The year 2024 has gone by in the blink of an eye. The South Indian film industry has once again dominated the box office charts this year. Some movies set the cash registers ringing, while others have received critical acclaim, particularly in the Tamil industry. From thrillers to action dramas, Kollywood filmmakers continued their magic this year with gripping stories that have left fans and critics equally impressed. Year-Ender 2024: NSFW ALERT! From Neha Sargam-Vijay Varma in 'Mirzapur 3' to Triptii Dimri-Vicky Kaushal in 'Bad Newz', 10 Hottest Kisses From Bollywood This Year That Scorched The Screens (Watch Videos).

Films like Thalapathy Vijay's The Greatest of All Time ( The GOAT) and Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja were among the top names in Kollywood that left a lasting impact on audiences. As we prepare to welcome 2025 in a couple of weeks, let us take this opportunity to revisit some of the best Tamil films of 2024 that thrilled audiences the most.

1. ‘Raayan’

Raayan is a special film in Dhanush's career, as it was his 50th outing as a lead actor and the second as a director. Apart from him, the film also features Kalidas Jayaram, Sundeep Kishan, Dushara Vijayan, Aparna Balamurali, SJ Suryah and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, among others. The movie was released in the theatres on July 26 and is a gangster drama set in the suburban region of Chennai. Raayan is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

2. ‘The Greatest of All Time’

One of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2024, The Greatest of All Time (The GOAT), directed by Venkat Prabhu, stars Thalapathy Vijay in dual roles. Apart from Vijay, The GOAT also features Prabhudeva, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Yogi Babu, Parvati Nair, and Laila, among others, in key roles. The spy thriller was released in the theatres on September 5 and is currently available for streaming on Netflix in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi languages.

3. ‘Maharaja’

Nithilan Saminathan's Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap, is one of the standout films from Tamil cinema in 2024. The movie keeps audiences hooked to their screens with its gripping storyline and stellar performances. It follows the story of a father who works at a salon. However, his life takes a drastic turn when some miscreants barge into his home with vengeful intentions. The movie was released in the theatres on June 14 and landed on Netflix on July 12. But it wasn't an ordinary digital debut. The Vijay Sethuparthi-starter went on to become the most-watched Indian film on Netflix in 2024.

4. ‘Meiyazhagan’

Written and directed by C Prem Kumar, Meiyazhagan, starring Karthi and Arvind Swami, is an emotional drama that follows the story of two middle-aged men and the events that unfold after they meet each other. Meiyazhagan was released in the theatres on September 23 before making its OTT debut on October 25. You can watch the movie on Netflix.

5. ‘Vettaiyan’

TG Gnanavel's Vettaiyan, starring cinema legends Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, was released in the theatres on October 10. The film follows the story of a badass police officer who is known for his encounter skills. However, his life takes a drastic turn after he encounters a suspect who is accused of murder. Vettaiyan also features Fahadh Faasil, Manju Warrier, Rana Daggubatti, Ritika Singh and Dushara Vijayan in key roles. The movie is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

6. ‘Thangalaan’

Pa Ranjith's action-adventure film Thangalaan marked the return of Chiyaan Vikram to the big screen after a gap of over a year. Despite a stellar performance by the Tamil actor, the movie did not perform well at the box office during its theatrical run. On December 10, the movie made a silent OTT debut on December 10. Thangalaan is now available for streaming on Netflix.

7. ‘Amaran’

Rajkumar Periasamy's Amaran, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi, emerged as an unexpected blockbuster in Tamil cinema this year. The biographical film is based on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan and received praise not just from the critics but the audiences as well. The film crossed INR 325 crore worldwide before finally making its OTT debut on Netflix. Year-Ender 2024: From ‘Kaagaz 2’ To ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2’, Sequels That Didn’t Work at Box Office and Why They Failed!.

These were our top picks from the Tamil industry this year. Share your favourite Kollywood film of 2024 in the comments section below.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2024 09:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).