Cinemania’s Top 10 Tamil Films of 2021
After spending the most part of 2020 in a lockdown, cinemas across Tamil Nadu limped back to life with superstar Vijay’s Master and Silambarasan’s Eeswaran in January 2021, and appeared to be heading towards pre-Covid heights with Karthi’s Sulthan and Dhanush’s Karnan before the Delta variant wreaked havoc in India forcing cinemas to close again on 26 April. Multiplexes and theatres opened their doors after nearly four months on 23 August to 50% occupancy, which was extended to 100% on 1 November.
Sivakarthikeyan’s Doctor, Sundar C’s Aranmanai 3, Vishal-Arya’s Enemy and superstar Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe attracted the audiences back into cinemas in October and early November, and all of them emerged as profitable ventures despite mixed reviews, providing much-needed lifeline to the Tamil film industry.
Simbu’s Maanadu opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews from public and critics in the last week of November and set the box office on fire. Vasanth Ravi’s Rocky and Samuthirakani’s Writer released in December to positive reviews as well ending Tamil cinema’s year on a high note.
A number of films continued to skip their scheduled theatrical releases and opened directly on streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney + Hotstar, Sony LIV and Zee5, notably Madhavan-Shraddha Srinath’s Maara, Jayam Ravi’s Bhoomi, Arya’s Teddy, Yogi Babu’s Mandela, Dhanush’s Jagame Thandhiram, Arya’s Sarpatta Parambarai, Nayanthara’s Netrikann, Santhanam’s Dikkiloona, Vijay Sethupathi-Tapsee Pannu’s Annabelle Sethupathi, Kavin-Amritha Aiyer’s Lift, Suriya’s Jai Bhim and Jyothika’s Udanpirappe.
Below is Cinemania’s pick of Top 10 Tamil Films of 2021:
10
Film: Nenjam Marappathillai
Directed by: Selvaraghavan
Cast: S. J. Suryah, Nandita Swetha, Regina Cassandra
Produced by: P. Madan
Release Date: 5 March 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video (UK), ZEE5 (India)
Written and directed by Selvaraghavan (Mayakkam Enna), Nenjam Marappathillai revolves around an eccentric married businessman Ramaswamy aka Ramsay (S. J. Suryah) who lusts after a devout young Christian woman (Regina Cassandra) who takes up the job of a caretaker for his toddler son.
The film was initially scheduled for January 2017, however it ran into distribution-related troubles and legal hurdles delaying its theatrical release before finally seeing the light of the day four years later on 5 March 2021.
Upon its release, critics heaved praises on Nenjam Marappathillai for its originality, performances and the background score. Director Selvaraghavan was appreciated for relying more on the performances and script over jump scares, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja was hailed for infusing energy into the film with his songs and background score, cinematographer Arvind Krishna was credited for the striking visuals and the film’s leads S. J. Suryah, Regina Cassandra and Nandita Swetha were lauded for their efforts in the film. Suryah, in particular, earned rave reviews for his performance as the evil, lecherous businessman.
9
Film: Master
Directed by: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Cast: Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi and Malavika Mohanan
Produced by: S. Xavier Britto
Release Date: 13 January 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj (Kaithi), action-drama Master follows an alcoholic professor (Vijay), who is sent to a correctional facility, where he clashes with a gangster (Vijay Sethupathi), who uses the children of the school for criminal activities. The film also features Malavika Mohanan (Beyond the Clouds).
Master is credited for resurrecting the cinema business and bringing audiences in large numbers back to theatres in January 2021, providing the shot in the arm for the ailing film industry that was struggling to get back to its heels after the first lockdown in India and at the same time trying to ward off threat from the burgeoning streaming industry.
The film released to positive reviews and critics praised the performances of antagonist Vijay Sethupathi and protagonist Vijay, Anirudh Ravichander’s music and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s direction.
8
Film: Doctor
Directed by: Nelson Dilipkumar
Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Priyanka Arul Mohan and Vinay Rai
Produced by: Sivakarthikeyan and Kotapadi J. Rajesh
Release Date: 9 October 2021
Streaming on: Netflix
Sivakarthikeyan-starrer ‘Doctor’, written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar (Kolamaavu Kokila), was one of the most-awaited films of 2021. The film’s first single ‘Chellamma’ was released on YouTube during the lockdown in July 2021 and became an instant hit, garnering over 100 million views.
Initially scheduled to release in December 2020, the film was postponed multiple times due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown in India and finally landed in cinemas on 9 October 2021. The black-comedy-thriller follows an army doctor launching and operating an action plan to rescue his ex-fiancée’s niece who has been abducted by a human-trafficking organisation.
The film gained praise for its writing, dialogues, black-comedy, background score (Anirudh Ravichander) and performances of its main lead and supporting cast.
7
Film: Thalaivii
Directed by: A. L. Vijay
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swami
Produced by: Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Shailesh R. Singh and Brinda Prasad
Release Date: 10 September 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Thalaivii is the biopic of the late actress-turned-politician J. Jayalalithaa, who governed the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as the Chief Minister for over fourteen years between 1991 and 2016.
The political drama, starring Kangana Ranaut (Queen) and Arvind Swamy (Thani Oruvan), is directed by A. L. Vijay (Madrasapattinam) based on a story by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad (Baahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan) and bankrolled by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shailesh R. Singh (Shahid, Omerta).
Thalaivii follows the film career of actress Jayalalithaa (Kangana Ranaut), her relationship with mentor and superstar M. J. R (Arvind Swamy) and her entry into politics culminating with her becoming the first female Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu defying all odds.
Upon release, critics and public praised Ranaut’s performance, Vijayendra Prasad’s screenplay, Vijay’s direction and G. V. Prakash Kumar’s background score.
6
Film: Writer
Directed by: Franklin Jacob
Cast: Samuthirakani, Harikrishnan, Antony, Kavin Jay Babu and Ineya
Produced by: Pa. Ranjith, Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh and Aditi Anand
Release Date: 24 December 2021
Written and directed by debutant Franklin Jacob, drama-thriller Writer revolves around Thangaraj (Samuthirakani), a writer at a police station nearing his retirement who gets trapped in a case involving an innocent student who is framed under the anti-terrorism act. With his guilt and regret looming large, the rest of the story is about whether or not Thangaraj is able to save the young man.
Critics praised the film for its subject, depicting the mental health struggles of police personnel and strong performances of Samuthirakani and Harikrishnan.
5
Film: Mandela
Directed by: Madonne Ashwin
Cast: Yogi Babu and Sheela Rajkumar
Produced by: S. Sashikanth, Chakravarthy Ramachandra and Balaji Mohan
Release Date: 4 April 2021
Streaming on: Netflix
Written and directed by Madonne Ashwin in his directorial debut, comedy-drama Mandela is set on the backdrop of a small village in Tamil Nadu where elections are due, the electorate is evenly split between two political parties and pre-polls indicate the result will be a tie. The tie-breaker vote falls upon a local barber Ilicha Vaayan aka Nelson Mandela (Yogi Babu) who is the latest addition to the voter list and his vote will determine the outcome of the election.
The film gained favourable reviews for its screenplay, thought-provoking scenes and dialogues, brave political satire underlining the divisions in the society and performances of its cast.
4
Film: Sarpatta Parambarai
Directed by: Pa. Ranjith
Cast: Arya, John Kokken, Shabeer Kallarakkal, Dushara Vijayan, Pasupathy, Anupama Kumar and Sanchana Natarajan
Produced by: Shanmugam Dhakshanraj
Release Date: 22 July 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Sports drama Sarpatta Parambarai, directed by Pa. Ranjith (Kabali, Kaala), revolves around a young labourer Kabilan (Arya) who is challenged to a boxing game by a rival team. The film also focusses on the boxing culture and the politics associated with it in the area of North Madras in 1970.
Prior to principal photography, the film’s main lead Arya trained for over seven months to build a muscular physique for his role as a boxer in the film.
Upon its release on Amazon Prime Video, Sarpatta Parambarai drew acclaim for its story, direction, performances of the main cast, music (Santhosh Narayanan), art direction (Tha. Ramalingam) and cinematography (G. Murali Vardhan).
3
Film: Karnan
Directed by: Mari Selvaraj
Cast: Dhanush, Rajisha Vijayan, Lal and Natarajan Subramaniam
Produced by: Kalaipuli S. Thanu
Release Date: 9 April 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Karnan, written and directed by Mari Selvaraj (Pariyerum Perumal), follows the titular character (Dhanush) fight for the rights of the people in his oppressed remote village against dominant communities in the neighbouring village who are backed by the political establishment.
Upon its release, critics lauded Karnan for Selvaraj’s writing, Santhosh Narayanan’s music, Dhanush’s performance and the film’s realistic depiction of caste-based oppression in rural India, influence of dominant communities on the political establishment and the powerful portrayal of resistance of the oppressed.
2
Film: Maanadu
Directed by: Venkat Prabhu
Cast: Silambarasan, S. J. Suryah and Kalyani Priyadarshan
Produced by: Suresh Kamatchi
Release Date: 25 November 2021
Streaming on: Sony LIV
Time-loop thriller Maanadu, written and directed by Venkat Prabhu (Mankatha), revolves around a Muslim man Abdul Khaliq (Silambarasan) travelling from Dubai to India to attend a wedding and is trapped in a time loop on the same day when a public conference of the chief minister is scheduled to happen in the city he is visiting. Khaliq is forced to live the same day over and again and needs to find a way to break the loop.
The film garnered extensive praise for Venkat Prabhu’s writing and screenplay, crisp editing (Praveen K. L.), background score (Yuvan Shankar Raja) and strong performances of its male leads Silambarasan (Eeswaran) and S. J. Suryah (Nenjam Marappathillai).
1
Film: Jai Bhim
Directed by: T. J. Gnanavel
Cast: Suriya, Lijomol Jose, Manikandan, Joshika Maya, Rajisha Vijayan, Prakash Raj and Rao Ramesh
Produced by: Jyothika and Suriya
Release Date: 2 November 2021
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Based on a true incident in 1993, hard-hitting courtroom drama Jai Bhim revolves around the lives of a pregnant woman Sengeni (Lijomol Jose), her husband Rajakannu (Manikandan), and their young daughter Alli (Joshika Maya) – who belong to an oppressed tribal community. When Rajakannu is arrested for a case of alleged theft and goes missing from police custody, Sengeni seeks the help of a human-rights lawyer Chandru (Suriya) to find her husband and seek justice for her family.
Jai Bhim released on Amazon Prime Video to universal acclaim across India with critics praising the screenplay, direction, realistic portrayal of courtroom sequences and strong performances of Lijomol Jose, Manikandan and Suriya. Critics appreciated Suriya, who also co-produced the film with his wife Jyothika, for taking a backseat despite being a huge star and performing as one of the characters and giving a fair amount of screen time to other members of the cast.
With a score of 9.4/10, Jai Bhim is currently the highest-rated film on IMDB.