Sep 22, 2011 03:03 PM
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(Updated Oct 25, 2011 06:06 PM)
When I started listing out the top tamil movies, I inadvertently evolved the criteria for selection. As in any personal listings, this is also subjective and biased towards my taste.
So, here are the criteria.
The movie
Should Be Evergreen ie, you can watch it upteen number of times without getting bored. You come across these movies while surfing channels, remind yourself to watch just one scene, but you'll get so absorbed into it that you'll end up watching the whole movie.
Should Be Entertaining. There is no point in sitting through a movie just for the sake of some great acting. Many Sivaji movies comes to my mind(but few of them make it to this list too)
I did not want to rank the movies in this list in any order other than chronologically because it proved to be difficult to compare as they cut across different genres and timelines. Although the category says "ten best", I am also not limiting myself to only 10 for obvious reasons
Ok. Lets get into business.
Paraasakthi(1952)
Talk about sharp dialogues, this is the film for it. It helped to popularize the social revolution started by Dravidan think-tank. The dialogues are too intelligent and most of it even fit to today's sordid affairs of the state. This film whiplashes many of the then prevailing social conditions that I felt that the directors and the writer(Karunanidhi) were in bad mood(or with guilty pleasure) while they developed this film. You would be amazed by the portrayal of Pandari Bai as the heroine. She is the modern women with straight thinking and less influenced with glycerine that held a prominent position in female characters' eyes during that time.
Andha Naal(1954)
This is one movie that showcases the talent of tamil cinema way back to 1950s. Loosely based on "Rashomon", the story of a murder narrated from five perspectives. Sivaji Ganeshan proves why he was regarded as the best indian actor by depicting five different dimensions of the same character. A film-noir that was way ahead of its times. But the reason this film enters my all time best is because of the climax. Every shot was taken from different angles showcasing brilliant camera placements. Those who liked the camera work in Sincity, would definitely appreciate this movie too.
Thiruvilayaadal(1965)
An odd entry to my otherwise exquisite taste for cinema. Everyone knows the story(or stories). This is a collection of stories focussing on Lord Shiva's avatar potrayed by Sivaji Ganesan. Reason for selection is because of two notable episodes.
One deals with Balaiya challenging T.R. Mahalingam on a singing competition. Sivaji in a nomad avatar, teaches Balaiya a lesson of humility. We are enthralled with three different songs one by one. Balaiya's evergreen "Oru Naal Podhuma" sung by Balamurali Krishna, followed by T.R. Mahalingam's agonizing "Isai Thamizh Nee Seidha" number which was also sung by him. Finally by Sivaji's lesson song "Paattum Naane" by TMS.
The second reason is the episode of Nagesh, where he tries to fake as the author of a poem orignially written by Sivaji. It has a strong undercurrent of acting challenge between Nagesh and Sivaji, each trying to overshadow the other. In fact Sivaji has admitted that one should be watchful while performing with Nagesh as he would highjack the scene with his acting prowess just like that.
Aayirathil Oruvan(1965)
Not to be mistaken with Selvaragavan's forgettable and confusing film. This is'thalaivar' MGR's masterpiece. This films portrays MGR as a slave rebel who fights for the freedom of his folks. The charisma of MGR is not shown better in any other movie. What a performance. His walk, talk and philosophical orations. too energetic to believe he was at his 60s at that time. The way he leads his pack of angry young men into an organized unit of army is worth watching.
Thillu Mullu(1981)
A light-hearted laugh riot. Rajini fakes as a conservative and disciplined man to get a job in Thengai Srinivasan's company. The following is an unbelievable train of jokes. Noteworthy performances from Thengai Srinivasan's underplay and Rajini's antics. Not to miss the enjoyable cameo by Kamal Hassan in the climax. Many of us don't realize that there is in fact a villain in this movie. Yes, the kid who blackmails Rajini. His emulation of Rajini is also worth a watch.
Indru Poi Naalai Vaa(1981)
A totally out-of-the-box thinking film at those times. Three friends woo for a lady by all sort of juvenile tricks. A splendid screenplay by the evergreen screenplay specialist Bhagyaraj. Watch out for the three different methods used by the three protagonists to convey their love to the girl.
Vikram(1986)
A James Bond inspired movie after Jaishankar's crop of copies. This is one tightly edited movie that covers the adventures of a secret agent. Try to watch only one scene and you will end up sitting till the climax.
Samsaaram Adhu Minsaaram(1986)
A National Award winning movie. Where Bharathiraja took the camera to the outdoor, Visu brought it back to the studio. He proved that quality movies are possible even in a shoe-string budget. The dialogues alone were a hit at those times that they sold audio cassettes with only dialogues.
Vedham Pudhidhu(1987)
A delicious treat for atheists and agnostics. Takes the bull by its horns in addressing various social ills caused by religions and caste systems. Camerawork and direction stands hand to hand to lift this film to a greater level. Known for the slapping scene
Nayagan(1987)
Who can deny this film's impact in indian let alone tamil cinema. Kamal Hassan lived through the three stages of Velu Nayakkar, a don of Mumbai. A jewel in Kamal's crown.
Unnal Mudiyum Thambi(1988)
Inspite of its highly conscientious storyline, every scene is etched out well. This is about the tussle between a carefree son and his vanity ridden father.
Michael Madhana Kamarajan(1990)
An unbelievable screenplay that meshes the lives of four brothers and their misadventures. Every single dialogue in this movie showcases Crazy Mohan's skills. Read my complete review
Inaindha Kaigal(1990)
An action-adventure movie associated with Abaavaanan, who gave us some visually pleasing Oomai Vizhigal, Senthoora Poove etc. This movie too has some arresting visuals and meticulously crafted action scenes throughout the movie. Although from story standpoint it doesn't have much to offer, the elongated and slow-motioned action never failed to impress me whenever I view them. An example is the rope-car sequence just before the interval where Ramki and Arunpandian literally join hands(hence the title)
Captain Prabhakaran(1991)
The film that made the word Captain and Vijayakanth synonymous. A dare devil portrayal of IPS officer by Vijayakanth. Noteworthy speech at the climax that reminds Parasakthi.
Basha(1995)
Defined Rajinikanth's roadmap to the next level of a mass leader. His underplay in the first half and the anticipation to his eventual revelation as a don would bring goosebumps to anyone.
Indian(1996)
Proved that intelligent and social cinema can lock hands. An unbelievable performance by Kamal. Read my complete review
There are of course better movies that didn't make it to my list. Only reason could be that they should have not satisfied by criteria of selection. I'll keep revising this list if I happen to remember or come across anything better
