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Top 7 Tamil gangster movies that everyone must watch at least once: Dhanush’s Vada Chennai to Vikram Vedha
Tamil cinema and gangster genre have always been quite the right combo for many years. So here are some of the best Tamil gangster movies that you can watch right now!
Gangster movies have always been a perfect choice for an action-filled experience. In Tamil cinema, films about dons and rowdys have always been fan favorites as well.
Here's taking a quick look into these kinds of movies, featuring some of the top Tamil gangster movies that every cinema fan should watch at least once.
Top 7 Tamil gangster movies to watch right now
1. Vada Chennai (2018)
- Cast: Dhanush, Kishore, Samuthirakani, Daniel Balaji, Pawan, Andrea Jeremiah, Aishwarya Rajesh, Ameer
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar/Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb ratings: 8.4/10
A gangster action flick in Tamil that is much-loved is the Dhanush starrer Vada Chennai (North Chennai), directed by Vetrimaaran. The film focuses on the life of Anbu, a skillful carrom player who inadvertently becomes the central crux of a gang war between two rival gangsters.
With a story of revenge and bloodlust, the movie offers a one-of-a-kind experience for anyone who loves gangster movies and action in general.
2. Mahaan (2022)
- Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Dhruv Vikram, Simran, Bobby Simha, Sananth, Vettai Muthukumar, Deepak Paramesh, Aadukalam Naren
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb ratings: 7.6/10
A highly engaging gangster action movie starring Chiyaan Vikram and Dhruv Vikram in the lead roles is the Karthik Subbaraj directorial Mahaan. The film tells the tale of Gandhi Mahaan, a commerce teacher who transitions his life into a liquor baron after his wife and son leave him.
However, things take a wrongful turn when his son, an extremist Gandhian vows revenge on his father and sets out to ruin him after many years. The movie’s central theme focuses on how any ideology going to its extreme will result in chaos.
3. Billa (2007)
- Cast: Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara, Namitha, Prabhu, Rahman, Adithya Menon, Santhanam
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
- IMDb ratings: 7.3/10
An iconic movie by Ajith Kumar is the Vishnuvardhan-directed gangster film, Billa. The Tamil movie features the actor in a dual role, one as a dreaded don while the other is his friendly doppelganger. However, in a turn of events, the latter has to impersonate the don, helping the police in their mission.
The film is the official remake of the Rajinikanth starrer 1980 movie of the same name which itself was the remake of Amitabh Bachchan’s Don.
4. Jigarthanda DoubleX (2023)
- Cast: Raghava Lawrence, S. J. Suryah, Nimisha Sajayan, Ilavarasu, Naveen Chandra, Sathyan, Sanchana Natarajan, Shine Tom Chacko, Aravind Akash
- Where to watch: Netflix
- IMDb ratings: 8/10
A highly engaging action drama gangster movie starring Raghava Lawrence and SJ Suryah is the blockbuster movie, Jigarthanda DoubleX. Being the spiritual successor and prequel to the 2014 film Jigarthanda, the movie focuses on the theme of a notorious gangster and his relationship with a filmmaker.
The film set in the 1970s, focuses on an aspiring policeman being imprisoned under false accusations. However, he gets a chance at redemption when he is tasked with eliminating a gangster and approaches him in the guise of a film director.
5. Aaranya Kaandam (2010)
- Cast: Jackie Shroff, Ravi Krishna, Sampath Raj, Yasmin Ponnappa, Guru Somasundaram, Master Vasanth, Ajay Raj
- Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
- IMDb ratings: 8.5/10
A noir-style gangster action flick marking Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s directorial debut is the movie Aaranya Kaandam. The film focuses on the tale of six protagonists led by Jackie Shroff as the feared gangster, Singaperumal.
Despite being in his old age, he tries to win over his arch-nemesis, Gajendran, but his plans start to go at fault. The rest of the film focuses on incidents that ensure chaos and how it is just waiting to backfire.
6. Kabali (2016)
- Cast: Rajinikanth, Winston Chao, Radhika Apte, Dhansika, Kishore, Dinesh, Kalaiyarasan, John Vijay, Rosyam Nor, Nassar, Mime Gopi
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
- IMDb ratings: 6.1/10
An action drama revolving around an aged gangster portrayed by the stylish avatar of superstar Rajinikanth is the Pa Ranjith movie, Kabali. The film tells the tale of a gangster in Kuala Lumpur who was sent to prison on false charges and is making his return after 25 years.
As he believes that his wife is dead, the aged gangster sets out on a revenge spree against his rivals, engaging in a bloodbath. The rest of the movie features how Kabali takes his vengeance while several truths also come out.
7. Vikram Vedha (2017)
- Cast: R Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath, Kathir, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Prem Kumar, Achyuth Kumar, Manikandan, Hareesh Peradi, Vivek Prasanna
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar
- IMDb ratings: 8.2/10
A gangster action flick that balances the neo-noir genre beautifully is the R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi starrer Vikram Vedha. The movie directed by the duo Pushkar-Gayathri is inspired by the Indian folktale Baital Pachisi.
The film follows an honest cop, Vikram who has a black-and-white sense towards good and evil, encountering any prospective rival that comes his way. However, on the tail of a dreaded gangster known as Vedha, the latter tells him three different stories from his life which shifts Vikram’s perspective towards good and evil.
The names mentioned in this list are some of the best Tamil gangster films that are available for streaming. Many more such highly engaging flicks with iconic gangsters are there to be explored in Tamil cinema.
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