44 Best Tamil Thriller Movies of All Time to Watch Now

Tamil cinema boasts a rich legacy of delivering spellbinding and suspenseful movies that have kept audiences on the edge of their seats. With their unique blend of suspense, mystery, and drama, the Tamil film industry has become a global sensation, and these movies continue to push the envelope of what is possible within this genre. Whether you’re a fan of Tamil crime thrillers movies or Tamil psychological thrillers movies, there’s something here to satisfy every taste.

Embark on an exhilarating journey through the world of Tamil cinema with our selection of crime thriller movies that span various genres including action, comedy, romance, political drama, science fiction, spy thrillers, and supernatural mysteries. Each film is a testament to the creativity and talent within the Tamil film industry, delivering unforgettable stories, memorable characters, and jaw-dropping plot twists.

Join us as we delve into the thrilling world of Tamil cinema and uncover the hidden gems that have captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.

List of Top Tamil Thriller Movies of All Time to Watch Now:

Ratsasan

Release date: 5 October 2018
Director: Ram Kumar
Starring: Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul, Saravanan
Storyline: A sub-inspector sets out in pursuit of a mysterious serial killer who targets teen school girls and murders them brutally. Ratsasan is one of the best Indian thriller movies of all time.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT

Vikram Vedha

Release date: 21 July 2017
Director: Pushkar–Gayathri
Starring: R. Madhavan, Vijay Sethupathi, Shraddha Srinath, Kathir, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Storyline: The film tells the story of Vikram, a police inspector who sets out to track down and kill Vedha, a gangster. After Vedha voluntarily surrenders himself, he tells Vikram three stories that change his perceptions of good and evil.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5

Irumbu Thirai

Release date: 11 May 2018
Director: P. S. Mithran
Starring: Vishal, Arjun,Samantha
Storyline: The film centers around an army officer, who starts hunting down a gang of hackers after they steal money from his bank account.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5

3

Release date: 30 March 2012
Director: Aishwarya Rajinikanth
Starring: Dhanush, Shruti Haasan, Sivakarthikeyan, Sunder Ramu, Prabhu, Gabriella Charlton
Storyline: Ram and Janani are high school sweethearts who eventually get married. However, Janani is mystified when Ram commits suicide all of a sudden and she tries to find out the truth behind his death.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru

Release date: December 29, 2016
Director: Karthick Naren
Starring: Rahman, Prakash Vijayaraghavan, Ashwin Kkumar, Anjana Jayaprakash
Storyline: A police officer retires after an accident during a case investigation. Years later, he is forced to relive the past as he narrates the story to his friend’s son. It is one of the best Indian thriller movies on Amazon Prime Video.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Vikram

Release date: 3 June 2022
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil, Narain
Storyline: A special investigator discovers a case of serial killings is not what it seems to be, and leading down this path is only going to end in a war between everyone involved.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5

Pizza

Release date: 19 October 2012
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Starring: Vijay Sethupathi, Remya Nambeesan
Storyline: The story is about a pizza delivery man named Michael who lands in a mysterious predicament, and how it affects his life.

Available on: SunNXT, Disney+ Hotstar

Merry Christmas

Release date: 12 January 2024
Languages: Hindi, Tamil
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Starring: Katrina Kaif, Vijay Sethupathi
Storyline: Two strangers meet on a fateful Christmas Eve. A night of delirious romance turns into a nightmare. Revealing anything more would be a crime.

Available on: Netflix

Yennai Arindhaal

Release date: 5 February 2015
Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Starring: Ajith Kumar, Arun Vijay, Trisha Krishnan, Anushka Shetty, Parvati Nair
Storyline: Sathyadev, a sincere police officer, tries to stop an organ trafficking racket. But he is unaware that the man performing the illegal trade is the same person who killed his beloved.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Kaithi

Release date: 25 October 2019
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Karthi, Narain, Arjun Das
Storyline: Dilli, an ex-convict, endeavours to meet his daughter for the first time after leaving prison. However, his attempts are interrupted due to a drug raid planned by Inspector Bejoy.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar, Sony LIV, aha

I

Release date: 14 January 2015
Director: S. Shankar
Starring: Vikram, Amy Jackson, Suresh Gopi, Santhanam, Upen Patel
Storyline: The film tells the story of a bodybuilder turned supermodel named Lingesan, who turns into a Hunchback by the hands of his enemies by using a Virus. After being deformed, he exacts revenge upon those who were responsible for his predicament.

Available on: Zee5

Bairavaa

Release date: 12 January 2017
Director: Bharathan
Starring: Vijay, Keerthy Suresh
Storyline: Bairavaa, a gallant debt collector, takes on a violent criminal masquerading as a philanthropist in the education field.

Available on: Zee5, SunNXT

Leo

Release date: 19 October 2023
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Trisha
Storyline: The film follows Parthi, a café owner and animal rescuer in Theog, who is pursued by gangsters Antony and Harold Das who suspect him to be Antony’s estranged son, Leo. It is one of the best Tamil thriller movies on Netflix.

Available on: Netflix

Thadam

Release date: 1 March 2019
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Starring: Arun Vijay, Tanya Hope, Smruthi Venkat, Vidya Pradeep
Storyline: In the film, police officers try to solve a murder case involving lookalike suspects arrested on the basis of a pictorial evidence.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT

Maanagaram

Release date: 10 March 2017
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Starring: Sri, Sundeep Kishan, Regina Cassandra
Storyline: Four youngsters arrive in a big city and their lives become interlinked.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, aha

Viduthalai: Part 1

Release date: 31 March 2023
Director: Vetrimaaran
Starring: Soori, Vijay Sethupathi, Bhavani Sre, Gautham Vasudev Menon
Storyline: A police officer is recruited to capture the leader of a separatist group.

Available on: Zee5

Anniyan

Release date: 17 June 2005
Director: S. Shankar
Starring: Vikram, Sadha
Storyline: The plot centres on a disillusioned everyman whose frustration at what he sees as increasing social apathy and public negligence leads to a split personality that attempts to improve the system.

Available on: SunNXT

Theri

Release date: 14 April 2016
Director: Atlee
Starring: Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson
Storyline: When his daughter’s life is endangered by a local gang, Joseph Kuruvilla will do whatever it takes to stop them. However, at the same time, his dangerous past slowly resurfaces.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT

Thegidi

Release date: 28 February 2014
Director: P. Ramesh
Starring: Ashok Selvan, Janani, Jayaprakash
Storyline: A plainclothes officer falls in the hands of phony agents, which sets off repercussions ending in series of a massacre events.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar, aha

Chithha

Release date: 28 September 2023
Director: S. U. Arun Kumar
Starring: Siddharth, Nimisha Sajayan
Storyline: A man is raising his niece like his own daughter, and everything appears normal in their life until the little girl goes missing.

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

Visaranai

Release date: 5 February 2016
Director: Vetrimaaran
Starring: Dinesh, Anandhi, Samuthirakani, Murugadoss, S Rathnasamy, Kishore, Pradheesh Raj
Storyline: Four labourers are tortured by the police to confess to a theft they have not committed.

Available on: Netflix

Por Thozhil

Release date: 9 June 2023
Director: Vignesh Raja
Starring: R. Sarathkumar, Ashok Selvan, Nikhila Vimal
Storyline: A bright but faint-hearted rookie cop has to overcome his fears in order to succeed in his first case which sees him partnered with a reclusive senior officer to catch a serial killer on the loose.

Available on: Sony LIV

Naan Sigappu Manithan

Release date: 11 April 2014
Director: Thiru
Starring: Vishal, Lakshmi Menon
Storyline: Indran, a narcoleptic, and Meera, the daughter of a rich businessman, are in love with each other. One day, as he suffers from a narcoleptic bout, she gets gang-raped. Indran desires brutal revenge.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Zee5

Gargi

Release date: 15 July 2022
Director: Gautham Ramachandran
Starring: Sai Pallavi, Kaali Venkat, R. S. Shivaji, Saravanan
Storyline: The journey of a young school teacher to prove her father’s innocence with the help of a juvenile advocate who’s never even seen the interiors of a court hall.

Available on: Sony LIV

Adhe Kangal

Release date: 26 January 2017
Director: Rohin Venkatesan
Starring: Kalaiyarasan, Janani, Sshivada
Storyline: A blind chef gets his eyesight back, but the girl he had fallen in love with is missing. What has happened to her? Is morphed into a thriller followed by an abduction.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Sardar

Release date: 21 October 2022
Director: P. S. Mithran
Starring: Karthi, Raashii Khanna, Rajisha Vijayan, Chunky Pandey, Laila
Storyline: A spy, who is estranged from his family due to a mission, suddenly meets his police officer’s son.

Available on: N/A

Thupparivaalan

Release date: 14 September 2017
Director: Mysskin
Starring: Vishal, Prasanna, Vinay Rai, Anu Emmanuel, Andrea Jeremiah
Storyline: A detective is hungry for a challenging case to investigate and the mystery of a murdered dog leads to a rival who could be the match for him.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar

Mersal

Release date: 18 October 2017
Director: Atlee
Starring: Vijay, S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen, Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Hareesh Peradi, Kovai Sarala, Sathyan
Storyline: The story revolves around two brothers, who were separated at birth; one is a magician avenging his parent’s deaths and medical crimes, and the other, is a reputed doctor who charges meagre amounts from his patients.

Available on: Netflix, Zee5

Cadaver

Release date: 12 August 2022
Director: Anoop Panicker
Starring: Amala Paul, Harish Uthaman
Storyline: A high-profile murder baffles the cops when a prison inmate claims responsibility and promises more deaths. Will the police surgeon Bhadra crack this mystery?

Available on: Disney+ Hotstar

V1 Murder Case

Release date: 27 December 2019
Director: Pavel Navageethan
Starring: Ram Arun Castro, Vishnupriya Pillai
Storyline: An intelligent forensic officer starts investigating a murder, but he faces a slew of challenges as he suffers from nyctophobia. Will he be able to solve the case?

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Thani Oruvan

Release date: 28 August 2015
Director: Mohan Raja
Starring: Jayam Ravi, Arvind Swamy, Nayanthara
Storyline: The plot revolves around IPS Officer Mithran, who wants to arrest Siddharth Abhimanyu, an affluent scientist who uses secret illegal medical practices for profit. Thani Oruvan was Raja’s original story concept, unlike his previous ventures, which were remakes.

Available on: SunNXT

Paayum Puli

Release date: 4 September 2015
Director: Suseenthiran
Starring: Vishal, Kajal Aggarwal, Soori, Samuthirakani
Storyline: A cop mistakenly believes that taking out three thugs will end Madurai’s crime wave.

Available on: Zee5, SunNXT

Kuttram 23

Release date: March 3, 2017
Director: Arivazhagan Venkatachalam
Starring: Arun Vijay, Mahima Nambiar
Storyline: ACP Vetrimaaran investigates a series of murders related to the medical industry.

Available on: Zee5

Anegan

Release date: 13 February 2015
Director: K. V. Anand
Starring: Dhanush, Karthik, Amyra Dastur
Storyline: Madhu, an animator, gets thoughts about her past life, but her psychiatrist believes it to be a figment of her imagination. Madhu happens to meet Ashwin, the man she was in love with in her past life.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT

Ayothi

Release date: 3 March 2023
Director: R. Manthira Moorthy
Starring: M. Sasikumar, Yashpal Sharma, Preethi Asrani, Pugazh, Anju Asrani, Master Advaith Vinod
Storyline: On their journey to Rameswaram, a family from North India gets involved in a series of mishaps until a stranger decides to help them out

Available on: Zee5

Kaappaan

Release date: 20 September 2019
Director: K. V. Anand
Starring: Suriya, Mohanlal, Arya
Storyline: A Special Protection Group officer has to identify the threat to the prime minister, who he is protecting, and also the nation.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Paramporul

Release date: 1 September 2023
Director: C. Aravind Raj
Starring: R. Sarathkumar, Amitash Pradhan, Kashmira Pardeshi, Balaji Sakthivel
Storyline: Revolves around the smuggling mafia of sacred temple idols and a cop who is involved with a smuggler to make money out of a sacred idol, possessed by a murder victim.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Enemy

Release date: 4 November 2021
Director: Anand Shankar
Starring: Vishal, Arya, Mirnalini Ravi, Mamta Mohandas
Storyline: It’s the story of two childhood friends and their escalating competitive nature. To what extent are they ready to go?

Available on: Sony LIV

Saani Kaayidham

Release date: 6 May 2022
Director: Arun Matheswaran
Starring: Keerthy Suresh, Selvaraghavan
Storyline: A generational curse, comes true in a senseless act of injustice to Ponni and her family. Driven to seek vengeance by Sangaiya, with whom she shares a bitter past.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Thambi

Release date: 20 December 2019
Director: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Karthi, Sathyaraj, Jyothika, Nikhila Vimal
Storyline: Parvathy is elated when she finds out that her brother, Saravanan, who has been missing for 15 years, is in Goa. However, somebody has already hatched a plan to kill him.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix

Saani Kaayidham

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Available on: Netflix

Maayavan

Release date: December 14, 2017
Director: C. V. Kumar
Starring: Sundeep Kishan, Lavanya Tripathi, Jackie Shroff, Daniel Balaji, Mime Gopi, R. Amarendran, Bagavathi Perumal, Jayaprakash
Storyline: A police officer is on a mission to nab a criminal, who does murder in a same mysteric pattern.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video

Magamuni

Release date: 6 September 2019
Director: Santhakumar
Starring: Arya, Indhuja Ravichandran, Mahima Nambiar
Storyline: Two long-separated brothers end up in life-threatening situations. How do their lives intersect and what happens next?

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix

Thuppakki

Release date: 13 November 2012
Director: AR Murugadoss
Starring: Vijay, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyan, Vidyut Jammwal, Jayaram
Storyline: It revolves around Jagadish, an intelligence officer in the Indian Army, who seeks to track down, destroy, and deactivate a sleeper cell, after witnessing and barely escaping a bomb blast executed by the cell.

Available on: Amazon Prime Video, SunNXT, aha

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