Tamil Movies I would recommend to a Non-Tamil Friend
by santhoshrajan90 | created - 21 Nov 2014 | updated - 14 Sep 2019 | PublicTamil Cinema time and again produces great movies which deserve a lot more attention than they receive. This list consists of certain Tamil movies, which are not only considered as classics in Tamilnadu but also worldwide.
I 've tried to add movies from all the genres.
Which of these movies you would be suggesting for a stranger to Tamil cinema?
Discuss the list here
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1. Kattradhu Thamizh (2007)
147 min | Drama, Mystery
A young post-graduate faces difficulties with finding employment, and struggles against social inequalities.
Director: Ram | Stars: Jiiva, Anjali, Karunas, Azhagam Perumal
Votes: 3,513
2. Virumandi (2004)
Not Rated | 175 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A temperamental farmer gets embroiled in a bloody clan feud in a southern Tamil Nadu village.
Director: Kamal Haasan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Abhirami, Pasupathy, Napolean
Votes: 7,768
3. Hey Ram (2000)
Not Rated | 186 min | Crime, Drama, History
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country and sets out to kill him.
Director: Kamal Haasan | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Hema Malini
Votes: 13,998 | Gross: $0.27M
4. Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (2012)
Not Rated | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A girl gets in trouble when her boyfriend films her private moments on his mobile phone without her knowledge.
Director: Balaji Sakthivel | Stars: Sri, Urmila Mahanta, Mithun Murali, Manisha Yadav
Votes: 2,371
5. Nayakan (1987)
Not Rated | 145 min | Crime, Drama
A common man's struggles against a corrupt police force put him on the wrong side of the law. He becomes a don, who is loved and respected by many, but his growing power and influence exact a heavy toll.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Saranya Ponvannan, Delhi Ganesh, Janakaraj
Votes: 22,989
6. Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
Not Rated | 136 min | Action, Drama, War
A little girl is told by her parents that she is adopted. Determined to find her real mother, she begs to be taken to Sri Lanka, where her mother works with a militant group of activists.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Keerthana Parthiepan, Simran, Madhavan, Nandita Das
Votes: 9,222
7. Iruvar (1997)
140 min | Biography, Drama
A struggling actor and a writer-politician become friends as young men and rise to great heights in cinema and politics respectively. But when both become contenders for the top political post in the state, a rift develops between them.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Mohanlal, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Prakash Raj, Gautami
Votes: 7,324
8. Aaranya Kaandam (2010)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A mob boss must deal with a disgruntled mistress and a vanishing bag of cocaine.
Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja | Stars: Sampath Raj, Jackie Shroff, Ravi Krishna, Yasmin Ponnappa
Votes: 5,390
9. Paruthiveeran (2007)
Not Rated | 162 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A village tough finally succumbs to the unconditional love of his angelic cousin, but his romance faces insurmountable challenges, including family opposition and his own delinquent personality.
Director: Ameer Sultan | Stars: Karthi, Priyamani, Saravanan, Ponvannan
Votes: 4,034
10. Subramaniapuram (2008)
Not Rated | 145 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Azhagar and his friend Paraman kill the person who humiliated Kanugu's brother and surrenders themselves to the police. However, they soon learn that Kanugu has betrayed them.
Director: M. Sasikumar | Stars: Jai, M. Sasikumar, Swathi Reddy, 'Ganja' Karuppu
Votes: 2,323
11. Pithamagan (2003)
Not Rated | 139 min | Action, Drama
Chittan, a social outcast, has grown up in a cemetery. A drug dealer finds him a job in a cannabis farm. In prison, he meets a conman, Shakti. This friendship transforms him from his stony existence.
Director: Bala | Stars: Vikram, Suriya, Laila, Sangeetha
Votes: 7,487
12. Pudhu Pettai (2006)
Not Rated | 168 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After running away from his home, Kumar falls in with a gang and slowly rises through the ranks of the criminal underworld.
Director: K. Selvaraghavan | Stars: Dhanush, Sneha, Sonia Agarwal, Azhagam Perumal
Votes: 7,915
13. Mullum Malarum (1978)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama
A boorish villager butts heads with a newly appointed engineer from the city.
Director: J. Mahendran | Stars: Rajinikanth, Sarath Babu, Jayalakshmi, Shoba
Votes: 965
14. Parasakthi (1952)
Not Rated | 188 min | Drama
Brothers Chandrasekaran, Gnanasekaran and Gunasekaran are Indian immigrants living in Burma. Things take a turn when their brother-in-law dies in an accident and their father dies of shock.
Directors: R. Krishnan, S. Panju | Stars: Pandari Bai, Doraiswamy, Shivaji Ganesan, T.P. Muthulakshmi
Votes: 354
15. Aadukalam (2011)
Not Rated | 160 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Falling in love with Irene as well as refusing to obey his boss Pettaikaran in a rooster fight complicates Karuppu's life.
Director: Vetrimaaran | Stars: Dhanush, Taapsee Pannu, Jayabalan, Kishore Kumar G.
Votes: 7,140
16. Naan Kadavul (2009)
Not Rated | 165 min | Action, Drama
After Rudran's father leaves him in Kashi, he grows up to be an Aghori. However, when his family gets him back home, he faces problems adjusting to the city lifestyle.
Director: Bala | Stars: Arya, Pooja Umashankar, Motta Rajendran, Krishnamoorthy
Votes: 2,235
17. Anjathe (2008)
Not Rated | 185 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Sathya and Kiruba are friends. Sathya is reckless and gets into drinking and violent fights whereas Kiruba studies hard to become a Sub-Inspector. Tables are turned when Sathya becomes a Sub-Inspector.
Director: Mysskin | Stars: Narain, Prasanna, Ajmal Ameer, Vijayalakshmi Ahathian
Votes: 2,457
18. Pathinaru Vayathinile (1977)
Not Rated | 139 min | Drama, Romance
The movie revolves around the struggle and vulnerability of 16-year old Mayil (Sridevi) when in love.
Director: Bharathiraja | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Rajinikanth, Gandhimathi
Votes: 1,243
19. Uthiri Pookkal (1979)
143 min | Drama
A hedonist/sadist makes life hell for everyone around him.
Director: J. Mahendran | Stars: Ashwini, Sarath Babu, Sunder, Vijayan
Votes: 297
20. Aval Appadithaan (1978)
114 min | Drama
The film revolves around a solitary women, her plight and ordeal against evil society.
Director: C. Rudraiyaa | Stars: Sripriya, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Sivachandran
Votes: 292
21. Thaneer Thaneer (1981)
143 min | Drama
A small village in Tamil Nadu faces water scarcity. The film highlights the plight of the villagers and the sufferings they endure at the hands of bureaucrats when they try to resolve their problem.
Director: K. Balachander | Stars: Raman, Saritha, Shunmugham, A.K. Veeraswamy
Votes: 135
22. Varumayin Niram Sigappu (1980)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama
Poetical forces play in the life of an unemployed yet well educated young man.He finds the depth and the beauty of his principles yet fate leaves him in destitution
Director: K. Balachander | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Prathap Pothen, Dilip
Votes: 1,116
23. Chandralekha (II) (1948)
193 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The two brothers named Veerasimhan and Sasankan, who fight with each other over ruling their father's kingdom and for marrying the village dancer Chandralekha.
Director: S.S. Vasan | Stars: Rajkumari, M.K. Radha, Ranjan, Sundarabai
Votes: 66
24. Ayirathil Oruvan (1965)
174 min | Action, Adventure
Enslaved convicts for treason plan escape but get caught by pirates and work for them before gaining their support and fighting back their country's authoritarian rule.
Director: B. Ramakrishnaiah Panthulu | Stars: Jayalalitha J, R.S. Manohar, Nagesh, M.N. Nambiar
Votes: 235
25. Thillu Mullu (1981)
136 min | Comedy
Chandran , a young man fools his boss and attempts to woo his boss' daughter.
Director: K. Balachander | Stars: Rajinikanth, Madhavi, Thengai Srinivasan, Sowcar Janaki
Votes: 3,746
26. Bombay (1995)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama, Romance
A Hindu man and a Muslim woman fall in love in a small village and move to Mumbai, where they have two children. However, growing religious tensions and erupting riots threaten to tear the family apart.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Arvind Swamy, Manisha Koirala, Nassar, Kitty
Votes: 13,703
27. Yutham Sei (2011)
Not Rated | 160 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A common man's ability to defeat the devil. A cop identifies the mystery and solves the problem.
Director: Mysskin | Stars: Cheran, Ananyaa Shah, Y.G. Mahendran, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan
Votes: 2,226
28. Vidiyum Munn (2013)
129 min | Thriller
An aging prostitute tries to rescue a prepubescent girl from the clutches of prostitution. In the process, several lives get affected around them.
Director: Balaji K. Kumar | Stars: Pooja Umashankar, Malavika Manikuttan, Vinoth Kishan, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan
Votes: 498
29. Aalavandhan (2001)
Not Rated | 177 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Nandu and Vijay are brothers, who were abused by their stepmother during their younger days. Nandhu, who is mentally ill, decides to kill Vijay's fiancee as he visualizes her as his stepmother.
Director: Suresh Krishna | Stars: Kamal Haasan, Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala, Kitu Gidwani
Votes: 2,979
30. Andha Naal (1954)
130 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
After an engineer is shot dead, several people around him relate different versions and the related incidents that may have led to the murder.
Director: Sundaram Balachander | Stars: Shivaji Ganesan, Pandari Bai, Jawar N. Sitaraman, T.K. Balachandran
Votes: 478
31. Anjali (1990)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama
After a few years, Chitra learns that her child, who was believed to be dead, is alive but is suffering from a mental illness. However, her family faces many challenges while looking after her child.
Director: Mani Ratnam | Stars: Shamili, Revathi, Raghuvaran, Tarun
Votes: 3,176
32. The Terrorist (1998)
Unrated | 95 min | Drama
A young female terrorist goes on a suicide assassination mission, but her resolve to complete it is put to the test.
Director: Santosh Sivan | Stars: Ayesha Dharker, K. Krishna, Sonu Sisupal, Vishwas
Votes: 2,040 | Gross: $0.14M
33. Aruvi (2016)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama
A gentle girl born and brought up amidst the ever growing eco-social-consumeristic environment finds it difficult to fit in the society. She decides to take it hard on the people. What she does is the rest of the story.
Director: Arun Prabhu Purushothaman | Stars: Aditi Balan, Padmashri Mohammad Ali, Pradeep Anthony, Arnold
Votes: 14,327
34. Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)
Not Rated | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police officer retires after an accident during a case investigation. Years later, he is forced to relive the past as he narrates the story to his friend's son.
Director: Karthick Naren | Stars: Rahman, Prakash Raghavan, Sharathkumar, Santhosh Krishna
Votes: 16,906
35. Vada Chennai (2018)
Not Rated | 164 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young carrom player in north Chennai becomes a reluctant participant in a war between two warring gangsters.
Director: Vetrimaaran | Stars: Dhanush, Ameer Sultan, Radha Ravi, Daniel Balaji
Votes: 19,644
36. Super Deluxe (2019)
Not Rated | 176 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An unfaithful newly-wed wife, an estranged father, a priest and an angry son suddenly find themselves in the most unexpected predicaments, each poised to experience their destiny, all on one fateful day.
Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja | Stars: Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Ramya Krishnan
Votes: 17,471
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