10 Best Sivakarthikeyan Films Everyone should Watch
Hear the name “Sivakarthikeyan,” and an amiable, earth-wide smile effortlessly flashes in your mind. From giving a start to this humble comedian-turned-TV host, SK as he’s fondly referred to has gone on to become one of Tamil cinema’s most dependable and beloved stars. He’s just like the "boy next door," who made it big, and that’s a huge part of his appeal. He’s the guy next door, the lovable son and the dorky romantic all in one.
His filmography strikes the perfect balance between laugh-out-loud comedies, heartwarming family dramas and lately experimental high-concept films. He has established cinema as a form of entertainment that will provide laughter and a little emotion, that people can watch together with their families or friends; in short, he is one such star. It’s been a fascinating ride to see, and let’s face it: We’ve all been rooting for him. Here’s a look back at 10 of the films that really helped define his career, and have come to be dear to our hearts.
Maaveeran (2023)
Maaveeran is when Sivakarthikeyan made a daring, courageous move to do an entirely different kind of cinema. He is Sathya, a timorous comic book artist who is afraid of his own shadow and runs away from anything that involves tension. Following a near-death experience, he begins to hear a strange, godlike voice that tells the story of his life as he lives it, demanding that be the hero figure he only sketches. It was a veritable game-changer of a high-concept fantasy-action film, directed by Madonne Ashwin.
The brilliance of the film is in its doing. The “voice” (featuring a wonderful cameo by the Indian star Vijay Sethupathi) is not just a gimmick, but also the core of the trouble and comedy inherent in the film. The sequence where Sathya, who is forced by the voice to hit a thug accidentally and he himself looking surprised as it happens, is comedy gold. But the film is more than just laughs; it’s an inspiring account of a common man finding his bravery. The pre-interval “Bhoomi” block battle laid in a shattering apartment is classroom instruction of tension and action choreography. What makes this slick and intelligent entertainer even more engaging is Bharath Sankar’s music, especially the anthem "Vaa Veera" which adds another layer of heroism to it.
Doctor (2021)
If Maaveeran was one step, Doctor was the leap. This Nelson Dilipkumar directed film was a game-changer for SK as it completely changed the perception that people had of him. He is Dr. Varun, a stone-faced, get-off-my-back military doctor with almost no emotions whatsoever. When his fiancée's niece is kidnapped, Varun puts together a ragtag group of petty criminals and relatives to pull off an outlandish, high-stakes rescue operation. And the movie’s tone is its greatest victory: a deadpan, dark-comic attitude that can elicit laughs from even the most bizarre and grim news.
Sivakarthikeyan’s performance is a revelation. It’s all toxic masculinity and violence, two things that Shakti Srivastava avoids as much as he can (even in the fight scenes, all is fair – there are no hits below the belt).He bottles it all up inside forces down his minimalist straight-faced ones that become a great foil to its chaos especially when Redin Kingsley and Yogi Babu toss best career-topping comedy. And the scene in which the two face off on a metro train, is iconic - and immaculately choreographed piece of action set to Anirudh’s thumping “Nenjame” BGM. And who can forget "Chellamma"? The success of the song was a blockbuster before the movie even reached theaters and paved the way for a film that would be stylish, smart and very, very funny. Doctor showed that SK could manage a film without resorting to his signature energy and it was a huge hit.
Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013)
This is the movie that has perhaps established Sivakarthikeyan as the king of rural comedy. As Bose Pandi, the happy-go-lucky chief of the "Unworried Youngsters Association" (a club which does nothing but flirt and create public nuisance), SK was at his best. The film is an absolute laugh riot, with him falling for the village school teacher’s arcadian daughter Latha Pandi (Sri Divya) and taking on her father, Sivanandi (a brilliant Sathyaraj).
The heart of the film is the bonding between Sivakarthikeyan and Soori. Their “parotta” comedy track is legendary, an outright thigh-slapping scene which remains till this day the favorite choice for meme makers and mimicry artists. Ponram’s contacted reared a seccessful outcome with ran-it-into-the-ground plot, laced with one liners and characters that stuck to ones memory. D. Imman’s music was a blockbuster, and “Oodha Colour Ribbon” became the song that would be played at every village festival and school function. VVS is just full on entertainer and I can watch this film at any time but still laugh like watching it for the first time.
Don (2022)
Don had Sivakarthikeyan back in his elements (college campus) and yet the film surprisingly showed an emotional core. He’s Chakaravarthi, an under-achieving and cheeky student at odds with his no-nonsense disciplinarian of a father as well as Bhoominathan: the ultra-strict professor (a terrific S. J. Suryah, delivering a full-bodied performance). The movie traces his transformation from a prank-playing layabout into a guy figuring out what he really wants to do with his existence.
The first half is an easy-breezy, fun-filled college caper with SK and S J Suryah’s cat-and-mouse play being the absolute high point. Anirudh’s “Bae” and “Jalabulajangu” were taken to be instant anthems that summed up the ebullience of college life. But the film mounts a harsh emotional swerve in its final act. That climax, related to the fraught father-son dynamic, was a complete shock to all. It was an unfeigned, tearjerking sequence that struck a chord with the audience and solidified for me that SK could hold downtrodden emotion just as much as punchlines.
Ethir Neechal (2013)
This was one of SK’s early movies as a solo hero and the film established the model for his “underdog” image. He portrays Kunjithapatham, a man who’s mortified by his name and convinced it’s behind all of his bad luck. He relocates to Chennai, renames himself Harish and falls in love, but his past eventually catches up. In order to gain the admiration of his girlfriend (Priya Anand) and her father he takes up training for and participating in the Chennai Marathon.
Ethir Neechal Directed by R. S. Durai Senthilkumar and produced by Dhanush, Ethir Neechal is a classic underdog sports drama that will make your heart swell with pride. (Anirudh Ravichander’s music was the strength of the film; “Ethir Neechal Adi”, the title track is an injection of pure motivation and “Velicha Poovey” is a beautiful melody). The movie’s appeal is in the absolute sincerity of SK’s performance as a man frantic to demonstrate his mettle. The training montages, the comedies with his friend (Sathish), and the marathon run are pure high of life with this film which just makes you come out feeling good.
Kanaa (2018)
This was Aishwarya Rajesh's film all the way, but Sivakarthikeyan's contribution, as producer and he even played an important role. The movie narrates the heroic tale of Kousalya, who aspires to become a cricketer for the Indian national team. SK stars as Nelson Dilipkumar (a cheeky nod to the film’s director), a no-nonsense, realistic coach who knows she has what it takes to be great and pushes her toward that.
For its part as producer, SK supported a strong narrative about women in sports and farmers. He was ideal as a performer. He ditches his usual comic face for a more aged, sturdy and mentor type one. His entry scene and locker-room talk to Kousalya ahead of the grand finale are a few such impactful scenes. “Vaayadi Petha Pulla,” the song he sang with his daughter Aaradhana, became a chartbuster but the film’s anthem is “Othaiyadi Pathayila.” It proved a turning point,” says me: Sathyaraj"The best part is it’s all about teamwork and not one man show."Many stated as it was released for free but the producer let down those words over the days. Kanaa has turned out to be very special film in his career. It showed he wasn’t insecure to give up on screen space and allow the story to take centre stage.
Namma Veettu Pillai (2019)
After playing urban, modern characters one after the other, Namma Veettu Pillai worked well as a re-entry into the rur al-family drama space for SK. Directed by Pandiraj, the movie is all about brother-sister bonding. SK is Arumpon, whose love and deep protectiveness for his adopted sister Thulasi (Aishwarya Rajesh) give him the motivation to do anything to keep her out of reach of their estranged, feuding extended families.
What makes the film so effective is the real, heartfelt emotion at its core. The portions involving Sivakarthikeyan and Aishwarya Rajesh are the film’s greatest shot in the arm, looking realistic and convincing. But because this is a Pandiraj movie, it’s also crowded with a gigantic supporting cast (Soori, Bharathiraja and Samuthirakani) and the right amount of rib-ticklers, sentimentality and action. D. Imman’s music was another big plus, with “Unkoodave Porakkanum” emerging as the de facto celebration of brother-sister relationships in Tamil Nadu.
Kaaki Sattai (2015)
Kaki Sattai It was his second film with Ethir Neechal team and marked the first time Sivakarthikeyan sported a police uniform. He portrays Mathimaran, an honest and naïve police constable who is burdened with mundane duties and dreams of making a big case. He stumbles into a huge illegal organ-trafficking operation and decides to take it down on his own terms, learning what it really means to be a cop along the way.
This film was a sure shot at establishing SK in the action-hero territory. And even as it carried with Mr. Zhang’s own comedic spirit (as evidenced in particular by the hyperbolic action of its first half), at its heart, “The Great Hypnotist” was a film of serious investigative thrift. Anirudh’s album was a magnitude hit, with the "Kadhal Kan Kattudhe" and the peppy "I'm So Cool" (sung by SK himself) blaring out virtually in every part of town. Carrying Song “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” served to demonstrate that SK could at least hold his own in action sequences and via a straighter movie, setting him up for what for his other roles.
Amaran (2024)
This is the one. Amaran is not just a movie, it’s an epic. This is the film that sees Sivakarthikeyan make a solid transformation from being everyone’s favorite guy to an actor in earnest, and it’s a performance that no one expected. He portrays Major Mukund Varadarajan, a real-life army man who was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra. The film, narrated by his wife Indhu (a sparkling Sai Pallavi), is a biographical war drama that doubles up as a soft love story and a hard-as-nails re-creation of what happens to soldiers on the ground in Kashmir.
SK’s transformation is staggering. He strips away all vestiges of his ‘boy next door’ image to completely get under his skin with the quiet grace, boldness and vulnerability that Major Mukund exuded. The thing the film actually gets right is its balance. The first half very nicely sketches out the long-distance romance between Mukund and Indhu, with details such as them falling asleep mid-video call feeling absolutely right. The second half is a lesson in tension, building up to the ultimate, frightening mission that plays out with grim realism. G.V. Prakash Kumar's music is the life of this film; "Hey Minnale" and "Vennilavu Saaral" are pretty romantic tracks, while "Uyirey" is pure, soulful delight. Amaran falls into the same line, being one of those great emotional and important films which have left audiences crying at their seats and at the same moment strengthened SK’s legacy.
Remo (2016)
Remo is arguably Sivakarthikeyan's most ambitious film in terms of performance. He is SK, an aspiring actor who pretends to be a female nurse christened “Remo” to woo the woman of his dreams: Kavya (Keerthy Suresh), a doctor. The movie was a technical marvel with P. C. Sreeram’s glossy photography and sexy Anirudh album.
The only point of interest, which drew audiences to the film, was SK’s stunning physical transformation. He looks like he must have worked hard to play Remo and it does show. He gets the body language, the voice manipulation and the “female” stance down pat, to make a believable endearingly loveable character. The comic sequences of “Remo” with hospital staff are humorous. Although the film’s storyline (which essentially revolves around stalking) has been panned, there’s no denying the pure entertainment and effort put into it. "Senjitaley" and "Sirikkadhey" are still considered some of Anirudh's best romantic tracks.