BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCES of 2017

The year 2017 has seen a huge surge of female power in Tamil cinema and its heartening to see so many of them stamp their authority with towering performances. Here is the list for you to once again cheer for the lovely ladies who enthralled you in the last twelve months and highlight is the presence of seniors Revathi, Ramya Krishnan, Banupriya, Saranya and Urvashi giving the young girls a run for their money.

Sshivada - Athey Kangal

The highly talented Sshvidha surprised everyone and dominated the screen in an out and out villain role in the film and she has forced an entry into the best villains list to as the sole female presence.

Parvathi Nair - Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga

Parthiban's deft direction was helped to a great extent by the stellar performance of Parvathi Nair, who with minute expressions bordering on sensuality, not only kept the hero guessing but also the audience.

Revathi - Power Pandi

Younger generation heroines can take a cue from the acting powerhouse Revathi who even at this age makes you fall head over heels in love with her in a very limited space that she gets. The look that she gives Rajkiran when he leaves in the final shot lingers on long after the fade out.

Aditi Rao Hydari - Kaatru Veliyidai

Aditi Rao Hydari has given an exemplary performance as the strong woman caught in a hopeless love. Every time Karthi’s character belittles her, with minute expressions she brilliantly brings forth the embarrassment and hurt that she suffers and irrespective of the fate of the Mani Ratnam vehicle it will always be remembered for this charming lady’s acting.

Anushka Shetty - Baahubali 2

This is yet another milestone film for Anushka, who stands tall as Devasena commanding respect with her beauty, gait, posture, archery skills and measured acting.

Ramya Krishnan - Baahubali 2

The powerhouse performance of Ramya Krishnan makes her the central character of ‘Baahubali 2’ and people will henceforth remember her as Rajamatha Sivagami and not Nilambari.

Nikki Galrani - Margadha Naanayam

ARK Saravanan deserves praise for giving the glam doll Nikki Galrani a truly different character and boy she does impress and that too very convincingly with a male voice most of the time.

Varu Sarathkumar - Vikram Vedha, Nibunan and Sathya

This star kid never fails to impress and this year she got three different roles to shine nailing each one of them as the north Madras girl in 'Vikram Vedha', a stylish cop in ‘Nibunan’ and the chief antagonist in 'Sathya'.

Sai Dhanshika - Uru

Sai Dhanshika gets to perform a near solo act for a considerable portion of the second half and she has done a fantastic job as a innocent woman getting trapped into a house with a killer outside trying to get in.

Raveena - Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu

Before stepping into the actor's shoes, Raveena Ravi was a dubbing artiste. However, her transition of roles seemed ease with her neat performance in the critically acclaimed movie 'Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu'. With a commendable debut like this, Raveena is sure to continue impress with her acting.

Saranya , Urvashi, Banupriya - Magalir Mattum

Magalir Mattum director Brahmma G deserves great praise for giving meaty lead roles to seniors Urvashi, Banupriya and Saranya and the film is worth a watch just to see them in action. All three shine in their given portions and their performances challenge the current generation

Tanya - Karuppan

Tanya Ravichandran has got a meaty and mature role so early in her career and has done full justice to it as a headstrong rural girl bent on living her chosen life with dignity. The fact that she holds her own against the Vijay Sethupathi frame to frame is evidence of her talent.

Nithya Menen - Mersal

Nithya Menen has for long proved that she is an actress of caliber in many films in the past but within the masala commercial framework one can say that she gave yet another great performance as the domineering wife of Vijay's Thalapathy character in the film. One should also add that the fiery chemistry between her and Vijay made it a memorable outing for the Kerala girl in Tamil after 'Ok Kanmani'.

Anisha Victor - Aval

The pivot around which the pure horror film revolves, Anisha Victor as the troubled teenaged girl has not only given a riveting performance but also has gone through a lot of physical exertion to nail her role, Kudos.

Indhuja - Meyatha Maan

Very rarely an actress in a secondary character gets so much scope like Indhuja as the firebrand “thara local” sister Sudar an immensely talented girl who overshadows everyone in almost all her scenes.

Priya Bhavani Shankar

Reminiscent of a younger Revathi, Priya Bhavani Shankar made an impressive debut in 'Meyatha Maan'. Besides her looks she also seems to posses all the right expressions for a long stay in Kollywood.

Amala Paul - Thiruttu Payale 2

Amala Paul as the Facebook obsessed modern middle class girl is a perfect fit for the role, initially exhibiting the necessary glamour and later pinning the emotions as the victim making Agalya believable.

Remya Nambesan - Sathya

Remya Nambesan is perfect as the distraught mother of a small girl and she is excellent when expressing defeat every time others don't believe her that her child exists. She also manages to carry off a younger version of herself in the flashback

Andrea Jeremiah - Taramani

Andrea has got the role of a lifetime as a modern IT girl which she has portrayed with much restrain and intensity, making it very special. She is natural as a mother to a five year old with whom her chemistry is endearing . Her caliber as an actress comes to the fore when dealing with the men in her life with uber coolness and displaying vulnerability to the hero who never understands her.

Nayanthara - Aramm

Nayanthara is complete mass as the no nonsense collector. Her majestic appearance and gait bring thundering applause from the crowd and her hard hitting dialogues against the establishment is worthy of any mass hero which she pulls off with elan. The role may not have needed a Nayanthara but the film does and kudos to her for choosing it as the relevant messages reached a much wider audience thanks to her star power.

Aditi Balan - Aruvi

It is not an exaggeration to state that Aditi Balan is born to play 'Aruvi' and her performance is one of the best ever in Tamil cinema. Be it her casual air when smoking and drinking (justifiable),breaking into a smile or whimpering into tears,she is a class act. The scene in which she delivers a lengthy monologue on the TV show without a pause is the stuff of a mass hero.

The year 2017 has seen a huge surge of female power in Tamil cinema and its heartening to see so many of them stamp their authority with towering performances.