A lot of things have gone right for the Tamil film industry this year. We have seen some of the best music albums come out in succession on all quarters and films have tasted more frequently than one might expect. One of the highlights, however, is that the industry has seen highly talented filmmakers making their debuts. And boy, did they impress or what. Here’s a closer look what they brought with them.

Pizza - Karthik Subburaj

For those of us who saw Pizza in theatres, it’s quite obvious that the experience was spine tingling. The film won’t be forgotten for a lot of reasons and right at the mix of things was Karthik Subburaj, who kicked off his Kollywood career in flying colours. Popular in the short-film industry, Karthik had a familiar face in Vijay Sethupathi playing the lead and actor delivered one of the performances of his and made audiences sit at the edge of their cities holding their breath.

Pizza also got the honour of being one of the best films screened at the 10th annual Chennai International Film Festival this year. Vijay Sethupathi and Ramya Nambeesan are the lead pair of this hit movie and the music was scored well by Santhosh Narayanan. With right toppings in the form of a taut screenplay, deft camera work, eerie sound effects and nice background score, Pizza gives you a lasting impression.

Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom - Balaji Tharaneetharan

A unique style of story telling, hilarious scenes that intended to bring down the roof and some great character roles, Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kanom was a memorable debut for director Balaji. Based on a real life incident from cameraman Prem's life, NKPK is easily the most different film you could have seen this year. The director’s effort is seen as Rajkumar, Vigneswaran and Bhagawathy Perumal play the hero's friends and impress.

Premkumar's camera is the movie's backbone and captures well each and every moment of a youth, who suffers from short-term memory loss during his wedding. The nightlife of the city and the hospitals are also well canned. Ved Shankar's background score is good, keeping pace with the script. Govindaraj's editing deserves a special mention. At a time when mindless masalas are the order of the day, a movie like 'NKPK' provides a whiff of fresh air, thanks to Balaji.

Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi - Balaji Mohan

Love has been narrated in many ways in Tamil cinema. But 'Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Eppadi' makes a point to stand out from the pack, and it quickly tasted success. Released as short film first, the director made an actual film of it due to its immense welcome by the audience. The earnest narration, natural

comedy provided by supporting actresses and Thaman’s music lifted the film as it went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year.

From the word go, Balaji Mohan made it a point not to stick to formula films. He has painstakingly created scenes that are close to reality, one could see in the life of every youngster today. Nirav Shah's camera bring life to the scenes unfolding on screen and make them look like it’s happening right around you. The highlight of the movie is the casual dialogues and is obviously a hit for the fresh director.

3 - Aishwarya Dhanush

Superstar Rajnikanth's daughter and Dhanush's wife Aishwarya directed this tragic love story while her husband and Kamal Haasan's daughter Shruti Haasan played the lead roles. The lead up to the movie introduced us to another talented musician in Anirudh Ravichander. The Kolaveri effect and a soundtrack filled with great numbers gave the film an amazing platform to set the stage on fire. A cocktail of emotions, the film travels through the life a young man and woman, their joy, sorrow, and how they try to make a life for themselves.

As a director and scriptwriter, Aishwarya R Dhanush scores big time in the first half. She handles emotions with ease, at least till the interval. In the latter half, Aishwarya surprises by offering things on a different platter as Dhanush adds immense value to the film with his stunning performance.

Sundarapandian - S.R Prabahakaran

A story of friendship and love, debutant S.R. Prabhakaran has managed to gain the respect of the audience and hold onto it for quite a while with his Sundarapandian. Starring Sasikumar along with newcomer Lakshmi Menon, the film gained popularity in its opening week and went on to attract large group of audiences across Tamil Nadu. The casual slang and typical script of the film laid the foundations for its popularity.

Prabhakar, who has worked with Sasikumar as an associate, took center stage as he managed things from the helm with his mentor by his side. The signature style of his 'guru' is visible in almost every frame. And the technical crew comes to his rescue making the rustic rural theme look more authentic. 'Sundarapandian' is an honest attempt and Prabhakar does his best to make it an interesting watch.

Podaa Podi - Vignesh Shivan

Vignesh Sivan's Poda Podi has been in the making for more than three years. But when the release finally came, falls under the category of romantic comedies, although the latter is much less significant for one's liking. The story is rather simple and straightforward - love, ego clashes and misunderstanding in the life between the NRI hero and heroine. But with the music and comedy guiding it, it was soon to become another hit.

The entire picture is painted as if Poda Podi is more of a musical film whose purpose is to make you feel good at the end of the day. Dharan Kumar’s music filled with impressive numbers surpassed its age and produced chartbusters even as big name films flooded the market. Simbu and Varalakshmi's combo was the magic of the movie and made Vignesh's eventful and enjoyable.

Attakathi - Pa Ranjith

Director Venkat Prabhu is known to make breezy entertainers offering something for all kinds of audiences. When his protégé Pa Ranjith took the director’s shoes for the first time, it was evident that the apple doesn’t fall far away from the tree. His film Attakathi forays independently into its own genre, and making viewers laugh in glee thorough simplistic dialogues and expressions.

Ranjith deserves a pat on the back for touching upon the lives of the young from the semi-urban areas, perhaps for the first time on screen. He has ensured that the film is no tearjerker and the scenes drive the story. The highlight of the movie are songs by Santosh Narayanan. The background score is another plus. The movie has its own moments in the form of dialogues that are the ones we can hear often when we travel in a bus among students of today.