Top 5 Tamil Movies of 2021

Compared to 2019 or 2020, there have not been many great Tamil movies released in 2021, in my opinion. So choosing the top five or ten may not be a big task. Regardless of being a huge Thapathy fan and having watched his every movie since Thuppakki on First Day First Show, I still didn’t watch Master or any other Tamil movie in the cinema and watched all of them through the OTT release. Here are my Top 5 Tamil Movies of 2021.

1) Jai Bhim (2021)

Like Soorarai Pottru in 2020, Nadipin Nayagan Surya got another ‘serious’ blockbuster through Jai Bhim. But you have to admit that the main character or lead actor in Jai Bhim is not Surya, it’s Lijomol. It is very rare in the Tamil industry, especially in a superstar’s movie, for female actors to get more recognition than the hero. Sengeni was Lijomol’s career-best. The story is about a Lawyer fighting for a tribal family who was falsely accused of a robbery. I would highly recommend watching Jai Bhim. If you have watched Visaranai (2015), this would be a more ‘disturbing’ viewing experience. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

2) Mandela (2021)

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Tamil comedy actors. In most of the films, they are making comedies from body shaming (think Yogi Babu on-screen) or misogyny. But in Mandela, Madonne Ashwin’s directorial debut, Yogi Babu in the titular role surprises you with his performance. The story is about the election, political conflicts, caste issues happening in a small Tamil village. All the characters played their role beautifully in Mandela. Watch this comedy-drama on Netflix.

3) Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum (2021)

The movie was originally released in 2018 at Mumbai Film Festival. But, I got a chance to watch this movie after its OTT release in 2021. It is an anthology movie talking about 3 women, their dreams, their struggles and how they overcome those struggles. Lakshmi Priya, Parvathi and Kalieswari acted in the lead roles and all are excellent. Director Vasanth deserves huge applause for this women-empowerment kind of movie. Watch it on Sonyliv.

4) Vaazhl (2021)

Vaazhl means Living – a beautiful travel-inspirational movie directed by Arun Prabhu after his blockbuster Aruvi(2017). Despite all actors being relatively new still, they have performed really well. As the name goes, the movie is all about inner journeys. An IT guy, who is dissatisfied with his job, gets a chance to go for a road trip (Don’t worry it’s not a usual Bullet ride to Ladakh) and how the trip changes his view of life. Watch this beautiful travel-inspiring movie on Sonyliv.

5) Sarpatta Parambarai (2021)

Pa. Ranjith‘s Sarpattta Parambarai is a ‘historical’ sports movie. The story revolves around Chennai boxing clubs in the early ’70s. Arya, Pasupathi and Dushara Vijayan played the lead roles. All actors performed well, especially Dancing Rose – Shabeer Kallarakkal. As usual, Pa. Ranjith tells about the political and caste-based issues through Sarpatta Parambarai. The only downside I felt was the length of the movie – it is a full 3 hours. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Honor Roll

Apart from the above top 5 Tamil movies of 2021, I would highly recommend watching the following

1. Kamali from Nadukkaveri (2021) – On Zee5
2. Maara (2021) – On Amazon Prime
3. Master (2021) – On Amazon Prime
4. Thaen (2021) – On SonyLiv
5. Kadaseela Biriyani (2021) – On Netflix
6. Kasada Thabara (2021) – On Sony Liv
7. Maanadu (2021) – On Sony Liv
8. Thalaivi (2021) – On Netflix
9. Thittam Irandu (2021) – On Sony Liv
10. Karnan (2021) – On Amazon Prime