him. They then encounters various abnormal events in the lift and the office building. Initially, they are convinced that the supernatural entity haunting them is trying to kill them but as the night goes on, they discover that there is something else in the works...

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11. Oh Manapenne!

Karthik is a typical slacker who took five years to complete his final year. He dreams of becoming a chef and opening his own restaurant, but his father who has stopped believing in him decides to get him married to someone from a wealthy family. Karthik then ends up in the home of Shruthi, who is a class topper and aspires to start her own business despite her father's wishes for her to get married. As both Karthik and Shruthi start getting to know each other, both families realize that Karthik had ended up in the wrong house and he is quickly taken away. Despite not being each other's match, they both decide to work together to start a food truck business. However, Karthik's laziness and Shruthi's overbearingness prove to be an incompatible match in more ways then they could have imagined...

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10. Netrikann

Durga, a young policewoman with a promising career, goes blind following a road accident that killed her adoptive brother. As she is healing from the trauma of that day, young women start going missing across Chennai. She becomes convinced that the perpetrator once tried to abduct her before hitting a food delivery boy that ultimately foiled his plans. She tries to help Manikandan, the officer in charge of the case, find the predator alongside the reluctant delivery boy who reminds her of her death brother. However, unknown to any of them, the villain is not just any ordinary sexual deviant and he is always a few steps ahead of them...

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9. Sarpatta Parambarai

Kabilan, an aspiring boxer, grows up worshipping Rangan, the local boxing coach who once trained his late father. However, Kabilan's mother disallows him from training since her husband, like many other boxers in their neighbourhood, ended up becoming henchmen for the local mobsters before dying in gang wars. However, Kabilan somehow manages to join Rangan's class, but he quickly learns that his most deadliest opponents are not those from within the ring but are from his immediate surroundings...

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8. Doctor

A young army doctor goes to the home of his former fiancé to find out why she ended their engagement. During this time, her niece is abducted by a notorious human trafficking ring. The doctor decides to help the family find their daughter by teaming up with a few local goons. Eventually, the doctor is able to get hold of one of the criminals who has been supplying his Goa-based crime lord with young girls. However, he instead chooses to let the criminal go free so he can track down the syndicate, expose them and save the other girls who have been abducted from their homes...

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7. Kadaseela Biriyani

Chikku is a meek and studious teenager who lives a simple life away from his violent family. However, after his father is murdered by a mobster, Chiku's older brothers con him into helping them seek revenge. The three brothers travel across state lines and eventually break into the mobster's vast rubber estate. While waiting for the perfect time, they overhear the mobster's psychotic son reveal a damning confession to his parents that even shocks the brothers. However, Chiku and his brothers have come too far to turn back now...

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6. Blood Money

Kaliyappan and his brother are sentenced to death in Kuwait for allegedly their employer's Sri Lankan maid in a road accident. Before their sentence is carried out, their family in a small town in southern India make a video begging for the Indian government to intervene. The video goes viral and Rachel, an aspiring journalist, decides to make the case her first story at her new workplace. However, she is soon humiliated by jealous senior co-workers when it is revealed that the men were not convicted for manslaughter but instead were sentenced for allegedly murdering the maid and trying to dispose of the body. Nevertheless, Rachel discovers that blood money in accordance to Sharia law that is practiced in Kuwait has been paid by Kaliyappan's family but for some odd reason, the sentence is still to be carried out...

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5. Maanadu

A Muslim youth from Dubai is taken some corrupt cops who blackmail him into assassinating the chief minister in Ooty before being killed himself. Since he was born in a temple dedicated to Lord Kala Bhairava, the Hindu deity of time, he gets to relive the same day over and over again each time he is killed. However, every time he overcomes a particular obstacle by using his knowledge on what will happen, he finds that someone always ends up standing in his way, which can only mean he is not the only one stuck in the same time loop...

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4. Jai Bhim

Three young men from the oppressed Irular tribe go missing one night after they are forcefully taken by a group of policemen. One of men's pregnant wife goes to Mythra, the only educated woman in the village who teaches locals how to read and write. She in turn approaches Chandru, a lawyer-turned-activist, to help bring the police officers to justice and hopefully find the missing men. However, the law appears to favour only those in power and Chandru finds that getting justice for the tribesmen will not be an easy journey...

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3. Mandela

The village of Soorangudi is split into two caste-based factions, the Northerners and Southerners. When the village chieftain falls ill, his sons, who each represents the two different factions respectively, decide to run for office. They both manage to secure enough votes from their respective communities. The tie breaker vote falls upon a local barber who only recently registered as a voter. How each faction, who previously never cared for the orphaned barber's existence, try to coax him into voting them in makes up the rest of the story. 

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2. Aeley

Parthi is forced to return to his village when his conman father, Muthukutty dies. Parthi grew up hating his father who often embarrassed their family with his antics. Consequently, Muthukutty's demise has no impact on Parthi, and he goes about wondering around the village emotionlessly. When the insurance agent comes to visit, the body suddenly goes missing. Parthi then learns his father had a younger half-brother who they all just recently realized exists. Parthi convinces his newfound uncle to pretend to play dead until the insurance agent leaves. However, things do not exactly go as plan.

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1. Karnan

In South India, the oppressed community of Podiyankulam village are struggling every day because there is no bus stop available nearby. As a result, they have to use the bus stop at the nearby Melur village, where they are subjected to daily harassment at the hands of the dominant caste villagers there. Things take a turn for the worse when Karnan, a young man from Podiyankulam vandalizes a bus for refusing to help a pregnant lady from his village. Consequently, a high-ranking police officer named Kannabiran is brought in to investigate the case and life in Podiyankulam is about to change forever. 

Source: Google Images