The 10 Best Tamil Film Performances Of 2024
Despite some Tamil films eventually striking a chord, we will remember Kollywood in 2024 more so for the exemplary performances by the actors starring in them; from Sai Pallavi's magnetic turn as a long-distance army wife to assured efforts from seasoned stars like Arvind Swami and Vijay Sethupathi
The year 2024 seemed to be heading nowhere for Tamil cinema: big-budget star vehicles either flopped or did not match expectations; several vaunted multi-starrers came up short, and there was a discernible dip in quality on streaming from previous years’ offerings. Malayalam-language survival thriller Manjummel Boys and the re-release of Vijay’s 2004 blockbuster Ghilli took up screen space in most theatres (and on Reels), while Sai Abhyankkar’s 'Katchi Sera' and 'Aasa Kooda' topped our music playlists over most film soundtracks.
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But then came August — and in the three glorious months that followed, Kollywood redeemed itself with the likes of Thangalaan, Kottukkaali, Vaazhai, Lubber Pandhu, Meiyazhagan, Black and Amaran. Rajinikanth’s collaboration with Jai Bhim director T. J. Gnanavel in Vettaiyan faltered slightly, but still featured the Superstar in one of his best roles in recent memory, while Vijay’s The Greatest of All Time emerged as the highest-grosser of the year despite a meandering narrative and falling prey to the sequel curse at the end (here’s looking at you, Kanguva).
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Despite some films eventually striking a chord, we will remember 2024 more so for the exemplary performances by the actors starring in them; established stars, some up-and-comers, as well as those seeking to reenter the spotlight. From long-lost cousins and toxic boyfriends to inspirational moms and army wives, here are some of the most memorable performances — and the actors who played them — in Tamil cinema this year (in no particular order).
Geetha Kailasam (Star, Amaran, Lover, Lubber Pandhu)
Given her rapid ascent to becoming one of Kollywood’s most coveted supporting actors today, it is surprising that Geetha Kailasam only took to acting barely five years ago—after decades as a film producer.
The daughter-in-law of legendary director K. Balachander, Kailasam first broke out with Pa. Ranjith’s Sarpatta Parambarai (2021) and hasn’t looked back since. The go-to screen mother of the year had eight feature releases in 2024 alone, acting alongside Sivakarthikeyan, Kavin and Manikandan amongst others; each parent-child relationship brimmed with its own unique shade of familial trauma and interpersonal baggage.
Manikandan (Lover)
It could have easily traipsed into Arjun Reddy-esque territory, but in Manikandan's capable hands, the character of Arun, a self-destructive young man unable to deal with getting dumped after a long-term relationship, always stays relatable and empathetic.
Alongside an excellent Sri Gouri Priya, Manikandan captures the different stages of Arun's personality over the years: from a carefree young lover to a jilted ex-boyfriend, all the while caught in the throes of a failed career and the guilt of being unable to save his mother from a dysfunctional family set-up.
As he goes through the break-up, director Prabhuram Vyas and Manikandan ensure that not an ounce of Arun’s toxic delusion is glorified in the name of passion, yet we still feel his pain, trauma, and yearning for the one person he considered the solution to every problem in his life—who has now slipped away from him for good.
Karthi (Meiyazhagan)
Referring to actors as part of their own family is nothing new for Tamil audiences, but in Meiyazhagan, Karthi took the phrase “namma veetu pillai” to a whole new level, walking into the households—and hearts—of everyone who watched the film.
Meiyazhagan/ Urulai reminded us of everything there is to love about reuniting with distant family at weddings: the nostalgia, the brotherhood, the banter, and of course, the tearful farewells. Over food and drink, Urulai’s unfathomable innocence and deep-seated loyalties come to the fore with blistering effect, leaving both Arulmozhi (Arvind Swamy) and us confounded.
It is to Karthi’s (and his infectious grin) credit, that every time you recall Urulai today, you feel enveloped by a warm hug.
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Arvind Swami (Meiyazhagan)
People complain that they don’t see enough of Arvind Swami after he returned to acting with Mani Ratnam’s Kadal in 2013—starring only in ten films since—but his turn in Meiyazhagan should be evidence as to why this sort of self-preservation works.
The Bombay star looks as fresh-faced as ever, channeling Arulmozhi’s emotions with gorgeous trepidation, as he meets one distant relative after another, culminating in his night-long conversation with Urulai—with Arvind Swami’s calm being the perfect foil to Karthi’s chaos.
I don’t care much about what happens with Ram and Jaanu, but here’s hoping another old lady somehow makes Prem Kumar write a continuation to Arul and Urulai’s bromance, yes?
Vijay Sethupathi (Maharaja, Viduthalai Part 2, Merry Christmas)
It was one of Vijay Sethupathi’s least prolific years—this is an actor used to having seven or eight releases usually—yet it was the most impactful.
If Maharaja, in which he played a vengeful father out to locate his daughter’s assailants, broke records domestically and in China, the Tamil-Hindi bilingual Merry Christmas established him as a bonafide star in Bollywood as well. But it was in the sequel to Viduthalai, under Vetrimaaran’s zealous tutelage, that he was at his fiery best as Vaathiyaar, the leader of the Makkal Padai movement. Sethupathi’s innate ability to endear to the masses, no matter the role he plays, continues to be as impressive as ever.
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Attakathi Dinesh (Lubber Pandhu)
Call it a comeback for the ages, though Dinesh insists he’s never been away. In debutant filmmaker Tamizharasan Pachamuthu’s entertaining Lubber Pandhu, Dinesh was all swagger, style, and substance as Poomalai "Gethu,” a disgruntled middle-aged man for whom cricket—and his self-esteem on the pitch—is sacred.
Caught in an inadvertent battle of egos with his potential son-in-law (a superb Harish Kalyan), Gethu also has to deal with the three equally stubborn women in his family, each determined to have their own way.
He’s an absolute riot in the cricket tournament scenes, but Dinesh’s performance truly comes into its own during the many cheer-worthy arguments and reconciliations that Gethu has with his wife Yashoda, in what is one of Tamil cinema’s finest screen pairings in recent times.
Anna Ben (Kottukkaali)
It is astonishing that Anna Ben’s character of Meena only gets to utter a single line of dialogue during the entire runtime of Kottukkaali — and even more astonishing is that she somehow pulls the role off.
Depicting everything from anger and mirth to longing and fear in equal measure, a muted Ben remarkably uses only her eyes and gestures to convey myriad emotions, as Meena is taken by her family for a ride across the Madurai countryside to exorcise her romantic feelings for a boy from an oppressed caste. Koozhangal filmmaker PS Vinothraj masterfully uses Soori’s portrayal of the exasperated Paandi alongside Ben, as Kottukkaali hurtles towards the most unexpected of almost-climaxes.
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Ponvel M. (Vaazhai)
As the horrific reality behind the storyline of Mari Selvaraj’s Vaazhai hits you with a crushing impact towards the end, the protagonist of the film, Sivanaindhan (Ponvel), does something gut-wrenching. Blinded by hunger, he tearfully walks past the corpses of his deceased sister and friends and goes inside his house in search of food. There, he begins eating some old rice, despite the deafening wails outside, only to run away when his mother comes to find him.
Newcomer Ponvel is extraordinary in this entire sequence—as is the rest of the ensemble cast—in Selvaraj’s semi-autobiographical ode to his lost childhood that features some of the best performances from child artists this year. Ponvel, in particular, promises of great(er) things to come.
Sai Pallavi (Amaran)
Such is the legacy of Sai Pallavi’s debut in Premam (which turns 10 in 2025), that audiences across south India still refer to her as “Malar Miss”. However, after playing the real-life role of Indhu Rebecca Varghese in Amaran this year, Pallavi might have finally coerced fans into accepting that this might be her finest performance yet.
From Indhu’s days as a teenager in college when she starts dating Mukund (Sivakarthikeyan), rooting for him during his time at the training academy, to dealing with the struggles of a constant long-distance relationship as an army wife—Pallavi pulls out all the stops to display Indhu's unconditional love, pain, and grief to mesmerising effect.
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Vikram (Thangalaan)
It should be safe to say by now that Vikram belongs to that rare breed of actors who can keep you completely riveted to the screen, even during the most mundane of scenes where nothing of consequence happens. In the 1800s-set Thangalaan however, a lot happens—too much perhaps, in Pa. Ranjith’s disjointed narrative—but you cannot take your eyes off of Vikram at any point.
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Picking up from where he left off in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan duology, Chiyaan is in peak form as the conflicted tribal leader in search of gold—and his true identity—as he carries the film on his unflinching shoulders. You long for the star to get more box-office cred soon; maybe it’s about time Mahaan got its deserved theatrical release already?
Honourable mentions: Soori (Kottukkaali), Sivakarthikeyan (Amaran), Swasika (Lubber Pandhu), Rajinikanth (Vettaiyan), and Urvashi (J Baby)