Thalapathy Vijay Movies Ranked from Worst to Best [2012 Onwards]

One of the major, if not, the primary Superstars of Kollywood, Thalapathy Vijay is admired and respected by millions in the country and is a prolific commercial movie actor in the Tamil Film Industry. Started his movie career at the age of ten, with the film Vetri, Vijay has a long list of movies which proved to be commercial and record-breaking hits of the industry. So, with more than 60 movies, it is indeed tough to rank all his movies, however, we decided to rank his movies from Worst to Best from 2013 onwards. Here are the results.

Last updated after LEO (2023) release

ALSO READ: DIRECTOR SHANKAR MOVIES RANKED
ALSO READ: KARTHI MOVIES RANKED FROM WORST TO BEST

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15. Puli (2015)

Director – Chimbu Deven
Also Starring – Sridevi, Sudeep

Chimbu Devan’s Puli is, without a doubt, one of the most disappointing movies of Vijay the past decade for a variety of reasons. With a run-of-the-mill story, although Devan tried to attempt something new, the end product didn’t fetch quality results which could’ve made the movie a success. Despite the fact that, Vijay tried his best to highlight his character, other characters portrayed by legendary actors like Late. Sridevi and Sudeep went to waste and did not have impact any impact to the film. Overall, with subpar CGI and bad presentation, Puli is a failure and not a game change by any means.

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14. Beast (2022)

Director – Nelson
Also Starring – Pooja Hegde, Selvaraghavan

Beast is an action invasion thriller that revolves around an ex RAW agent, Veeraraghavan, dealing with a terrorist organisation that hijacked a mall. Also starring Pooja Hegde and Selvaraghavan in supporting roles, from fan service to presentation, Nelson pulls no punches. The maverick action sequences coupled with Vijay’s blistering perennial screen presence and energy are a treat. Vijay plays to his strengths, underplaying his character when needed and pulling out the big guns when the situation calls for it.

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13. Bairavaa (2017)

Director – Bharathan
Also Starring – Keerthy Suresh

It’s not new watching Vijay in commercial films with nothing new to offer and Bairavaa is one of them. The long-lost director Bharathan could have worked more on the screenplay and though his intention to come up with a social message is appreciable, the way he presented it failed to create an impact. Vijay, being the darling of Mass movies does his part well alongside Keerthy Suresh. But seeing him repeatedly in these kinds of commercial films offering only punch dialogues, unwanted or over crafted fight sequences makes the general audience and neutral fans tiresome.

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12. Varisu (2023)

Director – Vamshi Paidipally
Also Starring – Rashmika Mandanna

Varisu, directed by Vamshi Paidipally, from the title, made it clear that the story would be about Vijay, the third son of a family who distances himself from his father’s business and seeks his career. However, after seven years, he returns home for a family gathering, and his life takes a dramatic turn. It is close to three hours and is an emotional drama that explores the relationships within the family and how they change over time. Varisu also stars Rashmika Mandanna as the female lead.

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11. Thalaivaa (2013)

Director – A. L. Vijay
Also Starring – Satyaraj & Amala Paul

Directed by A. L. Vijay, the primary storyline of Thalaivaa (2013) draws inspiration from Kamal Haasan’s Nayakan and is loosely based on RGV’s Sarkar. The film manages to entertain at times but fails to create an impact. Performances from Vijay, Satyaraj and Amala Paul are noteworthy, but, the mundane three-hour runtime didn’t do the film much favours. Overall, Thalaivaa had nothing new to offer but does succeed in transforming Vijay from Thalapathy to Thalaiva giving him a complete mass look again.

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10. Jilla (2014)

Director – Neason
Also Starring – Mohanlal & Kajal Aggarwal

Jilla, directed by Neason brings together the Superstar of Mollywood Lt. Col. Mohanlal and Vijay in the lead roles and the storyline revolves around the aspects of guns, violence and relationships. The film lacks a racy and engaging screenplay because of its mighty three-hour runtime. Mohanlal and Vijay’s performances are the backbone of the film while Kajal Aggarwal and the remaining supporting cast had nothing much to offer. Overall, Jilla had the proper ingredients needed for a mass commercial entertainer and although its mighty length works against it, it will surely impress Mohanlal and Vijay’s hardcore devotees.

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9. Sarkar (2018)

Director – A. R. Murugadoss
Also Starring – Keerthy Suresh

Sarkar is the story is about a wealthy CEO, Sundar Ramasamy nicknamed as ‘Corporate Monster’ returning to Chennai to cast his vote for Tamil Nadu legislative assembly election, only to find that someone has already cast his vote. Disappointed by this felonious act he decides to fight back the corrupt politician Masilamani (Karuppaiah) and his political party.

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8. Bigil (2019)

Director – Atlee Kumar
Also Starring – Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff

[This excerpt comes from Surya’s ‘Bigil’ Review]

Based around quite a few themes varying from an emotional father-son relationship, women empowerment and second chances, Bigil also starring Nayanthara, appeals to its core audience and is overall a delightful entertainer. Director Atlee understands what the audience expect from a commercial movie and checks all the boxes in regards to providing them with all-inclusive entertainment.

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7. Mersal (2017)

Director – Atlee Kumar
Also Starring – Nitya Menen, Samantha

Mersal follows the Lemuria continent old story of two brothers avenging the brutal murder of their parents. Atlee’s search for a fresh script without any adaptation continues with Mersal too. Yet, what makes this movie entertaining is his way of presenting it to the audience. The scenes and dialogues about the present condition of Tamil Nadu and the country are highly commendable. Even though the storyline had nothing new to offer, Atlee extensively worked on the screenplay with V. Vijayendra Prasad (RRR and Baahubali fame) and executed it well with a top-notch technical team.

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6. Nanban (2012)

Director – S. Shankar
Also Starring – Ileana D’Cruz, Jiiva

Nanban has Jiiva, Srikanth, Satyaraj, and Ileana D Cruz as the primary cast. We all know the plot of the film, and unfortunately, the film was a scene to scene rip-off the original movie. However, what makes it a Shankar special are the songs. Known for his grandeur filmmaking style, Shankar displayed his uniqueness in the song’s locales and picturization. For those who have not watched the original Bollywood film, Nanban would feel refreshing to them.

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5. Master (2021)

Director – Lokesh Kanagaraj
Also Starring – Vijay Sethupathi

[This excerpt comes from Nirmal’s ‘Master’ Review]

Master starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi in the primary roles and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj with Malavika Mohanan as the female lead, is a complete commercial package, tailor-made for the fans with impressive performances from the lead stars. Apart from the three-hour runtime, the film entertains through and through and is an ideal watch on a casual weekend.

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4. LEO (2023)

Director – Lokesh Kanagaraj
Also Starring – Trisha, Sanjay Dutt

Lokesh Kanagaraj’s LEO, featuring Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, and Trisha Krishnan, juxtaposes the mundane with the exceptional. Philomin Raj’s editing injects vitality into the narrative, offsetting its predictability. Vijay shines, seamlessly transitioning between stoicism and dynamism, delivering one of his career’s finest performances. Despite its flaws in antagonist portrayal and rushed plot elements, Leo remains captivating, anchored by Vijay’s unmatched charisma and moments of brilliance.

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3. Kaththi (2014)

Director – A. R. Murugadoss
Also Starring – Samantha, Neil Nitin Mukesh

Kaththi has Vijay playing a dual role as Kathiresan and Jeevanandham, supported by Samantha, Satish and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Director A. R. Murugadoss deals with the most unrecognised problems in the society like farming lands being taken over by MNCs, farmer’s suicides and the news media working only for TRP Ratings. It’s indeed a bold attempt by Murugadoss to take up a sensitive subject.

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2. Theri (2016)

Director – Atlee Kumar
Also Starring – Samantha & Amy Jackson

Directed by Atlee Kumar, Vijay as Vijay Kumar IPS packs a punch. He scores with his body language, dialogue delivery, and a couple of mass scenes. But, as the drawback, he looked short of expressions in melodramatic scenes. Samantha and Amy Jackson were used just like any other female leads would be used for a commercial entertainer. Nainika, daughter of actress Meena was very cute and adorable with her facial expressions. Nevertheless, even though the plot is racy and has a certain refreshing romantic and sentimental scenes, the pale overall story makes the film a hard one time watch.

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1. Thuppaki (2012)

Director – A.R. Murugadoss
Also Starring – Kajal, Vidyut Jammwal

Thuppakki directed A. R. Murugadoss with Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead is still a benchmark commercial film for any mass hero. A fresh concept of a network of sleeper cells, and how Captain Jagadish eliminates them is the base. It is one of the very few films where Vijay looks super cool, fits right into the narrative, and manages to entertain without his trademark punch dialogues. On the other hand, Vidyut Jammwal shines bright as a stylish antagonist making the cat and mouse play more entertaining. It is rare to find a movie that combines elements of mass and class flawlessly.

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How do you rank all the movies of Vijay from Worst to Best? Sound off in the comments below!