First Quarter 2016 Tamil Movies Report

This year started on a good note for Tamil movies as there were three hits in January - Rajini Murugan, Aranmanai 2 and Irudhi Suttru. February saw Miruthan and Visaranai registering moderate success while  Sethupathi turned out to be a clean hit. Pichaikkaran, Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum and Thozha did very well for March, despite the exams.

MovieCrow's Picks from First Quarter of 2016

• Popular Film - Irudhi Suttru 

• Critics' Favourite – Visaranai 

• Director - Vetrimaaran (Visaranai) 

• Actor - Madhavan (Irudhi Suttru)

• Actress - Ritika Singh (Irudhi Suttru) 

• Screenplay - Vetrimaaran (Visaranai)  

• Cinematographer - Dinesh Krishnan (Sethupathi, Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum)

• Editor - Late TE Kishore (Visaranai) 

• Music Director - Santhosh Narayanan (Irudhi Suttru)

Pick of the quarter

Irudhi Suttru scored on both content and box office. It was a comeback for Madhavan (in Tamil) and director Sudha Kongara, and they became the talk of the town as soon as the movie released. How can we forget the stunning debutante, Ritika Singh who literally packed a punch as a boxer in the film? 

Vetrimaaran sweeps National Awards yet again

A Vetrimaaran's movie approximately releases once in five years, but he makes sure that the movie is forever remembered by the audience. Showcasing the shocking brutality of Police department's high-handedness, Visaranai gave sleepless nights to movie buffs and viewers. The movie made Tamil industry proud by bagging 3 national awards - Best Tamil Film, Best Supporting Actor (Samuthirakani) and Best Editor (Late TE Kishore).

Vijay Sethupathi finds the commercial pulse

With two back-to-back hits this year (Sethupathi and Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum), Vijay Sethupathi is on a dream run. All eyes are on his future projects, which include Iraivi, Dharma Durai, Rekka and untitled KV Anand project.

Run-of-the-mill Commercial Hits

The mixed reviews for Sivakarthikeyan's Rajini Murugan and Sundar C's Aranmanai 2 did not affect their run at the box office as both of them became runaway commercial hits. These films yet again prove that there are always takers for well-made run-of-the-mill films.

Tamil industry comes of age with official adaptations of foreign films

This year has already seen the release of 2 official remakes/adaptations of foreign language films. Both Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum and Thozha have managed to strike a chord with the audience here.

Notable Attempts

Pandiraj's Kathakali was a fairly good attempt at making a suspense thriller, while Siddharth's Jil Jung Juk was a quirky comedy entertainer which impressed only a small section of the audience. Stone Bench Creations' second anthology film, Aviyal received good reviews from the critics. The fantasy horror film, Zero got its share of appreciation for its interesting screenplay. 

Films that failed to strike the right chord 

Director Bala's Tharai Thappattai was nowhere near his masterpieces and the film could not even strike a chord with his ardent fans. The only factor which stood out in the film was Ilayaraja's music, and he rightly won the National award for his efforts. 

Gitanjali Selvaraghavan's Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam, Udhayanidhi Stalin's Gethu, multi-starrer Bangalore Naatkal, Prashanth's Saagasam, Vimal's Anjala and Mapla Singam, Arulnithi's Aarathu Sinam, Jiiva's Pokkiri Raja, Srikanth's Sowkarpettai, Jai's Pugazh, Santhanam's Vaaliba Raja and several more lesser known films never really got going.

Second quarter of 2016 is scorching hot with a number of biggies lined up for release -- Theri, 24 and Kabali.