BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCES OF 2017

In our quest to come up with a list of the best supporting performances of 2017, we were pleasantly surprised to find a host of actors and actresses shining that too with a mix of the veterans and rank newcomers.

Shanthanu Bhagyaraj - Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga

Parthiban has kept his promise to Bhagyaraj and has well and truly rediscovered Shantanu, who breathes life into the character of Kevin with his subtle acting. One can say that he owned the role of the earnest and innocent man who is duped by all around him.

Karunakaran - Enakku Vaitha Adimaigal

Among the younger generation character actors it is Karunakaran, who can easily float through comedy, character and sometimes even lead roles. In 'EVK' Karunakaran with his natural screen presence handles both the emotions of the guilt ridden friend as well as the comedy one-liners with relative ease.

Kaali Venkat - Mersal

One more amazing talent, Kaali Venkat already proved his worth as a character artiste in ‘Irudhu Suttru’ and in ‘Mersal’ he goes one step further in completely making one forget he is a comedian and leaving the audience in tears as an auto driver who loses both his wife and daughter to unscrupulous doctors.

Vidharth - Vizhithiru

In this hyperlink screenplay with an ensemble cast Vidharth shines as a thief who is taken for a ride by a girl and he especially scores in the climax when he realizes that he is the reason for the tragedy that occurs in the story and when he makes amends.

T . Rajendhar - Kavan

TR is acting in a full fledged role after almost ten or so years and here he goes over the top with his usual brand of rhyming and timing without inhibitions and that is his strength. There is also an emotional scene in which he tugs the heart strings.

M. S. Bhaskar - 8 Thottakal

M.S. Bhaskar takes the honors in the acting department initially as a ruthless burglar who controls his henchmen with an iron hand and later on coming across as a man in despair which is quite new to Tamil cinema.

Abhinaya - Kuttram 23

Abhinaya as the sister in law of hero Arun Vijay has once again given a credible performance as the girl pregnant after a long time who has to face an ugly situation.

Prasanna - Pa Paandi

An automatic choice for the Best Villain category for his work in ‘Thiruttu Payale 2’, Prasanna is also a must in the supporting actor list. 'Pa Paandi' in which he impressed a lot as the son who repents for his insensitive behavior towards his dad after he goes missing and in ‘Thupparivaalan’ in which the played a modern day Tamil version of Dr. Watson to Vishal's 'Sherlock Holmes'.

Sathyaraj & Nassar - Baahubali 2

The two old lions of Tamil cinema Sathyaraj and Nassar rocked in their respective character roles in 'Baahubali 2'. If Sathyaraj was all fun and frolic with Prabhas then turning emotional when he has to kille him, Nasser is consistent as the villainous schemer who constantly spurs his evil son on.

Muniskanth - Maragadha Naanayam

Muniskanth has a field day as a man possessed by a ghost providing hilarious entertainment with his acting and also shines initially as an evil man before that.

Radhika Prasiddha - Kadugu

After ‘Kuttram Kadithal’, Radhika Prasiddha once again impresses as a girl shattered by her past experiences and trying her best to forge ahead in an unforgiving world,

Charlee - Managaram

Veteran Charlee got a meaty role in his comeback as a call taxi driver caught on the wrong side of a criminal war and needless to say with his experience towered over the others in performance.

Chinni Jayanth - Rubaai

Chinni Jayanth is known for his mumble jumble comedies in the eighties and nineties, but in a mature role as a old man who stumbles upon crime money and starts enjoying it, he gave a riveting performance.

Vivek - Meesaiya Murukku

Only recently the “Chinna Kalaivanar” Vivek started taking up father characters and in ‘Meesaya Murukku’ as the understanding dad of Hip Hop Tamizha Aadhi he proved that he is a class apart both in the comedy as well as emotional scenes.

Manikandan - 8 thottaakal & Vikram Vedha

It is a double whammy for Manikandan who received tremendous praise for his acting as a reluctant criminal in ‘8 Thottakkal’ following it up with a brilliant performance in the blockbuster ‘Vikram Vedha’ as a rookie cop. To boot he is also the dialogue writer of ‘Vikram Vedha’ which also would bring his name up during the awards season.

Anjali - Taramani

With very limited screen space in ‘Taramani’ Anjali shows her mettle as an actress in flawlessly conveying the feelings and transformations of her character without the help of dialogues.

Bharathi Raja - Kurangu Bommai

Bharathiraja as a kindhearted vulnerable old man has given yet another brilliant performance with apt body language and dialogue delivery. Though other actors could have done this role the one particular scene in which he explains the reason for his loyalty to the smuggler completely justifies his casting.

Bhagyaraj - Thupparivaalan

Though as an actor, Bhagyaraj is known more for his dialogue delivery in his much imitated voice modulation he surprised audiences by speaking very little in the villainic role. He also scores big in the scene when he kills his immobile wife before losing his own life.

Pavel Navageethan - Magalir Mattum

Pavel makes a huge impact, first making the audience hate him for his barbaric behavior towards his mother Banupriya and later when he breaks down in front of her.

Vivek Prasaanna - Meyaadha Maan

Vivek Prasanna seen mostly in villainous roles so far gives an unforgettable performance as the loyal friend and an unlikely lover. He also saves the viewer from a very damp climax Bravo! I

Indhuja - Meyaadha Maan

Indhuja as the firebrand sister Sudar is an immensely talented girl who overshadows everyone in almost all her scenes. Most definitely one of the finds of the year 2017.

Bose Venkat - Theeran Adhigaram Ondru

Bose Venkat has a meaty role as Karthi's best man cop and he has turned in a neat act and although he has donned kakhi many times before, he has given this a more realistic touch making it his career best.

Lakshmi Gopalswamy & Anjali Varadhan - Aruvi

'Aruvi', the most acclaimed film of the year has also given two wonderful supporting performances with Lakshmi Gopalswamy perfectly nailing the reality talk show host and the transgender Anjali Varadhan who is a natural as the close friend and confidante of Aruvi.

Vijay Vasanth - Velaikkaran

Director Mohan Raja has packed the super hit film with many front line stars in the supporting cast of 'Velaikkaran' and it is Vijay Vasanth as the slum dwelling friend of Sivakarthikeyan who scores the most be it the humor portions or the emotional sequences.

In our quest to come up with a list of the best supporting performances of 2017,