Cinemania’s Top 10 Tamil Films of 2020
The Tamil film industry entered 2020 with two big releases – Rajnikanth’s “Darbaar” and Dhanush’s “Pataas” – that were expected to rake in the moolah. However, both films opened to mixed reviews and failed to set cash registers ringing. Despite amassing 250 crore Indian Rupees ($34 million, £25.28 million), the Rajnikanth – A.R. Murugadoss starrer, produced by London-based Lycamobile, is considered to be a financial failure to its distributors. Both “Darbar” and “Pataas” started streaming on Amazon Prime Video the following month.
Mysskin’s psychological thriller “Psycho” and Valentine’s Day releases – “Oh My Kaduvule!” and “Naan Sirithaal” – did good business before the pandemic struck India and cinemas were forced to shut down in March.
A number of Tamil films released on streaming platforms – primarily Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney + Hotstar and Zee5 – in the subsequent months.
Below is Cinemania’s pick of Top 10 Tamil Films of 2020:
10
Film: Mafia: Chapter 1
Directed by: Karthick Naren
Cast: Arun Vijay, Prasanna and Priya Bhavani Shankar
Produced by: Allirajah Subaskaran
Release Date: 21 February 2020
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Produced by Allirajah Subaskaran (2.0, Darbar) of London-based Lycamobile and helmed by Karthick Naren (Dhuruvangal 16), “Mafia” revolves around a cat-and-mouse chase between a narcotics officer (Arun Vijay) and a drug kingpin (Prasanna).
The crime-thriller gained praise for its stylish presentation, action sequences, cinematography (Gokul Benoy) and performances of Arun Vijay and Prasanna.
9
Film: Gypsy
Directed by: Raju Murugan
Cast: Jiiva, Natasha Singh, Lal Jose and Sunny Wayne
Produced by: Ambeth Kumar
Release Date: 06 March 2020
Streaming on: Zee5
Written and directed by Raju Murugan (Cuckoo, Joker), “Gypsy” revolves around a musician (Jeeva) and his girlfriend (Natasha Singh) who elope and get married against the wishes of their parents, however their relationship is put to test when communal riots erupt in the city.
The film was originally heavily censored by the Indian Censor Board for its portrayal of communal riots which resembled real-life incidents in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and the makers then had to appeal at a tribunal where the number of cuts were reduced and the film was age-rated 18.
Critics lauded the drama for its strong social commentary and promoting religious tolerance.
8
Film: Oh My Kadavule
Directed by: Ashwath Marimuthu
Cast: Ashok Selvan, Ritika Singh, Vani Bhojan, Vijay Sethupathi and Ramesh Thilak
Produced by: G. Dilli Babu and Ashok Selvan
Release Date: 14 February 2020
Streaming on: Zee5
Valentine’s Day release “Oh My Kadavule”, written and directed by debutant Ashwath Marimuthu, follows a unhappy married man (Ashok Selvan) going back in time to relive his youth and correct his mistakes that include marrying his childhood friend (Ritika Singh).
The romantic drama gained praise for its story, dialogues, cinematography (Vidhu Ayyanna), music (Leon James) and performances of its main cast.
7
Film: Psycho
Directed by: Mysskin
Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Aditi Rao Hydari, Nithya Menen and Rajkumar Pitchumani
Produced by: Arun Mozhi Manickam
Release Date: 24 January 2020
Streaming on: Netflix
Acclaimed director Mysskin’s gory psychological-thriller “Psycho” follows a blind man’s race against time to save his girlfriend from the clutches of a deranged serial killer who abducts random women and beheads them.
Critics praised Mysskin’s direction, veteran composer Illaiyaraja’s background score and performances of Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nithya Menen and Rajkumar Pitchumani. Despite being age-rated 18 by the Indian censor board for the film’s violent scenes, “Psycho” did good business in domestic markets and was bought by Netflix where it is age-rated 15.
6
Film: Mookuthi Amman
Directed by: RJ Balaji
Cast: Nayanthara, RJ Balaji and Urvashi
Produced by: Ishari K. Ganesh
Release Date: 14 November 2020
Streaming on: Disney + Hotstar
Written and co-directed by RJ Balaji in his directorial debut along with N. J. Saravanan, “Mookuthi Amman” follows a television reporter (RJ Balaji) who comes across a Hindu temple goddess descending on Earth in the form of a glamorous woman (Nayanthara) to expose a fake godman.
The film was praised for its screenplay, witty dialogues and performances of RJ Balaji and Urvashi who plays his mom.
5
Film: Paava Kadhaigal
Directed by: Gautham Menon, Vetri Maaran, Sudha Kongara and Vignesh Shivan
Cast: Kalidas Jayaram, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Bhavani Sre, Anjali, Kalki Koechlin, Padam Kumar, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Gautham Menon, Hari Krishnan, Simran and Aadithya Baaskar
Produced by: Ashi Dua, Rhea Kongara, Ronnie Screwvala and Avinash Viswanathan
Release Date: 18 December 2020
Streaming on: Netflix
Netflix’s anthology “Paava Kadhaigal” comprises four short films, each helmed by celebrated Tamil filmmakers Vignesh Shivan (Naanum Rowdy Dhaan), Vetri Maaran (Asuran), Sudha Kongara (Irudhi Suttru) and Gautham Menon (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa).
The first segment is titled “Thangam” with Pride as the theme and is directed by Sudha Kongara. The story focusses on a transgender villager (Kalidas Jayaram) who faces longtime bullying and ostracization, and risks everything to support the dream of a beloved childhood friend (Shanthnu Bhagyaraj). The short film also features Bhavani Sre playing the role of Jayaram’s sister and Bhagyaraj’s love interest.
Directed by Vignesh Shivan, the second short film “Love Panna Uttranum” has Love as its theme, and follows two sisters (played by Anjali) who take separate approaches to tell their father, the powerful village chieftain (Padam Kumar) with strong conservative views on marriage, who they love resulting in wildly different outcomes. The segment also features Kalki Koechlin playing Anjali’s girlfriend.
The third film is titled “Vaanmagal” and is themed on Sin. Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon who also stars in it along with Simran Bagga, the plot revolves around a family grappling with social stigma, guilt and anger after their spirited young daughter suffers a traumatic incident.
The final segment is directed by Vetri Maaran is titled “Oor Iravu” and themed on Honour. The story follows a pregnant woman (Sai Pallavi) who has been estranged from her family after eloping with a partner from a different community. The woman is accepted back into her family by her father (Prakash Raj) who brings her home claiming he wishes to hold a baby shower, however he has other intentions.
Critics unanimously hailed the anthology for the direction, writing, performances of the cast and for taking on patriarchy, honour killings and social stigmas grappling the Indian society.
4
Film: Sethum Aayiram Pon
Directed by: Anand Ravichandran
Cast: Srilekha Rajendran, Nivedhithaa Sathish, Avinash Raghudevan and Gabrella Sellus
Produced by: Anshulika Dubey, Priyanka Agarwal and Shashwat Singh
Release Date: 01 April 2020
Streaming on: Netflix
Written and directed by debutant Anand Ravichandran, “Sethum Aayiram Pon” revolves around the relationship between an elderly ‘oppari’ singer (a person who sings for the dead at their funerals) and her 23-year-old granddaughter, who is a make-up artist, after a period of separation.
The drama stars Srilekha Rajendran and Nivedhithaa Sathish (Magalir Mattum) in the roles of grandmother and granddaughter. “Sethum Aayiram Pon“ was first screened at the New York Indian Film Festival in May 2019 where the film was nominated for the ‘Best Screenplay’ award.
Critics praised the film for its rich tribute to the dying art of ‘oppari’, Ravichandran’s writing and direction, and the performances of Srilekha Rajendran, Nivedhithaa Sathish and Avinash Raghudevan.
3
Film: Andhaghaaram
Directed by: V. Vignarajan
Cast: Arjun Das, Vinoth Kishan, Pooja Ramachandran, Kumar Natarajan and Misha Ghoshal
Produced by: Priya Atlee, Sudhan Sundaram, Jayaram and K. Poornachandra
Release Date: 24 November 2020
Streaming on: Netflix
“Andhaghaaram”, written and directed by debutant V. Vignarajan, follows the lives of a blind library clerk, a depressed cricketer, a desolate psychiatrist and a teacher for the blind who cross paths under supernatural influence.
The thriller gained praise for its unique storyline, screenplay, cinematography (A M Edwin Sakay), editing (Sathyaraj Natarajan) and the performances of its main cast.
2
Film: Ka Pae Ranasingham
Directed by: P. Virumaandi
Cast: Aishwarya Rajesh and Vijay Sethupathi
Produced by: Kotapadi J. Rajesh
Release Date: 02 October 2020
Streaming on: Zee5
Political drama “Ka Pae Ranasingham”, directed by debutant P. Virumandi, revolves around a wife’s struggle to bring back her dead husband’s body to India from the UAE as she fights a lethargic system of political and bureaucratic insensitivity.
Aishwarya Rajesh received rave reviews for her performance as Ariyanachi and Vijay Sethupathi won praise for his role as her activist husband.
1
Film: Soorarai Pottru
Directed by: Sudha Kongara
Cast: Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, Urvashi and Paresh Rawal
Produced by: Suriya and Guneet Monga
Release Date: 12 November 2020
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
“Soorarai Pottru” follows the story of a rebellious villager (Suriya) with entrepreneurial dreams who takes on an aviation industry bigwig (Paresh Rawal) and corrupt bureaucracy who come in his way of starting a new airline and making air travel affordable for the poor.
The aviation drama, directed by Sudha Kongara (Irudhi Suttru), was lauded by critics and audiences upon its release on Amazon Prime Video in November. Critics praised Suriya’s performance, Kongara’s screenplay and Niketh Bommireddy’s cinematography.
“Soorarai Pottru” is competing for a “Best Foreign Language Film” nomination at Golden Globes 2021.