Dear Behindwoods,

My analysis of best films of 2011:

Best films of 2011.

10) Yudham Sei

Overview: Thriller is something which is not new to a director like Myskkin who believes in portraying realism with a coat of darkness. He did it in Chithiram Pesuthadi, Anjathey, Nandhalala and have successfully done again in Yudham Sei. The film was further lifted by Cheran’s subtle performance and a shocking role accepted by veteran, Y.G Mahendran. Overall, Yudham Sei became a hit and made everyone eagerly wait for this young director’s next superhero venture, Mugamoodi.

9) Mounaguru

Overview: With such a subtle and simple approach and with not much big ensemble of big cast, Mounaguru stands strongly only with its gripping screenplay and fresh treatment. With many twists and turns, director Santhakumar made no compromise and made a genuine thriller which made not only the critics to stand up and notice but also the audiences. Such a fresh breather to Kollywood and we can expect more from this team in the coming year.

8) 7aam Arivu

Overview: Everything was massive from the day this film started to roll with a winning combination of Murugadoss and Surya. The film also marked the entry of the promising Shruthi Hassan and also became an eye opener about a Tamil Monk Bodhidharman which was forgotten by most of us. With such a gripping premise 7amm Arivu was received well among audiences. Even though not as impactful as Ghajini, 7am rocked the way up the trade value to become one of the hits of 2011.

7) Mankatha

Mankatha was Ajith’s 50^th film and he gave all the versatility he have preserved for these years. With a salt and pepper look he uttered beeped foul words with a loose body language which made him a convincingly lovable antagonist. It would not be exaggerated to say that Ajith’s performance was certainly one of the best performances this year. With a playful and thrilling screenplay, Venkat Prabhu has successfully stamped his authority on this kind of genre. He showed honesty and also balanced it with commercial value and wooed the audiences, big time with this entertainer.   

6) Deivathirumagal

Overview: Vikram does all his films with difference and made a huge impact with this film after a hiatus last year. As a mentally challenged person, he was fun, convincing and made us tear at the climax with a remarkable performance. Baby Sarah, Anushka and Santhanam also gave some solid performances which made this film a collaborated success. Director A.L.Vijay made no compromise and changed the script of I am Sam to his own version and stayed genuine throughout. His extensive effort was seen clearly with interesting characters and detailed screenplay. He is one of the finest directors in Kollywood who does not deviate for commercial purposes and this can be said to be his best film till date. 

5) Ko

Overview: K.V Anand’s Ko emerged as one of the biggest hits of the year with intelligently detailed screenplay and good production values. Ko was fresh in terms of character designs and the message they were trying to convey. It will be inevitable to say that the music played a big part for the success of the film but not solely depended on it. Jiiva gave his best in this and Karthika made an impressive debut. Overall Ko will be remembered by all for a long time to come for these factors.

4) Vaanam

Overview: Parallel story telling is always interesting to watch but difficult to execute but young director Krish pulled it off impressively and marked his arrival to Kollywood with a winner. 5 great short stories were interwoven very captivatingly and also the novel message strikes the chords as expected. The universal theme of the film was appealing and relatable. Bharath, Anushka, Saranya, Prakash Raj impressed with such a string portrayal but the real surprise was Simbhu who proved that he was not a poster boy actor by a realistic performance. This film was a good follow up post VTV. In overall the film was a great collaborated effort which not only did well with the critics but also with the audiences.

3) Engeyum Eppothum

Overview: Simplistic, novel and engaging are the choice of words which can be used to describe this classic. With low production values and low promotion, the film climbed up the charts with a strong message about reckless driving and strongly designed characters. The film also introduced a promising talent, M. Saravanan who is sure to stay here for long. Jai, Anjali, Ananya and Sharvanand gave some solid performances and assured that this film might give a tough competition in award races this year. Overall, a simple tale which worked big time.

2) Mayakkam Enna

Overview: Mayakkam Enna highlighted about how an individual should chase his dream and attain it with effort which was portrayed strongly by Selvaragavan. He came back with a bang with this film after AO and reassured his place in the biggies of Kollywood director list. Such a gripping story never deviates and what makes the film impactful is Dhanush’s portrayal as Karthik. He shows maturity and versatility in the film and no doubt this is one of his best, standing next to Aadukalam. Impressive re-recording, good camera work and strong story made this film another feather to the Dhanush-Selva combination.

1) Aadukalam

Overview: Enough has been said and praised about the film. Aadukalam is undoubtedly a gem of Kollywood and took Tamil Cinema to a greater height. Vetrimaran and Dhanush gave their best and it showed really on screen and award board. Now all eyes on Vetrimaran’s next, Vada Chennai with Simbhu.

Other notable hits: Kavalan, Kanchana, Velayudham, Siruthai

Other critically acclaimed films: Aaranya Kandam, Azhagar Saamiyin Kuthirai, Vaagai Sooda Vaa

Finds of the year:

• Director M.Saravanan (Engeyum Eppothum)
• Director Shantha Kumar (Mounaguru)
• Director Thiagarajan Kumararaja (Aaranya Kandam)
• Actress Iniya (Vaagai Sooda Vaa)
• Music Director M Ghibran (Vaagai Sooda Vaa)
• Music Director Anirudh (3)

Awards 2011
Best Actor - Dhanush (Aadukalam)
Best Actress - Richa Gangopadhyay (Mayakkam Enna)
Best Film - Aadukalam
Best Director - Vetrimaran (Aadukalam)
Best Comedian - Santhanam (Siruthai/Osthi)
Best Villain - Ajith Kumar  (Mankatha)
Best Supporting Actor - G.M. Kumar (Avan Ivan)
Best Supporting Actress -  Aananya (Engeyum Eppothum)
Best Cinematographer - Velraj  (Aadukalam)
Best Editor - Kishore Te. (Aadukalam/ Engeyum Eppothum)
Best Music Director (Background Score) - G.V. Prakash (Mayakkam Enna)
Best Music Director (Soundtracks) - Harris Jeyaraj (KO)
Best Lyrics - Madhan Karky (Ko)