Here, are the 10 best tamil movies of 2002.
10
Five Star
The only movie with new faces that was entertaining, this movie broke several Tamil cinema cliches in its story of five college
friends. Inspite of trouble getting off the ground, the movie eventually got a grip on itself as one of the friends fell for a girl, without
knowing it was his friend's wife. The group's search for their missing friend was interesting, even if a bit long, and the culmination
held a few surprises. The movie's finish was perfect.
9
Villan
Ajith's performance as a mentally and physically handicapped person was the highlight of this masala entertainer from the
director of the masses, K.S.Ravikumar. Comedy and sentiments were offered in the right proportion with Ajith as twin
brothers while Kiran and Meena provided the glamour.
8
Virumbukiren
This long-delayed film proved to be both entertaining and serious as it placed Prashanth and Sneha in the middle of a
caste-conscious village and attempted to unite them. Prashanth's firefighting profession was blended well into the story and
the scenes with fires were realistic and well-done. Sneha's strong performance made it hard to believe this was her first movie
and Nasser was solid as her stern father.
7
Ramanaa
This movie and Samurai dealt with a similar theme of eliminating corruption but the Vijayakanth starrer was more entertaining
and absorbing. His MO was brutal but made sense as far as effectiveness goes and Yugi Sethu's chase was engrossing. The
short flashback was effective while the climax was sober and realistic. Vijayakanth made an impression in the role with no romance,
duets or superhuman fights.
6
Thamizh
This movie about an unwilling rowdy was the best of the movies that dealt with rowdies this year. Prashanth's gradual and
inevitable transformation into a rowdy was well portrayed and his family's frantic attempts to save him stuck a chord. The
movie had a terrific script, evidenced both in Urvasi's well-timed philosophies and Nasser's frequent quoting of passages. The
romance between Prashanth and Simran was cute too.
5
Kadal Pookkal
Bharatiraja showcased his storytelling skills in this movie by juggling themes of friendship, romance and one-sided love. The
movie was fast-paced and some interesting twists and turns made it unpredictable right upto the end. Strong characterization
and well-handled emotional confrontations were other pluses of the movie.
4
Run
Romance, comedy, stunts and music were all exceptional done in this near-perfect entertainer from director Lingusamy. The
fast-paced screenplay was clever in the showdowns between Madhavan and Atul Kulkarni and the friction between Madhavan
and Raghuvaran provided a pleasant, funny diversion. Maddy was surprisingly acceptable in the macho role and shared good chemistry
with Malayalam import Meera Jasmine.
3
Azhagi
Cinematographer Thankar Bachan captured first love in a lyrical and sensitive fashion in his first movie as director. The antics
of the kids were delightful and the blossoming feelings in the boy and girl were beautifully captured. The movie went on to handle
capably, the delicate situation when the two meet later in life in vastly different situations. The unconnected, unfunny comedy
track and a vulgar dance sequence were the only black spots in this otherwise poetic film.
2
Kasi
In the midst of movies that focussed on style rather than substance, Vinayan's remake of his own Malayalam hit tugged at our
heartstrings with its innocent characters and their down-to-earth lives. As Vikram goes about his life, oblivious to his fiance and sister
being exploited by Rajeev, our hearts reached out to them. The climax was short but shockingly effective and the movie closed
on a poignant not. Unforgettable.
1
Kannathil Muthamittaal
Manirathnam's engrossing tale of a 9 year old girl, who embarks on a search for her biological mother, was told against the backdrop of
the Sri Lankan conflict by making her mother a Sri Lankan rebel. The emotional undercurrent was strong and never lost, whether in
Madhavan and Simran's cute romance segment or the family's harrowing experience after being caught in the crossfire. Even the