Top 10 Tamil actors of 2017: Vijay Sethupathi, Prasanna and Karthi find place in the list

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Vijay Sethupathi truly owned every frame he appeared this year. 2017 is truly Vijay Sethupathi’s year which he kicked off with Kavan. And then Vikram Vedha happened and as they say the rest is history. With some ridiculously charismatic screen presence, the actor truly showed us that he can own any role he is given. Let it Vedha or Karuppan or Puriyatha Puthir’s Kathir. Even his cameo in Kathanayagan was lapped up by the audience.

Prasanna

Another actor who silently owned 2017 is Prasanna who also recently touched the magic 25 mark. From the short-tempered son in Power Pandi, to the humane sidekick in Thupparivalan and an agent in Nibunan, Prasanna has done a variety of roles this year that show the actor he is. The icing on the cake was his deliciously evil role in Thiruttu Payale 2 where Prasanna truly shows off what he is capable of. I sincerely hope we get to see the actor more on the silver screen with more such roles.

Sundeep

One from the younger breed, Sundeep Kishen has given plenty of reasons in 2017 for us to be on the lookout for him. Starting with the unconventional Manaagaram, he shifted gears to the slightly more conventional Nenjil Thunivirundhal and again took a tangent with Maayavan. With Karthick Narein’s Naragasooran in the pipeline, he is one name that we should continue to watch out for.

Vidharth

Vidharth can easily be named the dark horse of 2017 for his lineup in 2017 — Oru kidayin Karunai Manu, Kurangu Bommai. Following Kutrame Thandanai from 2016, Vidharth’s choice of good scripts followed in 2017. As the man on the streets, Vidharth is quietly making a name for himself, a streak we wish would continue.

Karthi

Despite the mixed reviews Kaatru Veliyidai and his performance Karthi got, the film is an important reminder that lead characters don’t necessarily have to be heroes. Both of Karthi’s films this year (Katru Veliyidai, Theeran Adhigaram Ondru) have him don the uniform but what contrast. From the slightly demonic VC to the squeaky clean Theeran, it shows two different faces of Karthi.

Vaibhav

One of Venkat Prabhu’s favourite men, Vaibhav truly arrived this year with Meyaadha Maan. As ‘Idhayam Murali’, Vaibhav fits in effortlessly in the North Madras milieu set by Rathna Kumar in Meyaadha Maan. A role and a movie that the actor can be proud of!

Vivek Prasanna

Talking about Meyaadha Maan, it is impossible to mention the other man in the film, Vivek Prasanna. It is rare for a supporting artiste to get such a well-written role and Vivek makes the best use of it. The actor also makes his presence felt in the other massive hit of the year, Vikram Vedha.

Dulquer Salmaan

Solo might have received a mixed response at the box office, but the verdict was unanimous when it came to Dulquer’s performance. A well-established name in Tamil already, the actor’s performance in this anthology just raised his own bar for future performances.

Raj Kiran

Raj Kiran is sure a well-known face for us, but what joy it was to see him in Power Paandi. A Dhanush directorial, it was a delight to see Raj Kiran as the endearingly vulnerable yet independent Pandi. The role further fuels the desire to see some well-written mature roles for older actors. Maybe 2018 can bring that boon.

MS Bhaskar

His role in 8 Thottakal is another example for the roles older actors deserve. 8 Thottakal was memorable for making us view MS Bhaskar differently from the affable, funny senior citizen on screen. The monologue towards the end is especially brilliant. If you haven’t watched the film, do give it a shot.