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The best actors of Tamil Cinema

There was a time when Tamil Cinema used to be the poor cousin of a condescending Bollywood. Gone are those years. Kollywood is now the synonym of Experimental Cinema, and is scaling new heights with every new release.

New Generation Tamil actors have not only stood up to their home-made icons but have also been watched closely by film buffs across the country and beyond.

Here are best 10 Tamil Cinema actors, who punctuated this decade with some brilliant performances.

Kamal Hassan [ 2000 - 2001 ]

Y2K was a year of resurgence for Tamil cinema, with some of the industry's all-time benchmark movies - Mani Ratnam's 'Alaipayuthey' and Rajiv Menon's 'Kandukondein Kandukondein' - hitting the screens.

But one laugh riot was all it took to make Tamil movie lovers across the world laugh on their stomach and send box office records smashing.

That the film, 'Thenali', wasn't even an original didn't matter; it starred Kamal Hassan, the way people like to see him - as the endearing next-door friend. And what made 2000 Kamal's year was his 'Hey Ram', a movie that came ahead of its times.

Kamal Hassan will go on to don ten roles in a single movie ('Dasavatharam'), a 'responsible terrorist' ('Unnaipol Oruvan'), the loveable goon ('Vasool Raja MBBS') and a wise-cracking social activist ('Anbe Sivam'), among others. Here's one powerhouse of an actor, who defies traditions, laughs at the norms and walks the trail that he believes in - unflinching and winning admiration all the way.

Madhavan [ 2001 - 2002 ]

Vijay's 'Badri' and 'Friends' made us laugh and cry; 'Citizen' had us marveled at a chameleon-like Ajith; Vikram thrilled us with 'Dhil' and endeared himself with 'Kasi'... but talk about trend-setters... and 2001 belonged squarely to Madhavan.

The chocolate-hero of 'Alaipayuthey' would go on to thrill us in 'Run', before hitting it big in Bollywood, very soon. Today, as one of the 3 Idiots taking India by storm, Madhavan did an endearing lover-boy act in 'Minnale' (2001), Gautham Menon's super hit debut movie.

Madhavan is still a bit of a dapper, urbane hero; he will be lost in rustic roles but in many ways, this man stands for the Generation Y Tamil Youth: smart, witty, intelligent, sophisticated, and raring to go...

Ajith [ 2002 - 2003 ]

Ajith has, along with Vijay, successfully presided over the transition of power from the Rajni-Kamal duo to the new breed of Kollywood actors. Ajith's penchant for prosthetic experimentation has often ended up in his being crowned as the on-screen successor to Kamal Hassan.

Ajith had made audiences sit up and take notice in 2001. In 2002 his dual act in 'Villain' endeared him to critics too. The film was a landmark in his chequered career of ups and downs.

Later, in 2007, the stylishly made 'Billa' reinstated Ajith's position as one of the most loved Kollywood actors to date. Whatever be the B.O. fate of his movies, there is no doubt that Ajith is perhaps the most inimitable actor in Tamil. His identity somehow seems untouched and hard to replicate.

Dhanush [ 2003 - 2004 ]

Before we get those blasphemous looks for the choice of Dhanush, let us look at his competitors: Siddharth et at in 'Boys', Vikram in 'Dhool' and 'Sami', Simbu in 'Dum', Ravi in 'Jayam' and Surya in 'Kakka Kakka'.

For all practical purposes, however, the trend-setter in 2003 was Dhanush with that hungry, lean, lovelorn look in 'Kadhal Kondein'. Who would have imagined that the bespectacled Dhanush would go on to beat hundreds of goons, not to the dismay but applause of viewers?

In less than seven years, Dhanush became a contender for the top slot -with nothing to his credit other than an almost animal passion for acting. Splinter-like, unconventional, unbelievably common-looking, Dhanush proved that he can beat the dashing hunks by being himself.

Vijay [ 2004 - 2005 ]

It was a proud year for Tamil cinema, no doubt. Kamal Hassan's 'Virumandi' and 'Vasool Raja' contended with Mani Ratnam's 'Ayudha Ezhuthu', '7 Rainbow Nagar Colony', 'M Kumaran' and 'Kovil'.

But it was a triumphant 'Ghilli' - that too a remake - that made Tamil youth queue up at the turnstiles and cheer through the three hours of undiluted action, music, romance and dance fare. 'Ghilli' was made for Vijay; 'Ghilli' was made for Tamil Pop Cinema.

Utterly unpretentious, it also defined why Vijay is loved by his fans - this unassuming man knows how to entertain you. He must be losing a bit of that magic touch lately, but writing off Vijay will be suicidal. This man can spring a surprise. 'Ghilli' is proof. And boy, doesn't he dance like magic!

Vikram [ 2005 - 2006 ]

Is there any other movie (other than those of Rajnikanth and, to a lesser extent, Kamal Hassan) that has taken Tamil Nadu by storm than 'Anniyan'? Director Shankar hit bull's eye, with this tale of 'dual personality.' Harris Jayaraj's music was chart busting and it positioned Vikram on the top of the league.

It wasn't an easy march by any means. Year 2005 will be remembered for movies such as Rajnikanth's hugely popular 'Chandramukhi', Surya's super-duper hit 'Ghajini' and the much talked about 'Kana Kandein', by K. V. Anand (note this name; you will read of him again in 2009).

Vikram is comfortable in typical toughie roles - that has been his image-trap. But he reached the top league with mind-blowing performances in 'Sethu' and 'Pithamagan'. He would go on to recreate the super-hero act later again in films such as 'Kanthaswamy' but 'Anniyan' will be remembered as the pinnacle of his career - at least for now.

Bharth/ Simbu [ 2006 - 2007 ]

The year, that should otherwise be remembered for 'Vettayadu Vilayadu' and 'Chithiram Pesuthedi', had two names towering high in the industry: Bharath, the boy who transitioned with ease to hero material from among his peers in 'Boys'; and Silambarasan alias Simbu, who made headlines with his 'Vallavan' antics.

Bharath brought a new dimension to youth acts with his dumb-and-deaf performance in 'Pattiyal' and did the family hero stuff in the memorable 'Emtan Magan'. And then there was 'Veyil', where he offered the perfect foil to an intense Pasupathy. Simbu was basking in the glory of the 'Thotti Jaya 'success the previous year, and went the full nine yards as actor-writer-director with 'Vallavan'.

Both youngsters made a mark. While Bharath experiments, Simbu repeats himself. While Bharath goes against the wind, Simbu sticks to formula. Yet, on final count, both have legions of fans, ready to die and kill for!

Rajnikanth [ 2007 - 2008 ]

Success. The other name is Rajnikanth. The SUPERSTAR ruled the south Indian silver screen in 2007, with director Shankar's 'Sivaji: The BOSS'.

With 'Sivaji: The BOSS', Rajnikanth let loose a mania of sorts that is often associated with his movies but in a scale unmatched.

'Sivaji: The BOSS' hit like a tornado but that did not make films such as 'Paruthiveeran', 'Billa' or 'Mozhi' irrelevant.

Rajnikanth has become selective; but for his stretched guest role in 'Kuselan', he has been focusing on 'Endhiran: The Robot', and if expectations are anything to go by, this Shankar film is poised to figure in the list of all-time hits in the new decade.

Sasikumar [ 2008 - 2009 ]

Another unlikely choice in the year of 'Dasavatharam', 'Varnam Aayiram', 'Kuselan' and 'Kuruvi' - yes, Sasikumar, with 'Subrahmaniyapuram', stands tall for bringing a whiff of fresh air to Tamil cinema and continuing to believe that good cinema need not be lavishly budgeted or star-powered. All it needs is a heart in the right place.

In a way, Sasikumar is the perfect anti-thesis of whatever Tamil popular cinema had preached for years. He definitely does not position himself as a star; he is an actor, he is a director and most importantly he is a facilitator of talent. He has enabled the genesis of a new wave of Tamil cinema, where the story is star and treatment is the he

ro.

Sasikumar has repeated his magic touch in 'Nadodigal' and his fans cannot but wait for his next venture. Will he be able to repeat his winning streak? Or will he give way to the perils of illusionary stardom? Time will tell. But for now, this man is about promise - the promise for better cinema.

Surya [ 2009 - 2010 ]

If there is one man, who has steadily and silently climbed up the ranks of stardom and positioned himself there with consistent successes in the past few years, it is Surya.

Few expected the star-son to make as powerful an impact as he has achieved over the years with hits such as 'Ghajini', 'Kakha Kaakha', 'Pithamagan' and 'Ayutha Ezhuthu'.

And when the decade came to a close, it was once again Surya in full form with 'Ayan', directed by cinematographer-director K V Anand. Spanning Congo to Chennai, the film was an unpretentious potboiler - oh yes, you could laugh at the implausibilities too - but how could you do that when Surya was the hero? He breezed through the movie and with it clinched one of his biggest hits.

The next decade will be a testing time for the likes of Surya, Vikram, Ajith and Vijay. Will they be able to retain their superstardom, or will they flounder under the weight of new stars? Interesting days ahead, indeed, for Tamil cinema.

The current best dancers of Tamil Cinema

Dancing is an art. The gifted few, who have mastered this art, make the rest go green with envy. If music is an inevitable part of our movies, so are dance routines. Be it solo dancing, dancing with the heroine or group dancing, Tamil cinema has taken an unimaginably huge stride in this area from the days of Chandralekha. If the drum dance was the trendsetter, dance and dancers have become bigger, better and most importantly innovative. Though there was a period in between where the focus shifted away to other priorities, it came to life again in the nineties with the introduction of peppy music and creative dance masters. We will have a look at these fabulous stars whose jhatkas and matkas give us a jaw dropping experience.

Being a veteran in Tamil cinema, Kamal Hassan is still an avid dancer. It is needless to say about Kamal Hassan's dexterity when it comes to skills other than acting. Dancing comes to him naturally. If Maanavan was the first movie to showcase his dance performance, his later movies just embossed his name in the history of Tamil cinema as the most versatile dancer. Be it Kathak, Bharathanatyam or Odissi that we saw in 'Salangai Oli' or western hip-hop styles that he danced in countless movies, the perfectionist in Kamal ensured he grew beyond comparison. Kamal is someone who is above the two categories that we saw before. He is plain natural when it comes to this art. Though he was trained in classical dancing in his early years as a budding actor, it is his simple desire to be different that has made him grow ... beyond comparisons. Hats off!

Jayam Ravi

When someone's first movie is Jayam (victory), he is sure to have a success story in Kollywood. If that person is a Bharatnatyam dancer too, then there is no denying that he is a crowd favorite. Having performed his 'Arangetram' at the age 12, dance comes easy to Jayam Ravi. There are people who dance by putting effort but there are some who simply enjoy doing it. Jayam Ravi belongs to the second category. His dances in Jayam, M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi and Unakkum Enakkum are still appreciated by many. He kept delivering seamless dance hits in Deepavali and Dhaam Dhoom. His acrobatic dance skills in the song 'Thikku Thikku', in Dhaam Dhoom project his special talent at best. The highlight of his recent movie Thillalangadi is the song 'Sol Pechu' with Tamannah. We can surely expect a lot of more Ravi in his upcoming movies as well.

Nakul

No one could have guessed that Nakul would be such a dancer after watching his first movie Boys. He neither had the figure nor showed his dancing prowess in the movie. What happened after that is history! Nakul, after shedding loads of weight, featured in Kaadhalil Vizhunthen which was discussed more for one reason. Nakka Mukka! Coupled with music from Vijay Anthony, Nakul delivered a performance which made people speechless. His versatility was evident in other songs and in his next couple of movies Maasilamani and Kantha Kottai. The audience has started expecting such dance sequences in his forthcoming movies which include Ratchagan.

Bharath

He was the best of the lot when it comes to dancing to the tunes in his first movie Boys. His acrobatic skills combined with synchronized dancing were the result of his intensive training at the 'Swingers International Dance club', where he joined at the age of 11. A trained professional dancer, Bharath's dance number, 'Annakili' in the Malayalam movie '4 The People' still remains fresh in memory. He showed his variety in Pattiyal and Veyil too. Though he has been projected as a larger than life hero in his recent movies, there is no shortage of dance footage in his films like Pazhani, Seval, Arumugam and Thambikku Indha Ooru. A lot of people still feel that his actual dancing talent is yet to be revealed.

Dhanush

If Dhanush looked every bit like the school kid in his first movie Thulluvatho Ilamai, he made a loud announcement that he is a special talent when it comes to dancing. The songs 'Thottu Thottu' and 'Manasu Rendum' in Kaadhal Kondein proved that he is a gifted dancer. Then came the blockbuster. A dancer's dream! 'Manmadha Raasa' happened and no one ever doubted Dhanush's dancing capabilities after that. He kept delivering his effortless dance hits in Pudukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan, Sullan and Pudhupettai. Though he started acting in mature and different roles thereafter, he reminded all of us that he has a lot to deliver with his dance numbers in Padikkathavan. Let us wait and see what he has in store in his upcoming movies including Uthama Puthiran.

P.S: Dhanush was suffering from high fever during the shooting of Manmadha Rasa song but still managed to deliver a knockout performance.

Shriya Saran

After carving a name for herself in the Telugu hit Santhosham, Shriya Saran made her debut in Kollywood only after three years after she made her debut in Telugu. Mazhai, a remake of Telugu hit Varsham, introduced a new dancing queen to Tamil cinema. Her graceful and neutral dancing became the talking point of Kollywood. A trained Kathak dancer in her early years, Shriya also learnt Kathakkali later. Shriya, concentrated on a lot of Telugu movies, before she became the cynosure of everybody's eyes with a show of amazing dance varieties in Shivaji. 'Vaaji Vaaji', 'Sahana' and 'Athiradi' just provided the right palette for Shriya to showcase her talents. Called by many as the best dancer in the industry, Shriya proved that she is good at western style of dancing too in Kandasamy.

Simbu

We knew him right from the day he was introduced to the public as a child artist in Oru Thayin Sabhatham. We even saw him dance at a tender age in a couple of movies. After his debut as a full- fledged actor, he has risen above all to become one of the finest dancers in the Tamil industry. The multi-talented actor has revealed that he can excel in all forms of dancing. His dancing skills in Dum, Kuthu, Manmadhan and Saravana were a rage among youngsters. So was the 'En Aasai Mythiliye' song in Manmadhan and 'Yammadi Aathadi' song in Vallavan. It was Silambattam which actually showcased his talent in full light. 'Nallamdhana', 'Vechikkava (Remix)' and 'Where is the Party' are finest examples of what this super talent is made up of. Even in a toned down character in VTV, Simbhu showed his dancing brilliance in Rahman's compositions.

P.S: Such is Simbu's dancing skills, that he gave a near perfect performance in the Endhiran audio release function in Malaysia just on popular demand. He had not rehearsed for the songs at all.

Vijay

From Naalaya Theerpu to Sura, this gentleman has never felt tired when it comes to dancing. Considered by many as one of the best dancers ever in Tamil cinema, Vijay has had his fans spellbound with his moves. Though the professor teaches the subject, it is the student who writes the exam. So Vijay is an extraordinary student who is bent upon improvising on his dance skills in each song he features in. To name a particular song would be demeaning to this very gifted and hard-working actor. His initial movies including Vishnu, Love Today, Once more and Nerukku Ner were just starters to the grand fiesta that awaited us. If Thulladha Manamum Thullum was a break through movie in his career, 'Macarena Macarena' and 'Kattipudi Kattipudida' are virtual classics. His 'All thotta Bhupathi' song in Youth and 'Appadi Podu' in Ghilli took his reputation as a dancer to the next level. His improvised dances in Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Villu and Sura have only created curiosity and have made us expect more from this 'Dancing Star'.

P.S: Vijay used to sing regularly in his movies to complement his dancing. He stopped this habit after Sachein, which was released in 2005.

Aishwarya Rai

The woman in discussion has many titles to her name. The grace, poise and the elegance she brings into her dances is just a treat to watch. It is beyond doubt that Aishwarya Rai is a dancer par excellence. Let it be her first movie Iruvar or her latest movie Endhiran, Aishwarya Rai is the cynosure of all eyes. She still has the same poise in "Irumbile oru Idhayam" as she did in "Hello Mr. Ethirkatchi". If 'Dhola re' in Devdas made her popular, 'Khajra re' stopped all critics to compare her with anyone in the current generation of actresses. Her performance in the song 'Nimboo da' from the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is a visual treat. We can recall a number of movies including Jeans, Taal and many other Hindi movies where she has made people drop their jaws with her dances. Take a bow!

Raghava Lawrence

If you remember 'Kaalam Kalikalam' in the movie Amarkalam, then you should know that it was the movie which made actors dance faster and ensured dancing in movies jumped to a new level. A respected and admired dance master in Telugu and Tamil, Lawrence has played a major part in the transition of dancing to suit the newest generation. His collaboration with Vijay in Tirumalai and Rajini in Sivaji was a huge success. Though he has spent a majority of his time as a choreographer for Telugu movies, he has acted in a few Tamil movies as well. Who can forget the sweet rascal in Parthen Rasithen? His movies in Telugu and Tamil have been absolute treats to watch especially for his dancing skills. His infectious dancing skills have spread to his co-stars in movies like Muni, Style, Pandi and Rajadhi Raja. Being touted as a specialist in hip-hop and westernized dance moves, Lawrence, in his recent movie Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam, delivered one of his best performances.

P.S: Lawrence runs a disability home for youth with physical disabilities and trains people in dancing. Dancers with such disabilities have showcased their talents in recent award functions in front of huge gatherings.

Prabhu Deva

Dancer, choreographer, actor and director! India's Michael Jackson! Oops! We forgot there is picture of Prabhu Deva in this page. He is beyond comparison when it comes to dancing. Hip-hop, street dancing, western, classical... name it and he can dance. The man with the nimblest feet in Indian cinema, Prabhu Deva is an admired and respected figure in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movie circles. Though he first appeared on screen in Agni Natchatram as a dancer in the song 'Raja.. Rajathi Rajan', it was Shankar's 'Chikku Bukku Rayile' in Gentleman and 'Mukkala Mukkabla' in Kaadhalan which made Prabhu Deva a household name. He just took dancing to a different level in movies like Mr. Romeo, Love Birds and Minsara Kanavu. His special appearance in 'Key Sera Sera' alongside Madhuri Dikshit in the movie Pukar is indelible in fans' memory. Though he has acted in a lot of movies, he has always been an active choreographer.

P.S: Prabhu Deva has won two National Awards for Best Choreographer for his choreography in Minsara Kanavu and the Hindi movie Lakshya.