10) Virupaksha: Sai Dharam Tej finally scored a winner with this gritty Telugu horror thriller, which succeeded in creating an engaging, entertaining watch
9) Zwigato: Kapil Sharma showed he has the capacity for some strong dramatic performance in this beautifully-crafted Nandita Das film
8) OMG 2: A film on sex education featuring a superstar, this Amit Rai film ticked all the boxes – entertaining, informative, and crisp
7) 2018: Tovino Thomas’ survival drama retold the story of the Kerala floods, successfully recreating its horrors and claustrophobia
6) Por Thozhil: Debutant Vignesh Raja’s crime thriller was an edge-of-the-seat relentless ride that gave viewers a subtle and unique whodunnit
5) Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A: Rakshit Shetty’s romantic drama gave us such a real portrayal of love, flawed, painful, and poetic
4) Kaathal The Core: Mammootty’s tour de force Kaathal is groundbreaking cinema, presenting a mature take on marriage and gay rights, with two of the best performances of the year
3) Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai: A brave courtroom drama featuring one of Manoj Bajpayee’s finest performances is a timely take on the power of the common man
2) Viduthalai Part 1: Yet another gem from Vetrimaaran, Viduthalai is an almost perfect film, winning across fronts – performances, plot, craft, and narrative
1) 12th Fail: There were better made films but none that punched above their weigh than this Vikrant Massey-starrer, which served a reminder that good cinema will always triumph