They were vain and vengeful, inviting convoluted and operatic drama. The gods themselves were every bit as flawed as humans, making them unexpectedly relatable. It is the magical realism of the highest order, wherein humans coexist with monsters. It incorporates imaginative fantasy elements into the sincerity of religion. You can watch some of Shankar’s earliest films like Kadhalan, Jeans, Indian and Gentleman on Amazon Prime.There is something indelibly appealing about Greek mythology. Nayakan, Roja, Bombay, Iruvar, Thalapathi, Thiruda Thiruda, Uyire are some of the Mani Ratnam films available for streaming. Although an unmemorable drama, you might want to watch it if you’re curious to see how the Ajith-Vijay combination might have turned out. But you’ll thank us for recommending it because this is the only film in which Thala and Thalapathi were seen acting together! When the film released in 1995, little did people know that the two young men in it would go on to dominate Tamil cinema later on. You might not have heard about this film and we’ll tell you straight up that this one was a box-office failure upon its release. With many layers to its story, Mullum Malarum has some of the most real character arcs seen in Tamil cinema to this date. Directed by J Mahendran, Mullum Malarum was screened at the 1979 International Film Festival of India as part of the Indian Panorama and is considered a milestone in Tamil cinema. His character as Kaali is one of his most nuanced till date. This film gave Rajinikanth his real-real break in cinema. Kasetha Kadavulada stars Muthuraman, Thengai Srinivasan, Venniradai Moorthy, Manorama, Suruli Rajan amongst others. The film has great comedy and an engaging story and we’ve wondered, more than once, ‘why don’t they make them like these anymore?’. This one’s an evergreen rib tickler written and directed by Chitralaya Gopu, first as a stage play. If you’re still not sure if you want to watch this film, all you need to do is listen to ‘Va Arugil va, thaa uyirai thaa’ song from the film - An eerie melody that translates into ‘come closer, give me your life’.

There are serial murders in a family by an unknown killer and actor Ravichandran plays a detective who’s out to solve it. One of the earliest Tamil thrillers, Athey Kangal needs to be enjoyed for its tight script and down-the-rabbit-hole narration. The ghostly melody, ‘Mannavane Azhalama?’, that KR Vijaya’s spirit sings to Gemini Ganesan is from this film. Starring an ensemble cast, the film was a simple good vs evil story. This family drama won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil – Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film upon its release.

Tamil god movies list