: A visually stunning and ultra-violent revenge saga starring Vasanth Ravi. Koozhangal (Pebbles)
: Released during Pongal, this Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial starred Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi . It is widely credited with bringing audiences back to theaters. It grossed roughly ₹250–300 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. tamil films list 2021
The 2021 list also exposed a growing chasm between critical and commercial success. Films like Karnan (Dhanush), directed by Mari Selvaraj, used mythological allegory to discuss police brutality and caste violence, earning rave reviews and decent box office returns. However, several big-budget action films, rushed to theatres to recover costs, were rejected for their incoherent scripts and over-reliance on nostalgia. : A visually stunning and ultra-violent revenge saga