Disappointing Tamil films of 2018

Just as always, 2018 too had its fair share of good and bad films. While an article on good films is obviously due and almost everyone with an internet connection is anyway doing it, how about a list of the 10 most disappointing Tamil films of the year?
PS: Of course there were terrible low budget films as always but I’m sticking to 10 films which had known and bankable stars who are known for delivering decent films. Also, kindly note that these films are in the order in which they released this year.

Gulaebaghavali

On paper, Gulaebaghavali must’ve sounded like an interesting gangster comedy film but on screen, that’s not what we saw. What we got was a film that tested our patience with silly humour, bad acting and a terrible screenplay. What makes me sad was how they wasted a talent like Revathi and that too by naming her Maasha and making it look like this film happens in the same universe as the 1990’s brilliant comedy flick Arangetra Velai. 

Sketch

2018’s Pongal was easily the worst holiday weekend for movie buffs. With the above film and this Vikram starrer coming together, these two films made the only remaining one, Thaana Serndha Kootam, look like a good film. Sketch had everything needed to become a hit, Vikram in a local rowdy avatar after his classic Gemini, Tamannaah teaming up with Vikram for the first time and a lovely pre-release buzz thanks to the track Kanave Kanave which is a chartbuster. But the film ended up as an unsatisfactory one with an unwanted message towards the end against child labour.

Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren

Humour sells. But that humour has to be understood by the audience and before that, makers should understand what’s humour in the first place. If a film from the comedy genre fails, I’d often compare it with Kamal Haasan’s Mumbai Express, which is my standard scale for humour that people didn’t understand. But Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren was neither interesting nor funny but just a colossal waste of talents.

Diya

What I wrote in Maari 2’s review was that the Dhanush starrer should’ve been Sai Pallavi’s debut Tami film. She looked the part and actually was the best takeaway from that film. But the Premam star debuted with Diya earlier this year which was a horror film. Diya is easily the most predictable horror film of the year and the director’s stand on a serious topic such as abortion was actually quite disheartening.

Pakka

You see, Vikram Prabhu is a good actor who has given some good films and is capable of doing better ones too. What irks me the most about his flops are the fact that they’ve got the most awesome titles ever. After Veera Sivaji, Sathriyan and Neruppu Da, Pakka too wasn’t a film that got him accolades. Cliched romance sequences and humour scenes which evokes no laughter make Pakka a pucca fiasco.

Semma Botha Aagatha

Just like Vikram Prabhu, Atharvaa is also an actor who deserves good films. Though he got it later this year with Imaikka Nodigal, Semma Botha Aagatha which released earlier this year didn’t get the reception the actor would’ve wanted, considering he also produced it. With Yuvan’s album giving a decent pre-release buzz, it wasn’t enough for this film where scenes involving a dead body were the funniest.

Junga

Looks like we’re noticing a pattern here where actors end up producing duds. Junga should’ve been a sure shot hit – considering Vijay Sethupathi’s track record over the last two years and his success this film’s director Gokul’s previous collaboration Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara. Say what you want but I actually kinda liked Gokul’s Kashmora too, but Junga was yet another film that climbed its way into the comedy genre without many comical scenes. Even Yogi Babu couldn’t save this flick.

Mohini

Looks like you can be one of the biggest female stars of the Southern film industry and still not able to be a part of a decent female-centric film. Trisha’s Nayagi didn’t work in 2016 and this year’s Mohini can be rated as one of the worst films of 2018. What makes the failure of this film appalling is the fact that it didn’t fail because of low budgets. Ironically, most of the film was shot in London. Run of the mill revenge horror flick, heinous performances and a terrible execution made Mohini a ghost film we got afraid of for the wrong reasons.

Seema Raja

There are films which shouldn’t fail and there are some which can’t fail. Sivakarthikeyan’s Seema Raja should’ve fallen in the latter category. A proven track record with director Ponram, one of the top heroines of South Indian film industry, the most expensive Siva film ever and yet, thanks to the film’s wafer-thin plot, nothing could save this film from becoming Siva’s first flop. Seema Raja is a classic example that proves that content is always the king and the rest of it is additional cushioning you make for the audience to enjoy more.

Saamy Square

It was anything but a good year for our Chiyaan. It started with a surprising dud in the form of Sketch and it ended with Saamy Square which had one of the worst trailers in recent times. Unfortunately, the film too proved to be just an extension of the trailer and established a clear fact that sequels don’t really mean success but will only make way to heavy expectations and comparisons with the original film. And comparing Saamy Square with its predecessor Saamy is nothing short of a crime.

Want to know what all films made its way to a similar list for the year 2017. Head here to see that!