Top 10: Tamil Movies 2013

It’s that time of year again where I come up with my list for the Top 10 Tamil Movies of the previous year, this time being 2013. Actually it’s not really that time of the year; I’m late by 6 months to be exact. I usually have the list posted in June for the previous 2 years, but this year I had so many things going on that it has been hard to keep up. A lot of things got delayed. In a sense it’s a good thing, shows that I have many things to do and I’m keeping myself occupied. On the other hand, it also shows that my time management skill is not that impressive. It’s something that I have to work on. 

For those who have read through the lists for 2011 and 2012, they would be quite accustomed to the routine. First I would list down all the movies released previous year that I have already watched. From the listed movies, I would then go on to name my Top 10. No specific ranking or preferences, both list will be sorted in alphabetical order. There are a few things I would like to summarize before I go on to the list.

First of all, the amount of movies that I have watched is increasing by the year. I started with 30 movies in 2011, 35 movies in 2012 and I have managed to watch 43 movies in 2013. I would view it as a good thing. Watching movies is something that I really enjoy doing, so I don’t have any complains. Second thing is the competition. Compared to 2011, 2012 was a harder year to choose the Top 10. Well 2013 has been equally hard, maybe slightly harder if I may add. That’s another good thing. At the wake of 100 years of Tamil Cinema, it’s a very positive note when trying to pick Top 10 movies of the year becomes such a difficult process. Also bear in mind that I only watched 42 of the more than 150 movies released last year. I’m not sure of the exact number. 

Before I go blabbering on and on, here are the movies released in 2013 that I have watched. In alphabetical order of course:

1. 6
   
2. Aadhi Bhagawan
3. Aarambam
4. All in All Azhagu Raja
5. Biryani
6. David
7. Endrendrum Punnagai
8. Ethir Neechal
9. Gouravam
10. Haridas
11. Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara
12. Irandaam Ulagam
    
13. Ivan Vera Mathiri
14. Jannal Oram
15. Kadal
16. Kalyana Samayal Saadham
17. Kannu Laddu Thinna Asaiya
18. Maryan
19. Moodar Koodam
20. Naan Rajavaga Pogiren
21. Naiyaandi
22. Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham
23. Neram
    
24. Pandiya Naadu
25. Pizza 2: The Villa
26. Raja Rani
27. Samar
28. Settai
29. Singam 2
30. Sonna Puriyathu
31. Soodhu Kavvum
32. Thagaraaru
33. Thalaivaa
34. Thanga Meenkal
35. Theeya Velai Seyyanum Kumaru
36. Thillu Mullu
37. Vanakkam Chennai
38. Vana Yuddham
39. Varuthapadatha Vaalibar Sangam
40. Vatthikuchi
41. Vidiyum Munn
42. Vishwaroopam
43. Ya Ya 

Well, going through the list I am both happy and unhappy. I am happy because there are movies in the list which are top quality movies and have the potential to easily be in the Top 10 of any of the previous Top 10 list. This is good, means I’m watching high quality movies. But unfortunately this list also has quite a number of films which can be easily branded as one of the worst movies of the year. This is not good, means I’m wasting my time watching unnecessary movies which are not worth it, especially when there are critically acclaimed movies of 2013 that I have not watched yet. Note to self, increase “good movies watched” and decrease “bad movies watched”.

Well here are my Top 10 movies of 2014, in alphabetical order as usual:

Haridas

Haridas doesn’t have a huge star cast, Sneha being the biggest star with Kishore playing the main role. Though Kishore plays the main role, the story focuses on Kishore’s son who has autism, played by Prithviraj Das. First of all, well done to all three lead actors, they did a good job, especially Prithviraj Das. 

Even though, the story focuses on autism as its core subject, it takes on a lot of issues at one go; parent-child relationship, the education system, people’s perception of the disabled, the dangers faced by a police officer, passion to succeed despite facing tough challenges, different types of love and affection between the many characters. Though listing it down might seem that Haridas has a lot to handle; it’s the way the movie handles all these intricacies that brings about its success. A lot of movies have tried taking on many issues at one go, most have been unsuccessful. Where others failed, Haridas has succeeded. Well written and well executed.

Few minor setbacks one of it being the added element of violence. Seems a bit unnecessary and out of place for a movie like Haridas. A police officer’s life is dangerous, but the level of violence could have been toned down. Other than that, Haridas is good and worth the watch. 

Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara

It’s another successful year for Vijay Sethupathi. He is soon becoming the actor that all producers want to bank on, but it’s the way Vijay Sethupathi chooses his story that has brought about immense success to him. That and his awesome acting talent coupled with one of the best dialogue delivery and voice modulation in the industry at the moment. 

Coming to the movie, Idharkuthaane Aasaipattai Balakumara is a dark comedy movie that addresses an everyday social issue, DUI (Driving under the Influence). The biggest strength of the movie is of course Vijay Sethupathi. The acting is top notch and the character is so believable that you might feel any other actor would not have managed to pull it off. The subtlety of the screenplay is another added bonus. It is very rare that we would we get to see a screenplay which is so relaxed but showcases serious themes such DUI, murder, betrayal, love and makes you laugh your heart out the entire time.

Dialogues get a special mention for this movie. “Kumudha Happy”, “Super super super Ji” and “Friendu…” are few of the many dialogues that went on to become the current trend among the youths and to certain extend the grownups too. The movie is a wholesome fun ride with an important message conveyed in the lightest possible way. 

Kadal

When ace director Maniratnam announces his next project, the expectations are going to be sky high. So was the expectation for Kadal. Did the legendary director deliver? Well, when has he ever failed to deliver; he gets it spot on with Kadal. The theme in Kadal might be a familiar one, good versus evil. But if you look at most of the movies coming out nowadays, almost more than 70% carry the same theme. That goes the same for Hollywood movies too. All your superhero movies, yes that’s right, good versus evil. 

If it is a tried and tested theme, what makes Kadal any different? It’s the depth of the movie that makes it a stand out. Kadal draws inspiration from biblical accounts. As I am not very familiar with the Holy Bible, it is very hard for me to conclude which biblical character is being portrayed by the characters in Kadal. There are divided opinions on this matter. Some say Arvind Swamy plays God and some says he plays Jesus Christ. Gautham Karthik is either Jesus Christ or a portrayal of a normal human being. Thulasi is said to be either an angel or Mary Magdalene. There are a lot of interpretations about every character, but almost everyone agrees that Arjun plays the character of Satan. But knowing Maniratnam, I would not be quick to draw a conclusion even though Arjun literally says “Naa Saatan le” in the movie. I am unable to give my own conclusion about the characters as I am not a person accustomed with the Holy Bible.

As for the technical part of the movie, the champions are definitely Rajiv Menon and AR Rahman. The story is set in the background of a fishermen village and Rajiv Menon captures every scene with excellence. Needless to say AR Rahman always offers a different touch when it comes to a Maniratnam film and he has done it once again for Kadal. The background score is amazing and all the songs are top notch. Kadal was a movie that I wanted to write an extensive review on but unfortunately I was not able to do so. Even though Kadal did not fair at the box office, it is a must watch movie and we would only realize Kadal’s full potential when we take the effort to understand the depth of the movie. 

Maryan

Like Kadal, Maryan is also set in the background of a fishermen village. It’s a story of a fisherman, Maryan played by Dhanush who is held captive for ransom when we sets out to work in Sudan to clear the debt of his loved one. Just like Kadal, Maryan was another movie which I wanted to write an elaborate review. The difference is, for Maryan I did. Since I have already written a long review for Maryan, I would not go about it again. For those who want to read it, can find it here at "Mariyaan - Bringing Movie Making Back to Tamil Cinema". In short, you should look out for Bharat Bala’s screenplay and direction, AR Rahman’s music, Marc Koninckx cinematography, Dhanush and Parvathi Menon’s performances. 

Moodar Koodam

Moodar Koodam is one of the four dark comedy movies in this Top 10 list. So it is not wrong when I say that 2013 in a way was the year of dark comedy. Moodar Koodam is directed by debutant director Naveen, who also stars in the movie. Four strangers meet in a police station under different circumstances. They are separate individuals all shun by their relatives and society for different reasons. Pondering their situation, these 4 strangers decide to pull a heist of their own and that’s when everything goes wrong. 

An idea just to rob an empty house goes awry when the residents end up being in the house. Situation becomes even worse when local goons, police and international rowdies all get involved. Though it seems like a serious yet dark situation, director Naveen has incorporated humor in the correct places making it an enjoyable dark comedy movie. Point to note that Moodar Koodam is not just a simple dark comedy movie. It brings forward a lot of issues, capitalism, materialism, corruption, communism, parent-child relationship, the Tamil language and many others. The dialogue of the movie is intelligent, and is one of the biggest strength for the movie.

Coming from a debutant director, Moodar Koodam is a good presentation by director Naveen. The casts did a good job, especially Sentrayan who steals the show in some of the scenes. Moodar Koodam had very little promotions but when it was released, the movie didn’t need any promotion, the movie spoke for itself. 

Neram

The third dark comedy movie in this list is Neram. It is also a movie by a debutant director, Alphonse Putharen. Neram was made and released in two languages, Malayalam and Tamil. Neram is a one day story in the life of Vetri played by Nivin Pauly. It showcases how everything can go wrong when time is not on your side and how it can turn around in just one second if it was. Vetri loses his job, gets rejected by his lover’s father, and also is in debt with a local loan shark. How Vetri goes through a series of unfortunate events as he tries to solve these problems and how he eventually overcomes them forms the core of the movie. 

Neram first lifted off through their promo song, “Pistah”. The lyric of the song which does not carry any words with meaning was an instant hit giving the movie the initial promotion that it needed. The story does not have much twist and turns and probably seems like a story which has been told before. But the screenplay is well crafted that it avoids any obvious dull moments. Editing and the way the movie is presented is definitely a plus point. Neram might not be fresh in its story but it is fresh in its presentation making it not to be missed.

Soodhu Kavvum 

Soddhu Kavvum is the fourth dark comedy movie in this list and is probably the best among the three. Once again it’s by a debutant director, Nalan Kumarasamy of Naalaya Iyakkunar fame. Debutant directors have certainly made a huge mark in 2013. Soodhu Kavvum is a story about Das who kidnaps children for ransom following a “5 Kidnap Rules” which he has made for himself. Three youngsters who are jobless get acquainted with Das coincidently and end up joining him in his kidnapping ventures.

Things go haywire when Das from the suggestion of the new guys breaks one of his own rules of not kidnapping anyone prominent, and kidnaps the son of a Minister. Nalan Kumarasamy has written such an engaging screenplay that it keeps you glued to the screen. Not because of the suspense or the curiosity of what is going to happen next but because every scene is woven together with the previous and the next scene almost perfectly. It makes you don’t want to miss anything. He also got the mixture of humor in a correct balance by not overdoing it. 

Background score by Santosh Narayanan and the music of the movie as a whole was a huge plus point. Characterization was done in great detail. We probably have another characterization expert in the making after the likes of Bala. Kudos to Vijay Sethupathi who plays the main character as he never ceases to amaze everyone. Vijay Sethupathi adds nuances to the character in his own style especially when he is interacting with his imaginary girlfriend. Soodhu Kavvum is one of those films which will be talked about for many years to come and is a film that will be the start of an illustrious career for director Nalan Kumarasamy.

Thanga Meenkal 

Six years after the release of his critically acclaimed Katrathu Tamil, director Ram was finally back with his second movie, Thanga Meenkal and this time he took on the responsibility of being one of the lead actors as requested by producer Gautham Vasudev Menon. Thanga Meenkal explores the relationship between a father, played by Ram and his daughter, played by Baby Sadhana. At the same time it focuses on the current education system, the society as a whole, parent child relationship through different generation, and also about children with learning disability.

Just like the movie Haridas, Thanga Meenkal has quite a spoonful to feed the audience. Yet, the movie doesn’t choke the audience at all. Ram’s plus point would definitely be the way he handles emotional scenes. He doesn’t overdo any of the scenes to a point where you would feel it is some cheap sentimental scene. He applies the correct dose of emotion at all the right places. Another plus point would be the interaction between characters portraying the different type of relationship parents and children share, be it between Ram and Sadhana, Ram and Ram’s parents, Sadhana and her mother, Sadhana and her grandparents, Ram and his siblings, Sadhana’s teacher and Sadhana, Ram and the school teachers and many others. It is in these different types of interactions that Ram tells us about the imperfections that are present in our society. 

Ram adds an element of realism to his movie by not explaining and tying up every story that was presented in the movie. Some of the issues presented were left just like that without being fully explained such as the back story of Sadhana’s teacher, Evita and whether Sadhana has obvious learning disabilities or if Ram also might have suffered from the same condition. There is two way of looking at this, either you can call it bad screenplay writing or call it adding a twist of reality. I would like to think that not providing explanation to every bit of the story keeps the movie real in its own sense. At the end of the day we don’t need to know everything right, as long as the movie succeeds in conveying the story it set out to convey.

Ram is a type of director who will not compromise his story for the sake of the audiences or for commercial value. Some might bode well with this and some might not. But staying true to themselves and the story is not something that every director is bold enough to do, and for that Ram deserves to be applauded. 

Vidiyum Munn

Vidiyum Mun is a story about a prostitute played by Pooja Umashankar who tries to save a 12 year old girl played by Malavika Manikuttan from becoming a victim of child prostitution. The movie looks at a theme and a social problem that is usually ignored by the masses even though we are very much aware about it. It is a bold attempt by debutant director Balaji K. Kumar as prostitution is not a theme that is often discussed in Tamil cinema. Well, not in the sense of realism the way Balaji has portrayed it. At the same time Balaji explores the themes of betrayal, broken family, child abuse and many others by keeping it as close to reality as he can. The smooth screenplay ensures that all these themes don’t form a clutter throughout the whole storytelling. 

The whole cast delivered a good performance especially Pooja Umashankar, Malavika Manikuttan and Vinod Kishan as Chinniah who hunts both the girls. Good cinematography work gave the movie the perfect tone that matched superbly with the story being told. Vidiyum Munn is not your average thriller movie where everything is a masala mix. Vidiyum Munn is a mix of its own where it incorporates good screenplay, good performances and good cinematography to give the audience a captivating thriller. Vidiyum Munn is a must watch and deserves all the support we can give it.

Vishwaroopam 

The last movie in this Top Ten list is none other than Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Hassan’s magnum opus, Vishwaroopam. Vishwaroopam is such an intricate and layered movie that I can go on writing about it even lengthier than what the original screenplay would have been. But, as I would like to keep this review short, I would not dwell on all the intricacy. Just like Maryan, I have also written an extensive review for Vishwaroopam. So rather than rewriting everything here, it would be simpler to read the review at "Vishwaroopam Review".

The review was written when the movie was released; hence I have thwarted myself from revealing any spoilers. In short, there are a lot of movies which could possibly be called a milestone in Tamil cinema, and Vishwaroopam is definitely one of those films. 

Everything said and done, that was my Top Ten movies for the year 2013. As usual there are some honorary mentions that I would like to make before I close this article. First, there were three movies that I really wanted to put in the Top Ten but it missed out by a very thin margin, possibly a hair length. The movies are Pandiya Naadu, Pizza 2 and Kalyanam Samayal Saadham. Pandiya Naadu is another star on director Suseenthiran’s long list of good movies. Though it can be classified as your usual revenge story, Suseenthiran adds his style of film making to the story which makes the audience connect with the characters and their cause of seeking revenge. Take note of Bharathi Raja’s performance; a good reminder of his acting capabilities after his stellar performance in Ayudha Eluthu quite some years ago.

Pizza 2; though it carries a name that hints at a sequel of Karthik Subburaj’s Pizza, the movie has nothing to do with the original Pizza. It is not linked to the story of the previous movie, the characters or the director. Pizza 2 was directed by debutant director Deepan Chakravarthy starring Ashok Selvan and Sanchita Shetty. Though the movie has nothing to do with the original Pizza except for being a supernatural thriller, Pizza 2 almost stands on par with Pizza. That’s a huge accolade, as Pizza was a movie which was hugely applauded by everyone. Pizza 2’s strength lies in its story, screenplay and the twists which were carefully placed throughout the movie. It is when proper research and intelligent storytelling is incorporated into a supernatural thriller that the movie becomes a stand out. Pizza 2 will be talked about as one of the few really good supernatural thrillers to ever hit the screen. 

Kalyanam Samayal Saadham is directed by another debutant director, RS Prasanna. The movie is starred by Prasanna and Lekha Washington in lead roles and tells the story of a couple heading towards their marriage to find out the groom has suddenly developed erectile dysfunction. The trouble Prasanna goes through to correct his misfortune in the midst of all the havoc caused by the preparation of the wedding and the marriage rituals are fresh and fun to watch. Kalyanam Samayal Saadham rides upon a theme which is rarely and almost never talked about in Tamil cinema. But that doesn’t make the movie uncomfortable to watch. RS Prasanna presents the theme in a subtle and carefree manner that most parts of the movie fills you with laughter and the other parts lets you feel the romance it showcases. Kalyanam Samayal Saadham is definitely a romantic comedy that shouldn’t be missed.

As usual there are always going to be critically acclaimed movies that I would have missed to watch. Even though I do end up watching these movies in the future, I can’t place them in the Top Ten at the current moment. The rule stays; if I haven’t watched it, then it would not be eligible to enter the Top Ten no matter how good it is. There were four movies that were given very positive reviews that I didn’t watch; Bala’s Paradesi, Mysskin’s Onnayum Aattukuttiyum, Suseenthiran’s Aadhalal Kaadhal Seiveer and late Balu Mahendra’s final movie before his demise, Thalaimuraigal. I would need to catch up on these movies soon. 

I would also like to mention two movies that can be regarded as wholesome entertainers. Both the movies were starred by the prodigy of Vijay TV, Sivakarthikeyan. The movies are Ethirneechal and Varutha Paadatha Valibar Sangam. Loads of people just go to the cinema to relax and watch something fun to shake off their problems and stress. Well two movies from 2013 which fulfills those criteria are Ethirneechal and Varutha Padaatha Valibar Sangam. It has good performance by Sivakarthikeyan, good supporting cast by Sathish, Soori, and Sathyaraj, some catchy music, smooth sailing screenplay and load of laughs. So if you want to laugh and relax, these movies are best suited for you. Meanwhile if you are looking for a warm and feel good movie, you can watch Raja Rani. Though it borrows heavily from Mouna Ragam, Raja Rani has some nice color and visuals coupled with some decent performance by the cast to give the audience a feel good factor.

Well, there you have it. A somewhat lengthy look about Tamil films of 2013. If I had to summarize and point out three things for the year 2013, it would be debutant directors, multiple themes and dark comedy. 2013 has been a glorious year for debutant directors, many of them managed to come up with fresh good movies on their first attempt. Be it Naveen’s Moodar Koodam, Alphonse Putharen’s Neram, Nalan Kumarasamy’s Soodhu Kavvum, Balaji K. Kumar’s Vidiyum Munn, Deepan Chakravarthy’s Pizza 2, RS Prasanna’s Kalyanam Samayal Saadham, RS Durai Senthilkumar’s Ethirneechal, Ponram’s Varutha Paadatha Vaalibar Sangam or Atlee’s Raja Rani, each and every one of these movies has captivated the audiences in their own way. I hope the storm of these debut directors continue to hit us in all the years to come. 

Another thing which the directors took on bravely was incorporating multiple themes in their movie. Films like Haridas, Vidiyum Munn and many others showcased multiple themes. It is very bold of the directors to do so, as it is a tough job to write a good screenplay with many themes and make sure all of it is presented to the audiences in the best possible way. Not only should the efforts of the directors be applauded but appreciation should be given as most of the directors manage to pull it off without making a mess of the screenplay. Even better still, some directors made really good movies while exploring such a wide variety of themes. Of course, the third point as I said before is dark comedy. 2013 is definitely the year of dark comedy. When you have 4 dark comedy movies out of the ten movies listed in the Top Ten, it doesn’t need much explanation.

I have been writing this Top Ten article annually for the past three years and it amazes me how Tamil Cinema keeps growing exponentially. This year was a very tough year to finalize the Top Ten Movies. It shows that the quality of Tamil Cinema is increasing and the competition is getting tougher and tougher by the year. I hope this growth continues in the coming years and Tamil Cinema continues to make a mark in the world of cinema.