Best Tamil Actors in 2018 Who Gave A New Dimension To Tamil Cinema

Vijay has delivered an all-round performance in the blockbuster Sarkar. Despite all the heroic moments and elevating scenes, he not just looked just good on the screen, performed very well and won the audience and critics approval. 

2018 can be termed Vijay Sethupathi's year in Tamil Cinema. Such was the varied filmography he had. Among all the roles he had essayed, Ramachandran in the romance film 96 is easily the best. He just lived through the character. 

Ratsasan is hailed as one of the best serial killer thrillers to come out of Tamil Cinema and Vishnu Vishal's filmmaking aspirant turned police inspector won the applause as the protagonist who uses the research he had done for one of his films to nab the criminal. 

While Pariyerum Perumal is a classic, it still needs its main actor to perform well to make the story tick. Kathir was up to the challenge and delivered an unbridled performance as the Dalit youngster whose dream is to become a lawyer like Dr. Ambedkar. 

While Vada Chennai is the magnum opus of filmmaker Vetrimaaran, it is Dhanush who is the face of the trilogy. Right from appearing as a teenager to the fiery but calculated leader of people he nailed everything in this gangster epic which he also co-produced. 

While the main attraction of director Shankar's 2.0 is Chitti the Robo essayed by superstar Rajinikanth, the major story point revolves around Akshay Kumar's antagonist role. He made the best of this role in his South Indian debut and delivered a stellar performance despite the prosthetics. Easily one of the top three roles in his career. 

Similar to Vishal, Karthi too scored the biggest hit of his career with Kadaikutty Singam. While playing village youth was not new to him, he played the lovable Gunasingam with such elan that he was embraced by the family audience too. 

There used to be an actor named Rajinikanth and he was outshined by the superstar. But the actor Rajini wanted badly to come out and delivered a top-notch performance as kaala in this issue based film directed by Pa. Ranjith. Despite an indifferent result, Kaala remains one of the best performances in Rajini career. 

Thaana Serndha Koottam might not have turned out to be the big hit as Suriya expected, he nailed the dual shade role of a youngster who wanted to become a CBI officer but fails due to the system. Suriya exuded the intelligence on the screen as the character demands and won applause for his part. 

A lot is said about Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and director Mani Ratnam's return to blockbuster business but it is Simbu and Vijay Sethupathi who stole the show. Especially, Simbu, as the third and the youngest son who operates more with brains than brawn is irresistible. A come back film for him too. 

Kanaa is a special film and it needs a special performance from Sathyaraj and he delivered the goods without breaking a sweat. As a cricket-loving father and a farmer, he was both the driving force behind his daughter's dream of becoming a cricketer and a protagonist. He brought his vast experience to give believabilit to the character of Murugesan. 

Star hero Vishal was given a challenging role by the director in Irumbu Thirai where he had to underplay a lot. And he did not just well but was praised for his performance as an army man Kathiravan. He also believed in the story of this film about information theft and produced it. 

Arulnithi did a fantastic job in the new-age thriller Iravukku Aayiram Kangal which was listed in the 11 underrated gems of Indian Cinema in 2018. With a subtle but intense performance, Arulnithi won the appreciation of the critics. 

Talented actor had a great time in 2018 and he essayed a couple of top characters and deservedly received applause. In Tamil, his major film is U-Turn co-starring Samantha and Rahul Ravindran. His performance as Inspector Pradeep Naik in this Tamil-Telugu bilingual remake of the classic Kannada horror-thriller

Vishwaroopam II which was released amidst huge expectations might not have reached the hype, Kamal Haasan like he always does, delivered a stellar performance amidst the rubble around him. He proved that he still means business. 

Samuthirakani is one among the rare breed of a proper actor and filmmaker who regularly delivers on both accounts. In Goli Soda, his Natesan remains the driving force behind the young heroes and he made a telling impact with his performance. 

Vijay Antony may be a limited actor but when the right character comes his way, he makes sure that no one can nail it better than him. As a fiery cop in Thimiru Pudichavan, he looked the part and we will feel his anger and frustration when he see his brother turns a gangster

Is there anything Mysskin couldn't do? Yes. The inability to not doing things well. For a film where he provided the story and script, Mysskin also appeared in one of the lead roles and proved his acting might. You won't forget Mangeswaran in this black comedy.