Best Tamil films of R Madhavan

R Madhavan is a prominent name in Bollywood as well as the south Indian film industries. His directorial debut, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, hits theaters this Friday where Madhavan plays Nambi Narayanan, the former scientist who was falsely charged in the ISRO espionage case in the 90s. So, in today’s episode of List hai toh hit hai, we recommend some of the best Tamil films starring Madhavan aka Maddy. Here we go

Alaipayuthey (Amazon Prime Video)

Though Madhavan appeared in many Hindi TV shows before his film debut in 1997, the film that made him an overnight sensation was the Mani Ratnam directorial Alaipayuthey. The film features Madhavan and Shalini as Karthik and Shakthi who fall in love and marry against their parents’ wishes. Ratnam’s film effectively captures the complexities of married life as Karthik and Shakthi realize marriage is not what they expected it to be. The sizzling chemistry between the lead actors was undeniable, and A R Rahman’s songs Pachchai Niramey, Snehithane, Yaro Yarodi, and Endrendrum Punnagai became instant hits among a generation of moviegoers. The film was later remade into Hindi as Saathiya starring Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukerji.

Minnale (YouTube)

With Gautam Vasudev Menon’s directorial debut Minnale, Madhavan cemented his place in the Tamil film industry. Apart from Madhavan, the film also featured Abbas and Reema Sen. The film’s triangle love story struck a chord with people of all age groups. What elevated the film to greater heights is Harris Jayaraj’s music, and the song Vaseegara remains a favorite among women of the 90s. Madhavan later reprised his role in the Hindi remake of the film titled, Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein. Saif Ali Khan and Dia Mirza essayed the roles of Abbas and Reema Sen in the film.

Anbe Sivam (Netflix)

Anbe Sivam is undoubtedly one of Madhavan’s best films to date and he shared screen space with one of Indian cinema’s legendary actors, Kamal Haasan. Madhavan plays Anbarasu, an ad filmmaker who befriends Nallasivam, played by Haasan, when they get stranded at the airport in Bhubaneshwar. Madhavan’s perspective towards people and life changes as he travels with Nallasivam. The film, which was way ahead of its times, explores themes such as capitalism, atheism, and the concept of God. It’s a film that forever stays with the audience.

Kannathil Muthamittal (Netflix)

Madhavan’s second Tamil film with director Mani Ratnam was Kannathil Muthamittal. He plays the role of writer Thiruchelvan, who goes by the pen name Indira in the film. It depicts the story of a couple who journey to Sri Lanka to find the biological mother of their adoptive daughter. The film is set against the backdrop of the civil war in Sri Lanka and it went on to bag several national and international awards. Apart from Madhavan, the film stars Simran, Nandita Das, J. D. Chakravarthy, Prakash Raj, and Baby Keerthana.

Run (Lionsgate Play)

Acclaimed Malayalam actress Meera Jasmine made her Tamil debut with the 2002 film Run which featured Madhavan in an action-oriented role for the first time. Madhavan plays Siva who instantly falls in love with Priya when he joins a college in Chennai. He later realizes that Priya’s brother is a gangster. Atul Kulkarni plays the antagonist in the film. It received plaudits for Madhavan’s convincing portrayal as an action hero, N Linguswamy's screenplay, Vidyasagar’s music, and Jeeva’s cinematography. It was also remade into Hindi with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead.

Vikram Vedha (Hotstar, Zee5)

Madhavan’s 2017 film Vikram Vedha is a commercial film with a lot of substance. Madhavan plays an encounter specialist who is in the search of a gangster named Vedha, played by Vijay Sethupathi. When Vikram and Vedha finally come face to face, it leads to complex questions about good and evil. Based on the folktale Vikram-Betaal, the film is being remade into Hindi with Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan.

Well thats the OTTplay theme special List hai toh hit hai for today, until the next episode it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

Written by Arya Harikumar