Five Tamil films that won international accolades

The last few years have been really impactful for South Indian cinema in general and Tamil cinema in particular. Many films over the last decade have been radically different from the norm and have pushed the boundaries of filmmaking. Recently, many Kollywood movies have found international recognition like ‘Visaranai’, ‘24’ and most recently, ‘Irudhi Suttru’. So, on such a glorious occasion, let us take a look at five movies which made us proud by not just getting international attention, but also winning accolades.

Visaranai

This Vetrimaaran film of course needs no introduction. It was nominated for the Oscars under the Best Foreign Film Category and it has already won three National Awards earlier in the year. But ‘Visaranai’ also won an international award when it was first screened in 72nd Venice International Film Festival. The brutal crime thriller won the Amnesty International Italia Award in 2015. Now, it is India’s best hope to bag a long-awaited Oscar next year.

Kaaka Muttai

‘Kaaka Muttai’ was a simple and rather bitter-sweet tale of two children who are brothers and their life of poverty. The movie was widely appreciated for showing a very important aspect of today’s society in such a light-hearted manner. Thanks to these points, the Manikandan directed film won Audience Award for Best Feature and Best Actor Award at the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles.

Uttama Villain

This Kamal Haasan starrer introduced the concept of meta-film in Tamil cinema, something which only a legend like him can do. ‘Uttama Villain’ was basically a fictitious tale of an actor whose story was really similar to the true events that took place in Ulaganayagan’s life. The movie had a romp at Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, where it won Best Film, Best Actor, Best Original Music, Best Song and Best Sound Design. It also grabbed the Best Original Music Award in Russian International Film Festival. To wrap it all up, ‘Uttama Villain’ won a Platinum Award and two Diamond Awards in the International Independent Film Awards. Sadly, this movie tasted much more success abroad than it did back home.

Paradesi

Bala is known for his brooding style of filmmaking with a guaranteed tragic ending. But one of his best works has to be ‘Paradesi’, which is the story of Indian villagers working as slaves in British tea plantations. This movie was so impactful that it was nominated in eight categories in the London International Film Festival out of which, it won for Best Cinematography and Best Costume. ‘Paradesi’ also ruled the Norway Tamil Film Festival as it won Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematographer and Best Actor. Needless to say, this drama film has become a classic of sorts.

Aaranya Kaandam

This neo noir gangster film won many accolades within the country and also internationally. The Jackie Shroff starrer won the Grand Jury Award for Best Film in the South Asian International Film Festival. Other than that, the Thiagarajan Kumararaja directed movie also won the Western Union Audience Award at the London International Film Festival. It was the dark, twisted nature of the film, along with the brilliant performances, that made it a success in 2011.