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20 Thriller Films of Tamil Cinema - A Visit to Kolaigaran's Teams Tribute Series

PUBLISHED DATE : 05/Jun/2019

20 Thriller Films of Tamil Cinema - A Visit to Kolaigaran's Teams Tribute Series

Ever since Vijay Antony's Kolaigaran was up for release, its team kept the promotion buzz going by listing out a series of posters which paid tribute to some of the popular thrillers out there. Each of these posters claimed that if one loved the mentioned thriller movie, they would enjoy watching Kolaigaran as well.

 

 Since the list was already out there, we decided to revisit these films some of which have obtained a cult status in the Tamil thriller genre and some just plain popular. 


1. Sigappu Rojakkal: A psychotic romantic thriller, this movie from the late 70s pioneered the breed of such films in Tamil cinema. The movie was  unique attempt in its era and Kamal Haasan's portrayal of a psychopathic killer with an aversion for women is considered a reference point for such characters.

2. Bommai : S. Balachander, a name known today as a director-ahead-of-his-times had directed and acted in this film, which is believed to be a loose adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock's 1934 film Sabotage. A highly regarded thriller of its times.

3. Nooravathu Naal: Another adaptation, though unofficial Nooravathu Naal is more of a psychic thriller where a woman experiences visions of a murder and she along with a pal try to get to the bottom of it by investigating the circumstances.

4. Vidiyum Varai Kaathiru:  A 1981 K. Bhagyaraj cliffhanger said to be inspired from a 1971 movie by the name New Leaf, Vidiyum Varai Kaathiru was one-of-a-kind movie where a man with foul intentions marries a naivete for wealth and tries to get rid of her. Unexpected turn of events and a twist in the climax is what made this film an engaging thriller remembered to date.
 
5. Andha Naal: Another S. Balachander film said to have been written after the director watched a Japanese film named Rashomon, Andha Naal was a mystery crime thriller which revolved around the killing of a Radio Engineer during the Japanese War.  It was also the first Tamil film to feature no songs or stunt sequences in it.

6. Kuruthi Punal: A remake of the Hindi movie Drohkaal, Kamal Haasan starrer Kuruthi Punal portrays the psychological trauma that honest police officers go through in their fight against a group of ruthless terrorists. The movie has etched a name for itself as one of the best action-thrillers of the 90s.

7. Uchakattam: A film from 1980, this thriller starred Sarath Babu, Sunitha, Y.G. Mahendran among others and was directed by N.S. Rajbharath. 

8. Papanasam: Remake of the Malayalam drama-thriller Dhrishyam, this movie portrays the story of how a middle class family man with not much education, hoodwinks police officials in higher ranks of a crime he commits circumstantially.
 
9. Oru Kaidhiyin Diary: A K. Bhagyaraj original which was a popular film of its times, this movie saw Kamal Haasan play both a wrongful convict who upon release avenges the death of his wife and a righteous police official who tries to stop his father's killing spree.

10. D 16: A contemporary whodunit popular among the current lot, D 16 saw a disabled police officer looking back at a 5 year old case which forced him to quit and reveal some secrets of his own.

11. Anjadhe:  A popular action thriller known for its avant-grand style of film-making, Anjadhe was a film which catapulted director Mysskin to a name to be reckoned with in Tamil cinema. The movie 

12. Yaavarum Nalam: The only horror film in this list, this movie was highly celebrated in mid-2000s for its unique portrayal of horror emerging from a possessed television set. The film was highly talked for its technical aspects back then and continues to be one of Madhavan's bests in his career. 

13. Sathuranga Vettai: A hiest thriller about victims of an infamous conman grouping together for taking revenge, Sathuranga Vettai put H. Vinoth on the map of Tamil cinema, a place he enjoys today as  recognized director.

14. Maanagaram: A film known for the nail-biting tension it engages the audience in, this suspense thriller of sorts has all elements of a commercial film and tells us how a set of events are interlinked.

15. Kurangu Bommai: Another interlinked story of a crime thriller, Kurangu Bommai a plot-thickening story of an honest driver who tries to return a bag of money to its rightful owner.

16. Irumbu Thirai: An investigative thriller with cybercrime as the background, this Vishal starrer gained critical acclaim for its portrayal of information theft using technology these days.

17. Vikram Vedha: One of the most popular films in recent times of this lot, Vikram Vedha relied partly on symbolism and was partly neo-noir. The film ensued a cat and mouse game between an encounter specialist and a notorious out-law and was highly acclaimed for the craft used.

18. Kuttram 23:  A cop thriller where an ACP portagonist tries to unravel a crime racket involving medical professionals, Kuttram 23 was inspired from Rajesh Kumar's series of novels and short stories and made for one slick film.

19. Raatchasan: A film with a modern day criminal with a disturbing past, a physical condition and an aversion for young girls, Raatchasan was an edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller. 

20. Thadam: One murder; two suspects! A whodunit where each clue leads to more questions than answers. A riveting edge of the seat thriller based on true stories.

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