PremiumBest of 2024: Top 10 Tamil films to watch on OTT
Best of 2024: Tamil cinema has seen ups and downs this year, but also some great films one should not miss. Here is the list:
Last Updated: 10.40 AM, Dec 18, 2024
The year 2024 has been a mixed bag of emotions for Tamil cinema. Even though we had some major theatrical blockbusters, it was fairly a silent year for the industry, which is otherwise known to churn out successful films. While this year saw the rise of stardom for Sivakarthikeyan through Amaran, and a debutant’s feature Lubber Pandhu with a humble cast and crew made it big at the box office, here's the list of best Tamil films of this year and where you can stream on OTTs.
(The list is in no particular order)
Best of 2024: Top 10 Tamil films of this year and where you can stream on OTT
Blue Star – Prime Video
Blue Star stars Ashok Selvan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Keerthi Pandian, and others. A cricket drama, the film is helmed by debutant Jayakumar and makes a strong point for the caste oppression that is prevalent in the field of sports that prides on the fact of treating equally. Blue Star is set in Arakkonam and revolves around two cricketing teams with one reeking of privileges. Blue Star is a smartly written social drama, that gets elevated through the powerful performances of the leading men.
Lover – Disney+ Hotstar
Starring Manikandan and Sri Gouri Priya in the lead roles and directed by debutant Prabhuram Vyas, Lover is a poignant tale of modern-day romance. Appreciated for its realistic portrayal of complications that can arise in lovers of today’s times, the film delves into the toxicity of misogyny, and carefully threads on the paths of what is right and authentic in today’s times. The film explores the complicated and toxic romance between two individuals, and the emotional abuse, with the help of highlighting performances of the lead pair.
Maharaja – Netflix
Directed by Nithilan Saminathan and starring Vijay Sethupathi in the lead role, Maharaja is a revenge drama about a barber who files a complaint about a missing trash bin from his house but has a hidden agenda to find something else. Maharaja not only became the first financially successful film of the year, but also with its crisp screenplay and elevated performance from Vijay Sethupathi, became one of the most engrossing films of the year.
Garudan – Prime Video
Garudan is a rural action drama starring Soori, Sasikumar, and Unni Mukundan in the lead roles. Directed by RS Durai Senthilkumar, Garudan is a tale of friendship, loyalty, and greed put together in a twisty tale of action. With its powerful characters and strong performances, Garudan makes it one of the best-performed films this year.
Vaazhai – Disney+ Hotstar
Helmed by Mari Selvaraj, Vaazhai does not brandish any known faces and yet became one of the most talked about films this year. Taken from the real-life instances that occurred in the filmmaker’s life, Vaazhai is about school children who also double up as laborers in banana plantations. Ponvel, Rahul R, Kalaiyarasan, Nikhila Vimal, and Divya Duraisamy in prominent roles, Vaazhai brims with innocence and, at the same time, has a hard-hitting narrative of the less-spoken hardships of people.
Kottukkaali – Aha Tamil
With Soori and Anna Ben delivering powerful performances, Kottukkaali is a tale of a woman’s persistence against patriarchy come what may. After a woman named Meena falls into silence following her family strongly against her love for a lowered caste man, she is taken to a shaman to get rid of her possession, or rather that’s what her family thinks. The road drama is helmed by PS Vinothraj and is one of the best-performed and written films this year.
Andhagan – Prime Video
A remake of Andhadhun, this Tamil film makes its way to one of the best films this year for its authenticity of the story and curating the best casting for the film. Andhagan which was made with technical excellence, stars Prashanth, Simran, Priya Anand, Urvashi, Yogi Babu, Karthik, Samuthirakan,i and others.
Lubber Pandhu – Disney+ Hotstar
Lubber Pandhu is another sports drama helmed by debutant Tamizharasan Pachamuthu. With Harish Kalyan and Attakathi Dinesh headlining the film, the cricket film is a perfect mix of family drama, romance, and male ego. Lubber Pandhu went on to become one of the best box office successes for Tamil cinema this year. With a brilliant supporting cast including Sanjana, Swasika, Kaali Venkat, Bala Saravana,n and others, Lubber Pandhu is one of the must-watches this year.
Meiyazhagan – Netflix
Meiyazhagan weaves in a story of homecoming, camaraderie, and fear of memories, in a subtle tale that takes us through the bond two men share. Featuring Karthi and Arvind Swamy in Prem Kumar’s film, Meiyazhagan is effectively highlighted by the conversations the two characters have.
Amaran – Netflix
Amaran is headlined by Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, and directed by Rajkumar Periasamy. The film may be a biopic of the late Major Mukund Varadajaran but is presented as a love story and makes you see who Mukund is beyond the uniform. Amaran is also a film that gave its lead cast an opportunity to excel, paving the way to become one of the blockbusters of Tamil cinema.