Recalling the year’s Tamil films – the best ones (in order of release), as well as those that stood out for some reason(s).
Irudhi Suttru: Sudha Kongara spruces up a predictable underdog sports story (Ritika Singh is marvellous) with fresh, funny, lived-in situations. The resulting film is a wonderfully old-fashioned heart-warmer.
Visaranai: Vetri Maaran’s drama about how the System toys with us is powerful and unflinching, and it doesn’t need an Oscar to validate its greatness. The sound design is chilling. You feel the welts on your back.
Sethupathi: A routine cop movie, but with a “sariyaana psycho” at its centre. In the midst of the hero-versus-villain showdowns, SU Arun Kumar’s film is as much a chronicle of a husband and father grappling with a very dangerous job.
Vetrivel: Very little is really new in Vasanthamani’s rural drama, but the writing is solid, and the characters are fleshed out so well that even the smaller parts have well-rounded arcs. Sometimes, that’s enough.
24: Suriya gets his mojo back in Vikram Kumar’s expensive, out-of-the-box time-travel thriller. I can’t remember the last time a star vehicle was so meticulously, so inventively written.
Uriyadi: Vijay Kumar’s gritty (and refreshingly grown-up) little film about four collegers who clash with the underlings of a political party. The action scenes are superbly choreographed.
Iraivi: Another of Karthik Subbaraj’s films that comes together better in the head than in the heart, but one that deepens the more you think about it (and the more you watch it). A refreshing “feminist” film, seen entirely though masculine eyes.
Oru Naal Koothu: Nelson Venkatesan’s drama centred on three couples is the rare Tamil film that portrays human relationships as necessary, yet complicated. The dialogues – low-key, measured, casual, conversational – are especially lovely. A small film with a big heart.
Joker: I didn’t care much for Raju Murugan’s earlier film, the overwrought Cuckoo, but some preachiness apart, his follow-up is a beauty, with a wonderful romance at its centre. Guru Somasundaram is fantastic in the title role, and Sean Roldan’s music is magnificent.
Kutrame Thandanai: Manikandan’s existential thriller tells us that crimes result in punishments, but without the moralistic finger-wagging we’ve come to expect from Tamil cinema. The “tunnel vision” conceit is marvellously utilised.
Aandavan Kattalai: Manikandan again, and this time with the year’s best film, a comedy of desperation about an honest man whose dire situation drives him to dishonesty. Entertainment that is about something, that says something – it’s the elusive grail Tamil filmmakers keep chasing. Only Manikandan seems to have found it.
Ammani: Lakshmy Ramakrishnan’s textured drama is a portrait of people who aren’t necessarily bad. They’re just human. The proceedings are bracingly matter-of-fact, and even dreams of death are alive with humour.
Kodi: RS Durai Senthilkumar’s political action-drama is the kind of “commercial movie” we wish more of our stars would make. And when was the last time we saw a mass-film heroine with so much ambition, and such a colossal character arc?
In addition, the following films merit a mention:
Bangalore Naatkal, for being a faithful, warm, fun remake. Kanithan, for being, for the most part, a punchy thriller. Pichaikaaran, for its terrific premise. Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum, for being a love story that’s actually an anti-romance, with lovely little non-dialoguey half-thoughts. Aviyal, for raising the bar on short films (especially the one titled Eli). Pugazh, for livening up a hackneyed angry-young-man plot with grit, texture.
Thozha, for making us laugh, cry, feel warm-fuzzy. Ko 2, for being a gentler variation on the macho vigilante movies we usually get. Marudhu, for Velraj’s wonderfully sunburnt images. Manithan, for Tamil-ising Jolly LLB without hero-ising it. Velainnu Vanthutta Vellakaaran, for Robo Shankar’s show-stopping, laugh-till-you-cry comedy stretch of the year. Amma Kanakku, for its atmosphere, flavour, nuance, gentle humour. Kabali, for bringing back at least a semblance of the older Rajinikanth.
Dharmadurai, for a solid story that hints at the clash between modern ideals and backward traditions. Rekka, for being so preposterously entertaining (or entertainingly preposterous). Thaarai Thappattai, for its Bala-isms and Ilayaraja’s rousingly red-blooded score. Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada, for an interesting take on the “structure” of a masala movie. Chennai 600028 – II, for its generous laughs. Jil Jung Juk and Jackson Durai, for exuding genuine coolth.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2016 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
ruzaikadeen14
December 24, 2016
I’ve watched just about a dozen of these, but the fact that I could recognize every single one of them and felt strangely nostalgic stands testimony to the fact that I’m super-addicted to your writing, sir! 😀 Looking forward to an even better 2017…though seeing 24 here has only alarmingly heightened my apprehension for S3. sighs
Happy new year!
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Hrishi
December 24, 2016
I caught up on velainu vandhutta today. The robo Shankar stretch is something else. I haven’t laughed this much in years!
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VB
December 24, 2016
Wow… Vijay Sethupathi’s most prolific year has turned to be his most critically acclaimed one too – with all his releases getting a nod from you, not to mention the best film of the year acclaim too. (I think last year, his film with Krishna was panned universally, though Orange mittai got some praise)
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praveen
December 24, 2016
Why u Missed Theri???? becoz “BJP – The Hindu – Vijay Speech on Demonetisation”
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Balasubramanian
December 24, 2016
Very good rewinding-view. Not missed anything much. Any writing can we expect for new year?
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kvass
December 24, 2016
Appa?
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praneshp
December 25, 2016
@praveen: probably because Theri sucked.
@brangan: 2016 was a good year for Tamil cinema, from the number of movies that got a mention. I think I watched at least 1 good movie a month. Thanks for all the reviews!
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vishwakant
December 25, 2016
hindi?
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Karthik
December 25, 2016
Maalai nerathu mayakkam. IMO it deserves a mention if not in the list.
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Vimal
December 26, 2016
A line about Aarathu Sinam ?!
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neabs
December 26, 2016
2016 has really been an positive year for tamil cinema.Even the remakes were quite good this year. This year also i have watched only bunch of films on the list. Happy to see andavan kattalai as the year’s best film. Out of 6 VJS films 5 of on the list . Definitely one of the good years for him.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
December 26, 2016
doesn’t need an Oscar to validate its greatness
A typical Indian movie buff. 🙂
Vetrivel was a real shocker. I really enjoyed Ka Ka Po and Aandavan Kattalai.
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
December 26, 2016
Rangan, I’m upset about Kabali being scribbled in as an afterthought after ‘Amma Kanakku’.
A pseudo-political movie like Kodi, which had an “ineffective” “cardboard cut-out” performance from Trisha, gets a paragraph. While a film that gave voice to a community gets only a line. And that too for bringing the old Rajini back.
Kabali had its flaws, yes, but it represented the lives of a group of people and their real problems on screen that had never been touched before. People who speak the same language as Tamil Nadu, who lap up all Tamil films but who’ve never been portrayed realistically in any Tamil film. (What you had before was Ajith saying “Can can can lah” and Vivek’s explanations of the advantages of lungi to a female cop) It’s a film that’s opened up avenues for stories of Tamil diaspora in mainstream cinema. At least for this, Kabali deserves to “stand out”, rather than just “merit a mention” don’t you think?
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sanjay2706
December 27, 2016
@ramchander – Brangan’s list is brangan’s. It’s not necessary that his list should be the same as yours or echo your thoughts.
While we are in a space that is subjective, let us talk about facts. How much screen time was devoted to actual issues? I remember one scene where they protest for higher wages/worker rights and the capitalists agree immediately. WTF. No worker movement has been resolved so quickly. One song where he apparently makes some speeches and few people walk with him in “Baasha Baasha” style. There were couple of scenes involving drug abuse. There was no real depth in those scenes. Now compare it with the number of scenes where it’s about Kabali’s family, Kabali’s “style”, Kabali’s nostalgia and Kabali’s violence.
It is quite clear that this movie was about Kabali and not about the people. In the latter half of the movie, once he finds out that his wife and daughter are alive, he doesn’t even talk about any issue and is more interested in his family reunion. Now I do not have anything against it. A story can be about anything, but this story isn’t about the serious issue or worker rights or ethnic discrimination.
Compare it with a movie like Selma, where the movie is so focussed on the civil rights issue, while also focussing on Dr King’s personal life. Also, Kabali does not offer any solutions to the issues. The leader goes around with a hockey stick beating up people. We have already seen in real life what happens when a minority takes up violence as a method of resolution.
I am not even going into the flaws of the movie, such as bad staging of action scenes, a weak villain and laughable loop holes. I understand that it’s subjective and other people might have liked it.
Kabali might have shown a subtle side of Rajini and might have had a few good points. But revolutions and movements are about the people, and not about the leader. In that, Kabali falls short miserably. The film maker and other stakeholders of the film have been selling this fake idea that it is about the plight of malaysian tamils, but the screen time devoted to it proves that it isn’t.
I differ with Brangan. I would have had Kabali in the biggest disappointments of the year.
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brangan
December 27, 2016
I did not pick Kabali this year for the same reason I did not pick Uthama Villain last year:
Fascinating premises and never-before narrative angles are secondary to coherent, interesting and involving storytelling. For me, the rule usually is:
(1) What does this film want to do and (2) does it do that well?
Vetrivel wants to tell a simple, emotionally affecting story, and it does that VERY well.
Kabali wants to do much more, and it does most of them very unsatisfactorily.
But yes, if I made a list of “films of the year that aimed high,” then Kabali would definitely be on that list.
PS: For some reason, the most flak I’ve got in this year’s list is Vetrivel. And most of the people that spoke to me said they haven’t even seen it. Why? Can’t a low-key rural drama be a worthwhile film? Does everything have to be meta and defy a 100 filmmaking rules? I was really moved by this film, the way it was written, the way the characters were handled with dignity. What it sets out to do, it does very well indeed.
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
December 27, 2016
sanjay2706: Disagree with the ‘bad staging’ of action scenes. The ‘bottle attack’ scene, featuring ‘Attakaththi’ Dinesh, is easily the best since Naan Mahaan Alla (there are many here) in Tamil cinema.
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Ragenikanth
December 27, 2016
rangan, suprise you had suriya’s 24th in the list , it was one of most disappointing movie
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MANK
December 27, 2016
i too would pick kodi over kabali. kodi was a solid film in its genre made with no confusion and absolute conviction by the director.. Kabali was confused between being a superstar film and an issue based social drama and fell flat
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SANJEEV
December 28, 2016
I dont why many are trying to pan BR for including 24 in his list …OF Course personal opinion differs.. BUT 24 was one hell of a movie which had some intelligence and aura around it considering it is a big star tamil movie. But the only drawback in the movie was the romance portions that too only in second half. I mean No other Tamil star would have attempted to act in that kind of experimental movie and also take a gamble to produce it.
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pady
December 28, 2016
24 !!!
I preferred Dharma Durai to AK which felt more like a documentary than a movie. Weak climax…Unless it is path breaking or so touching ( like kaaka muttai ), this had to have a better act 3. DD also had a weak climax but the protagonist’s struggles were more realistically portrayed. I felt AK’s comedy was actually not highlighting the hero’s struggles in more depth.
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VJ
December 28, 2016
To this list I would add Raja Manthiri , a delightful low key comedy with a stand out perfomance by Kali Venkat . “was really moved by this film, the way it was written, the way the characters were handled with dignity. What it sets out to do, it does very well indeed. ” the same is true for Raja Manthiri for me
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Sharan
December 28, 2016
wish big star heroes choose and work in movies like sethupathi..
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brangan
December 29, 2016
Look at what happened with regular commenter Ravishankar. Al Pacino tweeted his cartoon 😀 Awesomeness.
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Dinesh
December 29, 2016
Good list. A mention could have been made about “Maveeran Kittu”, Not a great film by any yardstick but a honest attempt, such films need to be encouraged that too when the film espouses education for betterment.
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Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan
December 29, 2016
Have you planned on reviewing Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru? The film was very well made barring a few juvenile attempts at acting, but was more rounded and hooked us to the edge of our seats throughout. I think these kind of films need a lot more advertising. Uriyadi suffered badly because of the almost zero recognition it had received during the time of its release.
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Gayathri Viswanathan
December 30, 2016
Had a laugh again!
http://www.sweetbucketu.com/2016/12/14-funny-excerpts-from-brangans-tamil.html?m=1
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LN Major
December 30, 2016
I liked AK and Iraiva a lot those where the 2 best movies I have watched during this year.. Please interview Director M.Manikandan ( You have raved about all of his work so far including Kirumi.)
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arun
December 31, 2016
What about BR’s Tamil Raspberry Awards of 2016.. Whats in u opinion the worst movie of 2016 that has most basic “grammar, “Spelling” mistakes etc.. 🙂
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mohanlal
December 31, 2016
I really enjoyed Kabali, but I’m not surprised at all to see it excluded from the list. As a social drama, it was unsatisfactory. But it still remains my favorite Rajini film since Thalapathi.
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Iswarya
December 31, 2016
I second that. BR, you definitely should do a version of the Raspberries for the blog 🙂
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venkatesh
December 31, 2016
Ritika Singh for the artiste of the year.
Marvellous she was in both her films.
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Anu Warrier
December 31, 2016
Let me third that, BR. A list of raspberries would be just the ticket to round off a ghastly year. 🙂
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pato
January 1, 2017
Do you place D-16 and Zero in your main list or your supplementary list of honourable mentions??
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aquasanju
January 2, 2017
Kabali was very subtle in mentioning the ambedkarite’s idealism in the way protagonists dress up in three piece suit and comparing the false solidarity of Gandhi’s sartorial choices with that of Ambedkar…the use of blue signifying his caste location as well as Buddha’s motifs in the backdrop keep telling us that the struggles of a dalit in an alien country is still the same as that of his country which he left behind for a living (Ambedkar had stated in his works that Hindus take with them their caste wherever they go)
the way Kishore keeps ridiculing the rise of Kabali stating that he(kishore) by his accidental birth but born in a so called “aanda paramparai” deserves the mantle left behind by Tamilselvan…
was wildly feminist except for fair skinned female protagonists who assert fight save their men and take up unconventional profession not necessarily considered feminine…
it was not a flawless movie, agreed but AK was more preachy than what you thought as subtle and Kabali tries to pack so much without being overtly explicit…as far as solutions is considered like Ambedkar, Kabali too feels only education can uplift their community and to occupy the socio economic cultural and political space denied (even now) of their rightful spaces
The choice of book “My Father Baliah” that Kabali reads was very political as much as exposing the caste location of Kabali
In the historic dalit uprising movement in Gujarat, post Una incidents Mevani the leader had invoked Kabali during his speeches to highlight Dalits arrival in Indian mainstream as a political force
it will play out as a defining legend where a dalit hero triumphs under overwhelming odds while movies like Maaveeran Kittu or Kadhal either celebrate a dalit as martyrs or victims…a narrative which in US about blacks would be called as racist, but not here…MK is considered social justice movie even ::FACEPALM::
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
January 2, 2017
aquasanju: the false solidarity of Gandhi’s sartorial choices with that of Ambedkar
I think this point has been grossly misinterpreted by some (Gandhi) critics and half-baked scholars. There are two things here:
Gandhi came from an affluent background (read caste), but shed his suit and embraced dhoti. Ambedkar, on the other hand, came from the bottom of the social hierarchy, but donned a three-piece-suit.
The underlying message here is that privileged castes should shun their caste identities, and oppressed castes should have no inhibitions over displaying their identities. It’s at this point where caste starts to get annihilated. I don’t think any other Tamil film has captured the essence of this theory so beautifully.
Agree with the rest of your points though.
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aquasanju
January 2, 2017
Honest Raj or whatever self righteous person you are…stop being sanctimonious. That Gandhi being a privileged person could enact such drama of solidarity while trying to justify caste as essential to hinduism, and using patronising terms as harijan to derogate dalits…he was embarrassed in a rally in Bihar when he used the term harijan, where a woman in the audience chided that dalits were born out of legitimate relationships and they were not children of gOD (harijan literally means that)
instead of emphasizing the need for education for emancipation of dalits like Ambedkar, Gandhi was using a regressive symbolism for solidarity…if you can’t look at this apparent hypocrisy what else will i doubt
anyways do not expose your casteism by belittling an alternative view from the point of view of an oppressed community…why should dalits feel reassured about a bania who could not openly criticise untouchablity when he had all the resources at his disposal to reduce caste in the narrative of India at that time…and please do not try to impose your false ideas to a fairly discussed topic on Gandhi’s hypocritical sartorial choices
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
January 3, 2017
aquasanju: Love your confidence about evaluating people whom you don’t know at all. I was rather trying to highlight the message that was intended to be conveyed through the scene. There’s absolutely no need for anyone to buy my ‘ideas’.
Your views about Gandhi gives me an impression that you’re someone that prefers fanfiction to the original literature.
Lastly, why shouldn’t Dalits (or any other underprivileged castes) be reassured by a Bania? It’s like saying men can never become feminists. Ambedkar, after all, was arguably India’s greatest feminist. In his twilight days, he embraced the religion which was founded by a Kshatriya prince!
Do watch this clip before embarrassing yourself. Ranjith himself clarifies his stance on the line and your ill-informed thoughts (at about 21:00 and 31:05):
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Aysu Toprak
January 6, 2018
thanks for review.
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