2020 is the year of mega budget films in Tamil cinema. Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Vijay, Dhanush and Vikram are all set to deliver major releases this year, with some in desperate need of a hit, while others bear the pressure of delivering after a dream run in 2019.
Here then are the top 10 films to look forward to for this year.
1. Darbar
The trailer has over forty million views and counting, and the title song Chumma Kizhi... is already a hit. Darbar is set to hit the screens on January 9. Rajinikanth will play a super cop after almost four decades. His Alex Pandian character in Moondru Mugam (1982) remains one of the most iconic in the super cop genre, across Tamil and Telugu cinema. Nayanthara plays the female lead and Sunil Shetty, fresh off the success of Kicha Sudeep's Pahalwan, will be the arch nemesis. Prakash Raj, Prateik Babbar and a whole ensemble supporting cast will ring in the Pongal season.
2. Master
With Kaithi, Lokesh Kanagaraj delivered arguably the biggest hit of 2019, and this is including Viswasam, Petta and Asuran and Nerkonda Paarvai on the list. The premise was out of the ordinary. The suspense was delicious, the treatment was slick. Despite the fact that the duration of the film went over 2 and a half hours without any song and dance, it worked. No wonder then that Ilaya Thalapathi Vijay has decided to end his association with director Atlee with a hat-trick (Theri, Mersal, Bigil) and get Lokesh on board.
Vijay will face off with Vijay Sethupathi. That's about all we know for now.
3. Indian 2
Director Shankar's Indian (1996) sparked off a whole genre of Tamil (and Telugu) cinema where the hero fights against a corrupt system, and not a single villain. The film introduced prosthetics to Indian cinema for the first time, where Kamal Haasan plays the 70-year-old Senapathy, a freedom fighter.
With Indian 2 being announced in a tweet by Shankar on 15 August last year, the buzz continues to build. Senapathy is now older, wiser and deadlier, going by the poster. What more can a Shankar-Kamal fan ask for? This sequel was much more anticipated than Viswaroopam. Kamal Haasan is joined by Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Rakul Preet Singh, Aishwarya Rajesh, Delhi Ganesh and Vidyut Jammwal in Indian 2.
4. Cobra
Chiyaan Vikram had a bad 2018 and a middling 2019. His action-thriller Kadaram Kondan was refreshingly new and very slick, but it didn't get him the numbers he is used to. Cobra's title reveal video is interesting and has already clocked in 1.4 million views. The film is directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu, who made Imaikka Nodigal in which Anurag Kashyap played a villain. Srinidhi Shetty plays the female lead.
5. Valimai
Like Vijay, Ajith too has ended his association with director Siva after a string of three hits (Vethalam, Vivegam, Viswasam). Nerkonda Paarvai, the remake of Pink has earned him accolades, and now a new team. H Vinoth, the director has a short, albeit impressive repertoire behind him, with the brilliant Dheeran Adhigaram Ondru and Sathuranga Vettai; both critically acclaimed blockbusters.
Boney Kapoor, who's the producer has promised the give vent to Ajith's bike-racer side, in a much touted chase sequence.
6. D 40
Remember Jeor Mormont from Game of Thrones? James Cosmo, who played the character will now act in a Tamil flick, directed by Karthik Subbaraj, and starring Dhanush. The film is tentatively titled Suruli, but the crew is still calling it D40.
It is supposedly a gangster flick, but knowing Karthik Subbaraj, it won't be what you or I expect.
7. Soorarai Pottru
Suriya, of late has made great choices as a producer. Magalir Mattum and Kadaikutti Singam were both out of the ordinary and successful. As a hero though, NGK and Kaappaan were both disappointing films for 2019, and received flak from critics as well.
Soorarai Pottru, directed by Sudha Kongara, who made Saala Khadoos, might just be the hit he needs. Sudha, by the way was associate director for Mani Ratnam for quite a few years, and had worked with him on Guru, Alaipayuthey and other iconic hits.
8. Mafia
Arun Vijay has been in the industry for over two decades. He delivers a hit, then disappears, and then resurfaces in a whole new avatar for a whole new blockbuster. He shot to fame and critical acclaim as the villain in Gautham Vadudev Menon's Ennai Arindhal, and later with Mani Ratnam's Chekka Chivantha Vaanam.
Mafia is directed by Karthick Naren, the 25-year-old who directed the critically acclaimed Dhuruvangal 16. The trailer looks slick, and apart from Arun Vijay, Prasanna as the villain is exciting. Mafia is the first of either a two or three part film.
9. Thalaivar 168
Will Rajinikanth’s next film hit the screens in 2020 or next year? We don't know that yet, but the film is already on the floors. Director Siva, who gave 'Thala' Ajith his biggest hits to date, is set to take on the Thalaiva of Indian cinema. Besides Rajinikanth, the untitled film stars Meena, Prakash Raj, Keerthy Suresh, Khushboo Sundar and others, and will have music by D Imman. Sun Pictures will produce the film.
10. Pattas
The father-in-law is the superstar, but the son-in-law isn't far behind. Pattas is set to release on 16 January, a day after Pongal, and a week after Rajinikanth's Darbar hits screens. The film is directed by R S Durai Senthilkumar, who has previously worked with Dhanush on Kodi, in which he played a double-role, just like in Pattas.
The trailer is yet to drop, but the Jukebox is already going viral, with it's urban-folk beats. Check it out.
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