Aramm, Vikram Vedha, Aval: Most impactful Tamil performances and films in 2017

At the time of publishing this piece, two films that are yet to release have not been added to our roundup of Tamil cinema’s interesting year. The two films we can’t consider right now are Siva Karthikeyan-Nayanthara-Fahadh Faasil’s biggie Velaikkaaran and Jai- Anjali’s Balloon. 2017 has been a year of impressive directorial debuts — which also means there were that many producers who believed in a new concept, a fresh narrative and younger teams. The success of small budget films preceded the big budget ones by a considerable margin. This list is not a mere drop down menu of movie names which made it into public consciousness this year. It’s a list that celebrates those talents — be it veteran names or newcomers — whose work deserves our ovation. 2017 also belonged to a bevy of beautiful women on screen. Here are those leading ladies and heroes, directors and producers who made 2017 a year to reckon with: Nayanthara, Aramm [caption id=“attachment_4203301” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Nayanthara in Aramm[/caption] She could’ve comfortably starred in hero centric blockbusters but Nayanthara decided to back an off-beat story in Aramm. Released in the second half of 2017, Aramm’s success is proof that mainstream heroines don’t necessarily have to sing and dance around trees to remain mainstream. Accepting Nayanthara as an IAS Officer who resolves a crisis is perhaps the best motivator for South India’s top billed heroine to select more such dynamic and different scripts. Directed by debutant Gopi Nainar, Aramm hits the mark with first time producer and Nayanthara’s trusted manager Rajesh backing the project right from production through release. Aditi Balan, Aruvi Her twitter account says she is also a lawyer, which perhaps explains how she managed to deliver the lengthy monologue in and as Aruvi. The film also qualifies to be the best Tamil film of 2017 in more ways than one. Written and directed by debutant Arun Prabhu, the unpredictable concept and emotional execution takes your breath away. Produced by Dream-warrior Pictures’ SR Prabhu. who easily takes the award for Best Producer of the year (two more of his films coming up in this list). Aruvi is both poetry and prose, and that is a tough benchmark to match up to, by a first time director and his talented debut team. Dark comedy, satire, surrealism and human drama come together to make you laugh and cry in one single movie. The loudest applause from the audience comes in the form of silent tears as the film proceeds towards a poignant end. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vikram Vedha With more than one release this year, Varalaxmi turned the tide around to break stereotypes about heroines donning strong, supportive roles. Not shy of being in an ensemble cast, because she can pull off any role with the ease of an experienced actor, Varalaxmi garnered the maximum applause after Vijay Sethupathi in this year’s 100-day super hit Vikram Vedha. The film is a wonderful attempt at a non-linear narrative and an almost interactive screenplay which Pushkar and Gaythri pull off with aplomb. Prasanna - Thupparivalan, Thirruttupayaley 2 An actor who shines in any role big or small, 2017 belonged to Prasanna. Whether it’s a supporting role, or parallel hero or villain, Prasanna is perhaps the best example of what a good actor can bring to any character he chooses to play. Despite taking on a second lead role in Mysskin’s Thupparivalan, Prasanna brought a certain dignity and thought process to his Watson-like character, while Sherlock Holmes was played by Vishal. Prasanna upped the ante as the womanising blackmailer in Thirruttupayaley2, where he crossed his comfort zone and factored in a physical transformation. Ramya Krishnan, Baahubali  [caption id=“attachment_3401528” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ramya Krishnan as Sivagami in Baahubali.[/caption] For a long time Baahubali 2 was the only blockbuster in Tamil for this year. Raajamouli’s second part of the Baahubali series worked largely due to the stellar presence and performance of a long standing leading lady whose career didn’t see much success in Tamil for nearly a decade. Ramya Krishnan is right now the most wanted and best addition to a movie’s star cast; her presence guarantees a minimum revenue from key sectors for producers. For her sheer determination and capacity to totally surrender herself to the character she portrays, Ramya’s Sivagami will remain etched in cinematic history as one of the most powerful women on screen. Sibi Sathyaraj, Sathya When other producers or directors don’t give you what you think you deserve, what does an actor do? He becomes his own producer and selects scripts which he thinks he will best fit in. He then releases these small budget, ensemble cast ventures with the right level of publicity while receding into the background and letting the film do all the talking. That’s what Sibi has done since his debut production Naaigal Jaakkirathai and the success stint has continued right up to the recent Sathya, which is a faithful remake of the Telugu sleeper hit Kshanam. SR Prabhu, Dream Warriors True to its name, the company produces films which are unique and hence which need war footing release strategies. Prabhu emerges as the top producer of 2017 not because he gave one mega hit with one top hero, but because he chose to introduce and back the vision of two debutant directors whose films have raked up quite a storm at the box office (Maanagaram and Aruvi). His immensely well made film with Karthi, Theeran Adhigaram Ondru by H Vinoth, has hit bull’s eye. Prabhu also seems to be a producer who not only selects different content but also understands that the digital medium is not a threat to theatrical release. Theeran, a fabulously mounted action movie, is available on Amazon Prime within a month of its release now. And this is a good precedent for other producers to ensure their films don’t get hit by piracy. Dhanush, Pa Pandi As an actor Dhanush touched many hearts when he appeared as the younger Raj Kiran in his directorial debut Pa Pandi. When an actor who is as seasoned as Dhanush enacted those romantic scenes in the movie’s flashback sequences, it was heartwarming because the sincerity of his performance floored all the women in the audience. Sean Rolden’s background score and songs were reminiscent of Ilayaraja’s famous melodies, and Revathy’s sparkling performance lit up the screen. A R Rahman  [caption id=“attachment_4221431” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  AR Rahman.[/caption] Talking of music, 2017 belongs to A R Rahman. 25 years since his debut with Roja, Rahman still holds sway over our ears and hearts with as much depth as he did when he first arrived. The Tamil verse-led Nallai Allai from Kaatru Veliyidai met its match in Aalaporaan Thamizhan from Mersal. Aval After what seemed like a never ending list of horror movies in Tamil, Milind Rau’s Aval, produced by actor Siddharth, was an aesthetic take on horror. Aval can safely be termed as the best horror flick in Tamil cinema ever. A genuine box office hit, Aval brings success to its talented team which has the potential to explore other genres with equal ease. Vijay Sethupathi As they say, we saved the best for last! 2016 belonged to Vijay Sethupathi and so does 2017. Even if Siva Karthikeyan and Vijay roared at the box office, the differentiating factor lies in Vijay Sethupathi’s choice of stories, choice of directors and choice of roles to play. An authentic performer who uses his comfort zone to hit his master strokes. such as Vedha in Vikram Vedha, Sethupathi’s best is perhaps reserved for Thygarajan Kumararaja’s film in which he plays a transgender.