Tamil cinema in 2024: Where biggies failed to deliver and smaller films took centre stage

From biggies like Indian 2 and Kanguva that failed to deliver to comparatively smaller films like Vaazhai, Kottukkaali, Lubber Pandhu and Meiyazhagan turning out to be pleasant surprises here’s a round-up of Tamil cinema for the year 2024

With the curtains drawing on 2024, Tamil cinema had its most tumultuous run post-pandemic this year. 2010 was the last time when Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Vijay, Suriya and Vikram had a release in the same year and it was believed 2024 could be the year when it happens again. With Kamal and Ajith saving their works for 2025, almost all the biggies of Tamil cinema had a release in 2024. But when some of the biggest and most expected projects bit the dust, it’s the comparatively smaller films which excelled thanks to solid, intimate scripts accentuated by their able cast in which Tamil cinema-goers found their solace. Here are some trends that shaped Kollywood this year.

In a year when some much-hyped collaborations between established filmmakers and veteran actors failed to live up to their hype, it was the next generation of actors who rose to the occasion to save the day (or year). Sivakarthikeyan’s Amaran (despite criticisms for bypassing political issues plaguing Kashmir where the film is set) and Vijay Sethupathi’s Maharaja (despite heated discussions around its portrayal of sexual violence as a plot device) turned out to be some of the biggest hits of 2024. Despite mixed reviews, Dhanush’s Raayan turned out to be a money-spinner and Jiiva tasted success with his intriguing thriller Black while Prashanth made a commendable comeback with Andhagan. Karthi and Arvind Swami’s Meiyazhagan hit us like a gentle breeze, while Arulnithi-Ajay Gnanamuthu’s Demonte Colony 2 joined the elite club of sequels that worked.

The younger crop of actors were the ones who pleasantly surprised us the most. Manikandan continues his phenomenal run with this year’s best romance, Lover. Though Kavin’s Star did not live up to the expectations, his dark-humour flick Bloody Beggar was a welcome change given the onslaught of thrillers we had this year. Soori’s Garudan is a personal favourite while Harish Kalyan and ‘Gethu’ Dinesh’s Lubber Pandhu became the people’s choice. Dhanush and Arun Matheswaran’s Captain Miller, RJ Balaji’s Sorgavaasal and Ashok Selvan and Shanthanu Bhagyaraj’s Blue Star are fascinating films that deserved more love than they received.

2024 will be one of those rare years where there was no well-rounded, satisfying big-star vehicle. Vijay’s penultimate outing The Greatest of All Time, Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan, Sivakarthikeyan’s Ayalaan, Vikram and Pa Ranjith’s Thangalaan, Dhanush’s Raayan and Vetrimaaran’s long-expected Viduthalai Part 2 received mixed reviews. Director Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha, director Hari and Vishal’s Rathnam, director Chimbu Deven’s Boat and director Rajesh -Jayam Ravi’s Brother sank without a trace. Director Aishwarya Rajinikanth’s Lal Salaam which featured the legendary Rajini in an extended cameo turned out to be a box-office bomb. But none of these films could match the disappointment the two most-awaited biggies gave this year: director Shankar and Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2 and director Siva and Suriya’s Kanguva. Arguably the biggest hit from Tamil cinema from an experienced filmmaker and a seasoned cast has to be Sundar C’s Aranmanai 4.

Every year, a slew of new filmmakers pleasantly shock us with their debut ventures, and 2024 is no different. In a year where some of the most expected films failed to deliver, it’s these little gems that made the industry hold its head high among neighbouring industries that had a comparatively better run. It started with debutant S Jayakumar’s Blue Star in January and the very next month, newbie Prabhuram Vyas’ Lover was released. Suresh Mari’s J Baby — starring the veteran Urvashi in arguably the best performance by an actor in Tamil cinema this year — is an underrated gem. And so is John Glady’s film on pigeon racing in Nagercoil, Byri, Pascal Vedamuthu’s Veppam Kulir Mazhai, Pari Elavazhagan’s Jama, Ananth Ram’s Nanban Oruvan Vantha Piragu, Samyuktha Vijayan’s Neela Nira Sooriyan, Sriram Ananthashankar’s Rocket Driver and Micheal K Raja’s Pogumidam Vegu Thooramillai starring Vemal and Karunas.

While Tamil cinema has long forgotten its ‘double-hero’ subject films featuring top stars which were a mainstay a couple of decades ago, the pan-Indian trend has made way for a slew of multi-starrers and this year the count went up considerably. Captain Miller featured Dhanush alongside Priyanka Mohan, Shiva Rajkumar and Sundeep Kishan while the same month gave us Blue Star with Ashok Selvan and Shanthanu Bhagyaraj. Ashok Selvan also teamed up with Vasanth Ravi and Aishwarya Lekshmi for the underwhelming Pon Ondru Kanden. Garudan featured a strong cast which includes Soori, Sasikumar, Unni Mukundan, Roshini Haripriyan and Sshivada.

Indian 2 featured Kamal alongside Siddharth, S J Suryah, Rakul Preet Singh and Priya Bhavani Shankar. Suryah was also a part of Dhanush’s Raayan which starred Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas Jayaram, Dushara Vijayan and Aparna Balamurali. Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time had an ensemble of talents like Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Sneha, Mohan, Laila and Meenakshi Chaudhary. A similar biggie with a stellar cast is Rajini’s Vettaiyan co-starrring Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh, Dushara Vijayan and the legendary Amitabh Bachchan in his Tamil debut. Lubber Pandhu and Meiyazhagan were based on the story of two men and apart from its main leads, the films had a strong ensemble of supporting performers.