Sigaram Top 15 Tamil films of 2024

Compiled and ranked by Devan Nair and Dhaarani Nair

Introduction

Sigaram is 90 days old today and it is time to look back at the best films of 2024. Last year, we featured a Top 10 list as at 01 November 2024, but there were some films that released after that date and more films that the Sigaram team had not seen. The list of films and its order have been determined after a very close examination of all films – the details of which appear below.

How the Sigaram Top 15 movies were selected

The popularity of the film and its success or otherwise played no part in selecting a Top 15.

Instead, the Sigaram team examined the film based on the following criteria

1. Freshness of the screenplay

The director and screenplay writer (if a different person) determines what and how the audience sees the film. They therefore have the greatest control over how an audience would react to a film. However, this is not always paramount in the director’s or producer’s mind. Sometimes, a screenplay is simply an artistic expression where the positive reaction of an audience is of secondary importance. In assessing the freshness of the screenplay, we looked at deviations from the accepted norm and the consistency of the pace. Quite often, a film has a powerful message at the end but might have taken a longer time than necessary to get there.

• Quality of writing

Cinema is a visual medium and the ideal film should not be too word. However, given the ever-reducing attention spans of audiences, it is fresh writing that elevates the film. This would include the kind of writing that organically develops a character. Some directors are too obsessed with conveying a particular message, or simply concentrate on creating propaganda. A good script strays away from predictable or clichéd lines, but will not try to be filmy in any way.

• Editing and Cinematography

Tamil cinema leads international cinema when it comes to lighting, composition, framing and angles. There are films that have a few creative shots amid an otherwise ordinary display, while there are others who take care with each shot to ensure that the whole film is creatively done. A good editor will hide the imprefections one finds with the raw footage. Together with the director, a good editor will seamlessly put together a series of scenes so that it looks like it was all filmed on one day.

• Acting performances

The best script and screenplay will achieve nothing without solid acting performances. The irony of good acting is that it should not look like good acting. A good actor/actress will make the viewer forget who the actor/actress is and make the audience believe that the person thay are playing is a real person. It is a tough one to achieve as there is always the danger of over-acting, but an experienced actor can easily do this.

• The film’s contribution to world cinema

Not all commercially successful films will have anything of substance to be added to world cinema, but occasionally the level of experimentation and creativity in the screenplay will present something new or different from world cinema. The important thing is that this must be done organically, and not simply because the director was trying to get the film international recognition.

In summary, the 15 films below are not the most popular films of 2024, but the 15 films that excelled in their presentation – with or without box-office success.

15

RAAYAN

On the surface, Raayan appears to be an ordinary action entertainer very much in the lines of recent gangster movies, but Dhanush’s creativity and evident control of his medium sees this elevated to much more than just an action flick.

The story is simple enough. Dhanush plays Kaathavaraayan, who is forced by circumstances to take care of his younger brothers and a younger sister on whom he dotes. A chance meeting with Durai (Saravanan) sees the family become unwittingly involved in an ongoing rivalry between Durai and Sethu (SJ Surya). Prakash Raj plays Police Commissioner R Sargunam whose ongoing investigations into the troubled Northern Chennai district sees him gain a keen understanding of the undercurrents in the area. As tensions mount, the unthinkable happens, bringing out the best and the worst of Raayan, as he finds himself quite literally fighting for his life.

14

VETTAIYAN

Rajinikanth plays Athiyan, an encounter specialist with an unblemished record who assists school teacher, Saranya (Dushara Vijayan) to deal with a growing drug problem at her school. Following this, Saranya relocates to Chennai where tragedy follows. An incensed Athiyan becomes personally involved but there is much more to the case than meets the eye. He tempers his attitude with his close friendship with retired judge Sathiadev (Amitabh Bachchan). As events unfold, the issues become more complex, leaving the audience with much food for thought.

13

LUBBER PANDHU

The film tells the tale of aspiring cricketer, Anbu (Harish Kalyaan). An innocent observation by Anbu on the unorthodox batting style of Poomaalai (Attakathi Dinesh) sees the spark of enmity between the two. This soon grows to be an uncontrollable battle that sees them become bitter rivals. When it is revealed that the girl Anbu loves – Yasodha (Swasika) – is actually the daughter of Poomaalai, the audience cringes with anticipation that the rest of the story would be a clichéd series of clashes between these two – but director Thamizharasan Pachamuthu is far too smart for this.

There are many positive aspects of this film, the first of which is the strong attention to characterisations. The characters are well-rounded, credible and realistically flawed. The women are portrayed as strong but feminine, with a lovely balance that comes through a well thought-out script. The pace of the first half could be faster, but the wit and humour that laces the events of the first half makes it easy to overlook the slower pace.

12

THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Vijay plays anti-terrorism officer MS Gandhi whose mission to eliminate their former boss has far reaching personal repercussions. Gandhi’s visit to Thailand as part of his top secret assignment changes his life forever, the effects of which are felt the strongest decades later.

The film follows a cracking pace, is action-packed and has many twists and surprises. There is a generous dose of organic humour and multiple references to other films which sweetens the tense narrative. There are some minor logical flaws but these are adequately made up for through clever writing and a breathless screenplay. The emotional depth of the film could have been better and some of the characters could have been better fleshed out, but all this can be expected of an action entertainer.

11

MAHARAJA

Vijay Sethupathy’s 50th film is a well-crafted and intelligently scripted film with a non-linear story that is rich in visual imagery. Written and directed by Nithilan Saminathan after his successful directorial debut in Kurangu Bommai, Maharaja became Vijay Sethupathy’s first 100-crore hit.  Vijay Sethupathy plays Maharaja, a simple, unassuming barber who is happily married and dotes on his only daughter, Jothi. A freak accident changes everything and Maharaja finds himself in a quagmire of events where the truth remains in a distant and

10

SORGA VAASAL

The non-linear narrative deals with the high level inquiry into a fictitious series of events that uses as the backdrop the prison riots which occurred in 1999 at the Madras Central Prison. Parthiban or Parthi – (RJ Balaji) is sent to jail on a trumped up charge. Repulsed by the power bases in the prison and the harshness of the environment, Parthi is determined to use his bail hearing to escape from the hideous hell, but a dramatic series of events sees his plan thwarted and the course of his life changed forever.

The non-linear narrative and the presentation of numerous versions of the same event is not a novel concept in world cinema, but debutante director Sidharth Vishwanath uses this technique to build up towards a very cryptic ending that elevates the film to much more than a prison action drama. The lines between truth and lies becomes increasing blurred as the film progresses and the mystery only intensifies with the film’s climax. This is what sets the film apart from others in its genre.

9

VIDUTHALAI Part 2

Superficially, Viduthalai Part 2 is undoubtedly brilliantly made. There are amazing stunts, outstanding cinematography, detailed characterisation, powerful acting performances and a stunning feat from music composer, Illaiyaraja. The film is very wordy – much more than Part 1 – but the script is so well written that one does not mind the wordiness because of the tightness of the screenplay and how the script contributes to character development. This tone is set with the initial clash between a minister (Illavarasu) and an IAS officer (Rajiv Menon) and how the power play ensues.

Part 1 ended with the capturing of the most wanted criminal known as Vaathiyaar (Vijay Sethupathi) by an ordinary but sincere constable (Soori) and Part 2 takes off from there by alternating between Vaathiyaar’s back story and the events that follow after his arrest. The back story examines how an ordinary teacher is transformed into a revolutionary by events around him.

8

KURANGU PEDAL

Dispensing with the usual ingredients of a mass entertainer is always a huge risk, but actor Sivakarthikeyan was brave enough to back a film like Kurangu Pedal which is a heart-warming and relatable tale of a young boy and his friends whose biggest aim in their school holidays is to learn how to ride a bicycle.

This premise does not sound very exciting, but director Kamalakannan keeps his audience captivated through the richness and depth of his characterisation, organic humour and a keen understanding of human emotion. Kurangu Pedal has a message to offer its audience but sets out to illustrate it without being overt or preachy about it, choosing instead to convey the message in an entertaining and memorable way.

The result is a film that quickly draws the viewer into the world of its protagonist Mariyappan, leaving an indelible understanding of our young protagonist and the people who make up his world. The entire narrative is done from the perspective of a child.

7

NIRANGAL MOONDRU

The film is an intricate and intelligently crafted thriller which begins with Sri (Dushyanth Jayaprakash) witnessing what he believed to be a kidnapping. In a state of panic he runs off and seeks refuge at his house. When he learns later that day that Parvathy (Ammu Abiram), the daughter of his favourite teacher and one on whom he has a crush, has gone missing, he is convinced that Parvathy has been kidnapped. However, not all is as it seems just as everyone is not who he/she appears to be in this intricately crafted thriller that keeps one engaged to the every end.

6

SATTAM EN KAIYIL

A tense Gautham (Sathish) is on his way at night towards Yercaud when an unexpected event occurs that presents multiple dilemmas to him. The consequences of this act as well as what preceded this forms the basis for this taut suspense thriller.

While the pace of the film, particularly in the first half, is not a rapid one, the viewer is kept raptly engaged throughout the film. Just enough of the story is revealed to capture and sustain interest and this is achieved through a brilliantly crafted screenplay (Chachi) and a solid script (JM Raja) that makes use of wry and organic humour to soften the unrelenting tension of the events.

5

LOVER

Despite some major flaws, Prabhuram Vyas’s debut directorial, Lover is an instant classic when it comes to memorable love stories and will certainly be a benchmark for modern love stories and a much-talked about movie for a long time to come.

Dhivya – played by Shri Gouri Priya is an ambitious and successful young woman while her boyfriend, Arun – played by Manikandan – is in search of a job as well as for a funder for his dream business. Arun’s weakness for drugs and alcohol, a possessive streak, a quick temper and a general lack of maturity sees the young couple frequently argue and clash. A similar problem between Arun’s parents – portrayed by Saravanan and Geetha Kailaasam – sees Arun unable to shake what is essentially an inferiority complex that drives much of his words and actions. How this affects the relationship between the lovers and whether or not their love is able to withstand the many challenges in store forms the core of the story.

Prabhuram Vyas was able to channel many of the challenges facing young couples in his trend-setting love story between Arun and Dhivya. The fact that both characters are inherently flawed and make many mistakes gives the film an extra boost in creating a very realistic portrayal of modern day love. The role of friends and the absence or otherwise of support structures also fall under the spotlight in a film that is disturbingly honest and realistic.

4

MEIYAZHAGAN

When Arul’s family is forced to leave their ancestral home after a dispute among his father’s siblings, Arul becomes deeply affected by the loss, vowing to neither forgive them nor to return to the town. Years later, he is persuaded to attend the wedding of his cousin, Bhuvana. His reluctance to go there is overshadowed by his love for his cousin but his trip becomes a life-changing experience. This metamorphosis forms the rest of the film Meiyazhagan.

The film contains amazing acting performances from every member of the cast, including the smallest of speaking parts. Between the two lead stars, it’s very difficult to determine who out-performed who. Karthi, who makes a late appearance in the film, once again shows his tremendous range of acting and his ability to emote without words. Aravindswamy, known for his ability to underplay characters immerses himself completely into the character of Arul and conveys so much of emotion in his eyes, expressions and body language that it is impossible for the audience to be unmoved.

3

GARUDAN

Soori plays Sokkan, an orphan who, in childhood, was taken under the wing by fellow orphan, Karuna (Unni Mukundan). The two of them share a close bond with another orphan, Aadhi (Sasikumar). The three of them were raised by a kind hearted old lady (Vadivukkarasi). Sokkan is a loyal friend to Karuna and Aadhi and fiercely protective of Karuna. When a Minister contacts the local Temple to buy a piece of land donated by a wealthy family, it marks the beginning of a trying time for the three of them, as relationships and loyalties become redefined, proving that some men are easily weakened by the lure of property, women and gold.

It is not just the fast-moving and absorbing story that makes the film an outstanding one, it is also RS Durai Sendhilkumar’s incredible writing in the script and screenplay that provides the perfect framework for electrifying performances from its cast. In the opening 30 minutes of the film, the major characters are introduced, insight given into the relationships and the challenges facing each of them.

2

KOTTUKAALI

Paandi (Soori) returns from abroad to marry his murai ponnu, Meena (Anna Ben).

Meena, however, has fallen in love with someone else and refuses to marry Paandi. Meena’s family and Paandi conclude that the only reason for her refusal could be that she was bewitched, and they set off on a trip to rid her of this evil spirit. Their experiences on the way there, and their experiences when they eventually meet the priest who would perform the “exorcism” form the rest of the story.

1

AMARAN

Amaran is an emotionally charged military biopic about the life of Major Mukund Varatharajan (Sivakarthikeyan) who left an enduring legacy in the military and in the lives of all he touched. It traces the development of Mukund’s grounded relationship with Indhu (Sai Pallavi) despite numerous obstacles in their way. The film also recounts the brave and selfless acts of Mukund in the Indian military.

Biopics are seldom easy to make, and even harder to win box-office appeal, but Rajkumar Periyasamy delivers a perfect combination of technical excellence, brilliant characterisation, superb writing and some of the finest acting performances in a long time. What sets the film apart is the high emotive content which is achieved without histrionics, melodrama or long emotional monologues. Instead, Periyasamy has developed each character to great detail and used deft writing skills to create one of the best screen romances in a very long time. The realistic development, thoughtful scripting and tight screenplay all come together in a brilliant ensemble.