Rajinikanth in 'Kabali' to Madhavan in 'Irudhi Suttru': Best performances in Tamil cinema this year

This year saw a lot of new movies in Tamil that were truly refreshing as well as thought provoking. But as good the movies were, they would not have fared well had it not been for some memorable performances from Kollywood actors. So let us see which stars stunned us with their acting prowess so far in 2016.

Rajinikanth

Of course, Rajinikanth is an amazing actor; there are no doubts about that. Yet, over the last few years, he has become more of a stylish superstar. But ‘Kabali’ is the movie where he will remind you of Rajinikanth of the yesteryear, the actor Rajini. Here the Thalaivar’s expressions, dialogues and body language spoke a lot more than his fists and we are glad to see that the superstar has not forgotten his roots. If there is one thing which redeemed ‘Kabali’, then it was Rajinikanth himself.

Suriya

‘24’ had a super tight story and screenplay, yet playing a triple role is always a challenge for any actor. The challenge becomes much bigger when one of them is a negative role. But Suriya aced in all three characters as Mani, Athreya and Sethuraman. In fact, his portrayal of the villainous Athreya was one of the best parts about the film. Athreya’s character took ‘24’ from good to excellent and Suriya is the man to be thanked.

Vijay Sethupathi

He has already had three releases this year and he did three really contrasting characters in the three films. While in ‘Sethupathi’ he was a tough as nails cop with a sharp wit, he was a drunk and good-for-nothing thug in ‘Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum’, then finally he played the stoic Michael in ‘Iraivi’. But the amazing fact is that each time he came on screen, he made us forget that we were watching Vijay Sethupathi the actor and instead engrossed us in his characters. Vijay isn’t called the most versatile actor of Kollywood for nothing.

R Madhavan

Yes, who can forget Maddy? He single handedly carried the movie ‘Irudhi Suttru’ on his huge and super buff shoulders. Not only did he look menacing, but his character also was every bit tough on screen. Of course, Madhavan is known to be a great actor, yet ‘Irudhi Suttru’ marked a big makeover for him from a romantic hero to something much more. Since the movie itself didn’t work so well, he was the saving grace of the film.

SJ Suryah

This man was quite a revelation in ‘Iraivi’. SJ Suryah is a good director, but acting has always been questionable at best. However, he looked like a completely new man in Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Iraivi’ as Arul, an abusive, drunk man who is struggling to become a director. He received great praise for his performance in the movie and even landed the role of villain in Mahesh Babu’s next all thanks to one memorable role. Hopefully, he will prove to not be a one-time wonder.

Madonna Sebastian

The only actress to grace this list is Madonna. This Kerala beauty aced it in ‘Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum’. Her portrayal of Yazhini, a young woman who is desperate for a job was spot on. She was shown as a person with flaws, something which we don’t see in most female characters in Tamil cinema. She was funny, witty and matched Vijay Sethupathi in almost every frame, which is not an easy thing to do.

Vishal

Vishal is always seen in commercial action roles or comic roles. ‘Kathakali’ too started out in a similar vein but the way he transformed his character from a guy-next-door to a man scheming and committing murder is commendable. It was definitely one of the best performances from Vishal and director Pandiraj also needs to be thanked for bringing out this side of the actor.