Small-budget films that made a BIG impact in Kollywood this year

    In recent times, the Tamil film industry has displayed a penchant for big budgets and lavish productions, producing films with the top stars, foreign locales and sophisticated technology. Not all of these have done well, Vikram-starrer Ai and Vijay’s Puli being notable examples.

In contrast, a clutch of small budget projects, indie films, if you will, by young directors and little-known actors, have wowed audiences and critics alike. And also done excellent business at the box-office. Here are the 2015 releases which came to stand for excellence in cinema:

Kaakka Muttai: This was, without doubt, among the best films of the year. Produced by Dhanush and Vetrimaran and directed by debutant M. Manikandan, Kaakka Muttai told the story of two little slum boys who crave to eat a pizza some day. Realistic, funny, sensitive and touching, Kaakka Muttai was made on a budget of under Rs 1 crore and earned Rs 10 crores-plus at the box-office.

Maya: While the success of films like the Kanchana series proved the success of the horror-comedy genre, Ashwin Saravanan came up with a different sort of horror flick – Maya. A tight script and agile direction saw this offbeat film make waves at the box-office, with Nayanthara and Aari earning applause for their performances.

Netru Indru Naalai: Kollywood’s attempts to pull off sci-fi and fantasy have rarely risen above the absurd. But first-time filmmaker R. Ravi Kumar pulled off this one very well, indeed. He leveraged an intelligent script and the film, even if it didn’t quite shake up the box-office, didn’t lose money for the producers either.

Demonte Colony: The success of the horror-comedy genre meant that several filmmakers were beginning to repeat the formula. But Ajay Gnanamuthu dared to be different and made a horror film sans glamorous heroine or slapstick comedy. Audiences loved its edge-of-the-seat thrills and chills.

Papanasam: The compact remake of Malayalam hit Drishyam was a compelling film. It was directed by Jeetu Joseph who also made the original and this time he shifted the setting to the lush, green area of Papanasam. Kamal Haasan was in excellent form as well.

Kutram Kadithal:  This hard-hitting film, directed by Bramma, went on to win a National Award and impressed critics a great deal. With better marketing it would have done even better business, say trade experts.

Rajathandhiram: Like sci-fi, heist stories are not a Kollywood forte. But debutant director A.G Amid came up with a film that was riveting and completely wacky as well, not unlike Soodhu Kavvum which released a while ago. This was an unusually good film and audiences gave it the thumbs-up.

Trisha Illana Nayanthara: For those tired of comedies starring Santhanam and Parota Suri, this one by Adhik Ravichandran was a welcome change. While some sections found the humour lewd, the film garnered positive reviews. One critic wrote, ‘Adhik Ravichandran has a good ear for laugh-out-loud dialogue and a good eye for the absurd.’

Also Read:

Kollywood 2015: Hits, Misses, Money-Spinners