Best Underrated Tamil Movies in Recent Times!

On the topic of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies, several titles release every year that are commercially successful and hit a home run at the box office. On the flip side, there are also a ton of movies that are critically acclaimed and hold a special place in our hearts but fail at the box office. There is a quality cinema which sometimes fails at their marketing gimmicks, but will never fail to impress you. And if you’re a film fan, you’re definitely in for a treat. Here is a list of Best Underrated Tamil Movies you should not miss watching.

Related: Underrated Malayalam Movies in Recent Times
Related: Must-Watch Underrated Bollywood Films of 2020

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13. Mehandi Circus

Director – Raju Saravanan
Starring – Rangarajan & Shweta Tripathi
Streaming Platform – Netflix

[This movie is also feat. ‘Best Tamil Movies on Netflix’ list]

Mehandi Circus is a romantic drama that revolves around Jeeva (Mathampatti Rangarajan), who runs an audio cassette store and Mehandi (Shweta Tripathi), a performer in the circus who are in love with each other. Debut Director Saravanan Rajendran’s musical treatment in the narration with a circus backdrop gives us a different experience. Mehandi Circus is one of the beautiful love stories told in recent times with decent performances from the newcomers.

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12. Maragatha Naanayam

Director – ARK Saravanan
Starring – Aadhi, Nikki Galrani
Streaming Platform – Disney+ Hotstar

Directed by ARK Saravanan, Maragatha Naanayam is a fantasy-comedy movie, with Aadhi, Nikki Galrani in the lead roles with Anandhraj, Daniel Annie Pope, Munishkanth, Kaali Venkat as the supporting cast. The film hilariously depicts the search for a cursed treasure responsible for many people dying. The movie entertains from the get-go and ends as a decent commercial comical entertainer.

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11. Magamuni

Director – Santhakumar
Starring – Arya, Indhuja Ravichandran
Streaming Platform – Amazon Prime Video

Best Underrated Tamil Movies: Magamuni is a crime thriller film written and directed by Santhakumar. The film stars Arya in dual roles along with Indhuja Ravichandran and Mahima Nambiar. Kaali Venkat, Rohini, Jayaprakash, Ilavarasu, and Aruldoss play supporting roles. Santhakumar’s excellence in writing, with his well-drawn character arc for each character and ability to narrate the story, makes Magamuni a must-watch.

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10. Va: Quarter Cutting

Director – Pushkar-Gayathri
Starring – Shiva and SPB Charan

Pushkar-Gayathri attempted a black comedy film way back in 2010 when it was not very popular among the Kollywood audience. Despite that, Va: Quarter Cutting, starring Shiva and SPB Charan, enjoys a unique fan base. The film narrates the story of Sunderrajan (Shiva) aka Sura, who with his sister’s fiancé Marthandam (SPB Charan), searches for liquor on a dry day in Chennai before leaving for the Middle East.

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9. Rajathandhiram

Director – A. G. Amid
Starring – Veera Bahu, Regina Cassandra
Streaming Platform – Disney+ Hotstar

[This movie is also feat. in our ‘Best Tamil Movies on Hotstar’ list]

Rajathandhiram is a story of three teenagers who makes money through many illegal activities, and what happened to them when they planned a huge robbery at the end. The movie stood unique from other heist thrillers due to its smartly written crime sequences with an appealing screenplay. One of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies, AG Amid’s treatment of the story with utmost believability supported by a decent technical team makes Rajathandhiram a decent heist thriller that completely engages and provides a worthy experience for all.

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8. Naanayam

Director – Shakti Sounder Rajan
Starring – Prasanna & Sibiraj
Streaming Platform – Jio Cinema

[This movie is also feat. in our ‘Best Tamil Thrillers on OTT’ list]

Naanayam is a 2010 heist thriller directed by Shakti Sounder Rajan with Prasanna and Sibiraj as the lead. The movie didn’t receive the recognition it deserved, maybe due to its familiarity with Hollywood films. But, Shakthi Sounder Rajan pulled a proper heist film before Netflix introduced ‘Money Heist‘ to its audience. Nevertheless, Naanayam is an exciting watch.

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7. Mouna Guru

Director – Santha Kumar
Starring – Arulnidhi and Ineya

Preview Only: Karunakaran is an intelligent person who cannot tolerate injustice. He leaves his home town and joins a college in Chennai but soon gets involved with a group of corrupt policemen. One of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies.

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6. Moodar Koodam

Director – Naveen
Starring – Naveen, Oviya
Streaming Platform – Disney+ Hotstar

Moodar Koodam is a black comedy written, produced, and directed by Naveen. Interestingly, he also acts in the lead, alongside Sendrayan, Kuberan, and Rajaji. Smart visuals, close-knit editing, well-scripted screenplay, and dark humor makes Moodar Koodam a one of a kind film in Tamil Cinema.

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5. Jiivi

Director – V. J. Gopinath
Starring – Vetri, Monica Chinnakotla
Streaming Platform – Amazon Prime Video

Directed by V. J. Gopinath and written by Babu Tamizh, Jiivi is a thriller film with Vetri in the lead role. An intelligent man with pitiful methods chooses to do something big in his life by planning to steal a few jewels and escape from the crime. It is a competent thriller aided by its flawless writing and one of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies.

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4. To Let

Director – Chezhiyan
Starring – Santhosh Sreeram, Suseela
Streaming Platform – YUPP TV

To-Let is a 2017 drama film, written and directed by Chezhiyan, and stars Santhosh Sreeram, Suseela, and Dharun as a family of three. The film portrays the struggle of a family of three as they search for a house to rent. Having been given an ultimatum to vacate their house by their landlady, the rest of the film depicts their hustle to find accommodation.

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3. Meyaadha Maan

Director – Rathna Kumar
Starring – Vaibhav & Priya Bhavani Shankar
Streaming Platform – ZEE5

Next on the list of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies, if you’re looking for a light-hearted romantic film, Meeyadha Maan is the one. Directed by Rathna Kumar, Meeyadha Maan has Vaibhav and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead, with Indhuja and Vivekh Prasanna as the supporting cast. It is a feel-good movie, with an appropriate amount of romance, comedy, and sentiment, making it a gratifying watch.

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2. Haridas

Director – G. N. R. Kumaravelan
Starring – Kishore and Sneha
Streaming Platform – ZEE5

An action-drama written and directed by G. N. R. Kumaravelan starring Kishore and Sneha in the lead roles, Haridas follows the story of a courageous police officer, ignoring his child who has autism, due to the nature of his work. He decides to make up for his mistakes and do something for his son. It is a moving tale of struggles faced by the parent with kids of special needs.

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1. Metro

Director – Ananda Krishanan
Starring – Shirish, Bobby Simha & Sendrayan
Streaming Platform – Netflix

Metro exposes the functioning of a chain snatching network in Chennai and details how our protagonist infitrates the system and rescues his family. Featuring Shirish, Bobby Simha and Sendrayan in the lead roles, debutant director Ananda Krishanan compelled the audience with a crisp, raw, and an entertaining action-thriller making it a must-watch and one of the Best Underrated Tamil Movies.

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Related: Underrated Bollywood Movies on Netflix and Amazon
Also Read: Upcoming Historical and Mythological Bollywood Movies