Tamil cinema has no dearth of riveting thrillers that have managed to keep viewers on the edge of their seat. And these thrillers come in many shapes and forms – whether it is adrenaline-heavy drama, a smart heist romp or modern horror. Here is a list of 12 such intriguing Tamil thrillers that you can stream on Disney Plus Hotstar.
Rajathandiram (2015)
An underappreciated and overlooked gem, A.G Amid’s Rajathandiram is one of the finest heist thrillers made in Tamil cinema. The film follows the story of three small-time conmen, Arjun (Veera), Austin (Darbuka Siva), and Deva (Ajai Prashanth), who take up the offer to rob one of the largest jewellery stores in the city. However, the police and jewellery shop owner Kanchi Azghappan (Pattiyal K. Shekhar) become aware of the trio’s plan, threatening to thwart it.
Most heist films leave the viewers contemplating ‘how’ the conmen will execute their Machiavellian plans. Rajathandiram is one of the rare films in the heist genre that flips this expectation on its head. It is this unique premise and tone that lends tension and a gripping sense of urgency to the proceedings in the film. Despite being made on a small budget, Rajathandiram is technically brilliant in its filmmaking: the cinematography by Kathir, the sound design, and the music by Sandeep Chowda make the film a realistic yet captivating addition to the list.
Sathuranga Vettai (2014)
While H. Vinoth’s heist thriller Thunivu did rake in enormous money at the box office, emerging as one of the biggest hits of the year, nothing can quite top the director’s debut Sathuranga Vettai as the gold standard for theft dramas in Tamil cinema. Inspired by true events, Sathuranga Vettai follows the exploits of Gandhi Babu (Natarajan Subramaniam), who pulls off high-profile scams. What happens after he gets arrested by the police and ambushed by his victims forms the rest of the plot. It is hard to find a Tamil film that explores such topics in an immersive and extensive fashion with a mix of humour and drama.