2022 was a great year for Tamil cinema, with two films breaking several box office records and earning over Rs 400 crore each. Interestingly, the youth-centric action film Vikram and the period drama Ponniyin Selvan – 1 brought people from different age demographics into theatres. There were several other films, too, that were loved by the audience – some of them OTT releases and some theatrical.
Here’s a look at the best of Tamil cinema this year. This list includes films with interesting ideas that may not have worked out fully but deserve a mention nevertheless for the effort.
13 Tanakaaran
Many Tamil films have glorified custodial torture and police violence. Tamizh’s film is a surprising delve into how intrinsic violence is to the police system, starting with the brutal training process. The director is an ex-cop, and the film is said to have been inspired by his experiences – and it indeed feels like a documentation of what goes on in these camps on a day to day basis.
Vikram Prabhu plays the lead role of Arivu, a police trainee who takes it upon himself to question his superiors and pays the price for it. The film at times takes a melodramatic turn and also has a climax that’s too similar to what we’ve seen in sports biopics – the underdog emerging on top. The need to play to the gallery ends up diluting the strength of its material, but Tanakaaran still works as an insightful commentary on the psyche of the police.