Here, in reverse order (from #10 to #1), are the 10 best tamil films of 1999.
10
Edhirum Pudhirum
Close parallels to real-life happenings in India increased
interest in this movie about the unusual bonding between a
straighforward collector and a terrorist's brother. Mammootty
and Napoleon gave good performances though the others were
underused.
9
Padaiyappa
A Rajnikanth movie that was notable for resurrecting Ramya Krishnan's career in
tamil cinema. The movie built up the tension between the two of them well
enough but the last third of the movie, where Ramya comes out of self-imposed
incarceration to take revenge, lacked fire and turned out to be kind of an
anticlimax. Rajni was Rajni, Ramya was all fire and Soundarya was completely
lost in the proceedings.
8
Thullaadha Manamum Thullum
Vijay fortified his position as the numero uno among the younger stars with
a strong all-round performance in this masala movie with more emphasis on
romance. He is the good guy pining for Simran while circumstances force her
to have a rather skewed opinion of him. Vijay danced exuberantly, fought
robustly and emoted satisfactorily while a pretty Simran provided the needed
romantic support. But a ridiculous climax marred an otherwise entertaining
movie.
7
Andhappuram
Realistic, raw violence marked this gripping thriller dubbed
from telugu. Soundarya made up for Padaiyappa with
a superlative performance as a woman trying to escape the
violence in her village after it consumed her husband. Prakashraj
won a national award for his role as her father-in-law who wants
her to stay while Parthiban stole the scene as a villager who
helps Soundarya escape. Not a film for the squeamish.
6
Aanandha Mazhai
A dubbed-from-telugu movie that reminded us of a couple of earlier movies but
the packaging was good enough to make it immensely entertaining. The hero
pines silently for the heroine and is ready to remain silent and sacrifice his
love forever to maintain his friendship with her. The right mix of comedy and
sentiments and good pacing puts this one in my list. A
standout performance from the girl who acted as the hero's sister.
5
Mudhalvan
Shankar once again proved he had the right touch in this
entertaining political movie. Arjun is a video cameraman who
takes up the challenge of CM Raghuvaran to become CM for a day.
Some revolutionary ideas and sharp dialogs were the highlights.
Eye-catching song sequences, a hallmark of all of Shankar's
movies so far, were seen here too.
4
Amarkkalam
Slick treatment made all the difference in this otherwise unremarkable
story. Ajith is a rowdy who romances Shalini as part of a job
but falls for her. Ajith staked his claim as the top actor among the
younger generation with this latest in a string of hits while
Shalini proved that Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai was no fluke.
A weak climax marred what was till then an eminently enjoyable
movie.
3
Pooveli
Another film extolling the virtues of love but handled superlatively by
the director. Karthik, in love with Heera who doesn't reciprocate his love,
goes on to act as the husband of Kousalya, who loses her lover in an
accident and decides there would never be another man in her life. Both of them
have a change of heart ofcourse, but the situations leading up to that are
fashioned extremely well. No portions of the movie seemed padded and the
melodious songs were innovatively picturised.
2
Nee Varuvaai Ena
An unpredictable, even if too cinematic, twist and surprisingly
effective suspense towards the end helped make this one quite
unforgettable. Devayani showers affection on Parthiban but
the reason behind it is not what he thinks. Ajith had a
likeable role as her ex-lover. Inspite of a longwinded speech
by Parthiban, the surprising climax was effective.
1
Vaali
This slightly uncomfortable(for tamil culture) tale of a man lusting after his
younger brother's wife established Ajith as a qualified actor. His role as the
deaf and dumb, villanous elder brother rightly earned him laurels while
Simran displayed some acting prowess too. The debutante director Surya showed
great talent behind the camera both in the romantic and thriller portions of
the movie.