TAMIL MOVIES OF 2011

Nadunissi Naaygal

Starring: Veera, Sameera Reddy, Deva Direction: Gautham MenonProduction: Kumar,Jayaraman,Madan

Gautham Menon’s courage to explore the dark side of human relationships with Nadunissi Naaygal, after a super hit in Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya, earns him a special mention in Behindwoods 2011 ranking. The film was noted for its bold portrayal of what happens behind closed doors and became the most controversial film of the year too.  Vengayam Maidhanam Uchidhanai Mugarndhal Yes it was a year of hits and misses, like every other year, but what made this year special was a few attempts that defied the rules of movie making basics in Tamil. Hard-hitting yet unpretentious, these movies were talked about widely although they had not fetched enough money at the box office. They touched upon social issues, relevant in our times, one way or other.Maidhanam, released in mid 2011 sort of had a Nadodigal hangover but debut director Sakthivel's conscious attempt to avoid cliches brought the movie to the fore. Vengayam, directed by Sankagiri Rajkumar, is a delectable village movie that asks you an important question. How significant is religion in your everyday life? Uchithanai Muharnthaal is probably the most heartbreaking films of all. It's about a 13 year old rape victim and how her family deals with the tragedy. Sathyaraj, Seeman and Sangeetha played the characters revolving around the life of the girl played by Neenika. The movie is directed by Pugazendhi Thangaraj.

20. Thoonga Nagaram

Starring: Vimal, Bharani, Nishanth, Gaurav, Anjali Direction: GauravMusic: Sundar C BabuProduction: Cloud Nine Movies (Dhayanidhi Azhagiri)

This was the year of small timers making it big. At least noticeably so. Directed by Gaurav (who also plays a part in it), this gangster drama film has everything movies based on Madurai had in them. With up and coming actors Vimal, Bharani, Nishanth and Anjali in pivotal roles Thoonga Nagaram proved to be a whiff of fresh air.

19. Payanam

Starring: Nagarjuna, Prakash Raj, Poonam Kaur, Sana KhanDirection: Radha MohanMusic: Praveen ManiProduction: Prakash Raj, Dil Raju

Who would have thought Radha Mohan has an eye for comedy in the oddest of places? He proved so with Payanam, the hijack thriller, loosely based on the Kandahar hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. Nagarjuna's Major Raveendra and Prakash Raj's Viswanath made the movie worth every penny you spent on it.

18. Kaavalan

Starring: Vijay, Asin, Rajkiran, VadiveluDirection: SiddiqueMusic: VidyasagarProduction: C. Ramesh Babu

Siddique remade his Malayalam hit Bodyguard as Kaavalan and brought Vijay’s career back to life. He took Bodyguard to Hindi as well and made Salman Khan a top grossing star of the year. Kaavalan had typical Siddique style narrative with a twist in the climax. It’s Asin’s only Tamil film of the year.

17. Kanchana

Starring: Raghava Lawrence, Sarath Kumar, Lakshmi Rai Direction: Raghava LawrenceMusic: ThamanProduction: N Radha

Kanchana is this year’s true surprise hit. Nobody thought Lawrence’s sequel to Muni would garner so much attention and money when it was released. But there you go. It did. It became one of the huge commercial successes of the year.

16. Yudham Sei

Starring: Cheran Dipa Shah Direction: MysskinMusic: Krishna Kumar @ KProduction: Kalpathi S Agoram, Kalpathi S Ganesh, Kalpathi S Suresh

Thrillers became a tad too popular this year and Mysskin’s Yudham Sei blended family horror with thriller and produced an interesting output. The gritty film about a family’s revenge over atrocities committed to their daughter is every bit gripping and made you hold onto your seats. 15. Avan Ivan We thought Bala returned to light hearted comedy. Avan Ivan was largely that but also had a hangover of Bala’s previous intense dramas. Bala unleashed Vishal’s performance side and the actor topped coffee table conversations in the industry when Avan Ivan was released. 14. Siruthai Starring: Karthi, Tamannah, SanthanamDirection: SivaMusic: VidyasagarProduction: KE Gnanavel Raja Sometimes, entertainment is all it matters and Siruthai had all of that and much more in it. Karthi shouldered the responsibilities of a mass hero with characteristic panache. Santhanam was like salt for any dish. His character complements his co-actor’s character and brings the roof down. Siruthai’s commercial success is proof to that. 13. Azhagar Saamiyin Kudhirai Starring: Appukutty, Saranya Mohan Direction: SuseenthiranMusic: IlaiyarajaProduction: P. Madhan Suseenthiran’s Azhagar Saamiyin Kudhirai is a gem you often won’t see in Tamil movies. Completely unconventional, the movie shattered all stereotypes about good looking heroes. Appukkuti and his horse became the talk of the town and the movie was declared as an indie gem. 12. Engeyum Eppodhum Starring: Jai, Anjali, Sharwanand, Ananya Direction: SaravananMusic: SathyaProduction: A R Murugadoss, Fox Star Studios Sometimes, debut directors will surprise you. But Saravanan swept us off our feet with an earnest and often heartbreaking tale of two couples whose lives intertwine in the wake of a terrible accident. There was a message and the director knew how to drive it home. And the movie was a critical and commercial success.

11. Vaagai Sooda Va

Starring: Vimal, Iniya, K Bhagyaraj, Ponvannan Direction: A SarkunamMusic: M GhibranProduction: S Muruganandham, N Puranna

When director Sarkunam, who earlier gave the charming sleeper hit Kalavani, takes a subject there is no stopping him. Vaagai Sooda Vaa was replete with dry humor in the most cynical way directed at the flawed government schemes of the sixties. Sarkunam’s second won him critical acclaim but not box office collections

10. Velayudham

Starring: Vijay, Genelia, Hansika Motwani, Saranya Mohan, Santhanam Direction: Jeyam RajaMusic: Vijay AntonyProduction: Aascar Films

Vijay was treated with two surprises this year. Velayudham’s success turned out to be one. Velayudham, although formulaic, broke the initial apprehensions and was released extensively after the initial response it received at the box office. Needless to say, it proved to be a money spinner. 9. Vaanam Starring: Str, Anushka, Bharath, Vega, Santhanam Direction: KrishMusic: Yuvan Shankar RajaProduction: Cloud Nine Movies (Dhayanidhi Azhagiri) Vaanam signals the arrival of anthology films to Tamil. It revolved around five people, five lives and how their destinies and fates are intertwined. Krish, who directed it in Telugu, came back for the Tamil version and the movie brought out the performer in everyone, thanks to the director’s expertise.

8. Mouna Guru

Starring: Arulnithi, Iniya Direction: Santha KumarMusic: ThamanProduction: M. K. Thamizharasu

Damn the clichés, Mounaguru is the dark horse of the year. Directed by a relatively unknown Santha Kumar, the Arulnidhi starrer shows him as a reticent young man dealing with a tough society. This thriller further unfolds mysteries after mysteries in a deftly paced screenplay making the movie totally worth the time and money you spend on it.

7. 7aum Arivu

Starring: Suriya, Shruthi Hassan Direction: A.R.MurugadossMusic: Harris JeyarajProduction: Udhayanidhi Stalin (Red Giant Movies)

A whole lot of expectations were riding on 7aum Arivu, Tamil’s science fiction thriller, written and directed by A R Murugadoss. Suriya’s Bodhidharma avatar and the Vietnamese actor Johnny Tri Nguyen’s Dong Lee made the movie memorable. And Shruti finally made her Tamil debut.

6. Ko

Starring: Jiiva, Ajmal Ameer, Karthika Nair, Piaa Bajpai, Prakash Raj Direction: K. V. AnandMusic: Harris JayarajProduction: Kumar,jayaraman

Ko was K V Anand’s next movie after the hugely successful Ayan. After touching upon the sensitive issue of humans being used as medium to transport drug in Ayan, Anand settles for a subject that is as novel as it’s interesting. Jiiva plays the victim of his friend - an aspiring politician - who uses his friend to fulfill his political aspirations. Ko’s Hindi rights are reportedly sold and the Hindi version will have Ranbir in the lead.

5. Mankatha

Starring: Ajith Kumar, Trisha, Arjun, Andrea Jeremiah, Lakshmi Rai, Premji, Anjali, Vaibhav Direction: Venkat PrabhuMusic: Yuvan Shankar RajaProduction: Dayanidhi Azhagiri, (Cloud Nine Movies)

Although Mankatha is widely talked about for Ajith’s salt-n-pepper look, there is obviously much more to the movie than just that. The action thriller with an ensemble cast portrayed Ajith as a man who is willing to go to any length in pursuit of money. How many times does a Tamil movie feature its lead in negative light? Well Venkat Prabhu proved that bad is cool.

4. Deiva Thirumagal

Starring: Vikram, Anushka, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Direction: AL VijayMusic: G V Prakash KumarProduction: UTV Motion Pictures

There were initial apprehensions before Deiva Thirumagal released. Were we ready to accept a man with developmental disability as a hero? Turns out, we were. A L Vijay knew his onions and made Vikram’s Krishna – his character in the movie – both believable and relatable. Baby Sara was a revelation.

                     

3. Mayakkam Enna

Starring: Dhanush, Richa Gangopadhyay Direction: SelvaraghavanMusic: G.V. Prakash KumarProduction: Gemini Film Circuit

Selvaraghavan specializes in depicting complex human relationships. Mayakkam Enna is romance, all right. But the highlight of the movie probably is Selva’s sensitive portrayal of how love can be self-seeking. Dhanush’s performance was widely appreciated and Richa, being a debutant, brought a nuanced performance to her role.

2. Aaranya Kaandam

Starring: Jackie Shroff, Ravi Krishna, Sampath Raj, Yasmin Ponnappa, Somasundaram Direction: Thiagarajan KumararajaMusic: Yuvan Shankar RajaProduction: SPB Charan

With Aaranya Kaandam, Tamil cinema welcomed the so-far-non-existent genre of neo-noir movies. Slickly directed and tautly told, Aaranya Kaandam ushered in a new form of film making – notably without songs in its narrative. Not a single actor in the movie missed out on performance – even debutant Yasmin Ponnappa was brilliant in her portrayal of a calculatingly coy girl.

1. Aadukalam

Starring: Dhanush, Jayabalan, Kishore, TapaseeDirection: VetrimaaranMusic: GV Prakash KumarProduction: Kathiresan

Usually it’s considered that the second movie of a director is the litmus test on his capabilities. But Vetri Maaran had no troubles shattering that myth with Aadukalam. His Karuppu and Irene – people from different echelons of the society – became immediate superstars and Vetri Maaran’s success as a director was endorsed by the sweeping six national awards the movie won. The critical and commercial success the movie achieved was unanimous and immediate.