When I came across this topic in Mouthshut, it was for Hindi movies so thought it will be a good one to write it for Tamil movies too. There are certain characters in a movie though short lived on screen will long live in our hearts for their performances. Mostly these would be characters which brought a turning point to the movie or which exhibited some great performance. As always I repeat that, these choices are only my personal opinion and from the movies ive watched and not a universal one. So your comments and criticism are always welcome.
So I give my pick on the Best cameos in Tamil Cinema.
- Shivaji Ganesan in Devar Magan:
Words are very less to describe the Acting prowess of this great legend. Probably the best actor till date for our country. He would have given a memorable performance in devar magan. Kamal Hassan and Shivaji would have competed with each other frame to frame. Scenes where he talks with Kamal Hassan in the rain back drop and the scenes where he walk of from the panchayath are those memorable ones. Truly he is an actor’s dictionary.
- Karthik in Mouna Ragam:
He is one spontaneous actor. Portrays all his roles with a touch of casualness. His cameo in Mouna ragam is still remembered and remains a highlight of his career. The scenes where he calls revathy’s father ‘Mr. Chandra mouli. Mr., Chandramouli’ remains as one of my all time favorites. He brings in loads of freshness and humor in this movie which has a very heavy storyline. Due credits should be given to Maniratnam.
- Srk and Atul kulkarni in Hey Ram:
Sometimes you come across a movie in which all the actors would have done utmost justice to their character. Hey ram is one such movie. SRK came up with a great performance. The scenes between him and Kamal were all really impressive, especially the precluding scenes to his death. Atul Kulkarni was the find of the movie. This talented actor from the theatres proved his worth. His role as Abhaiyankar won him the national award. The first confrontation between him and Kamal in the movie will remain as an al time favorite scene.
- Nagesh in Nammavar:
He is legendary actor. You give him any character, he gives his 200% to the character. Such is the dedication and versatility of this actor. More known for his comic roles Nagesh is no less in portraying in emotional characters. One such performance came from him in ‘Nammavar’. The five minutes sequence after her daughter’s death was just out of the top. He was just amazing expressing his disbelief and anger upon her daughter’s suicide.
- Nagesh in Magalir mattum:
Just to show is his versatility this one is the best example. Acting is all about showing expressions and emotions. But if anyone won accolades for being motionless, expressionless and emotionless it should have been this one. He acted as a Corpse. What more he even had a fight sequence. Very hilarious and gutsy performance.
- Radhika in Jeans:
Shankar movies are always trade marked with a heavy flash back sequence. Jeans was no exception. The flash back sequence brings the introduction of radhika. She would have portrayed a troubling wife to perfection. Thanks to some venom spitting dialogues and very good acting. Again in the climax she plays the role in bringing an end to the movie. A very good performance from this talented actress.
- Pankaj Kapoor and Nasser in ‘Roja’:
This was maniratnams masterpiece. Nasser was amazing as the Police officer. The scene where he shows his disappointment over the release of the terrorist to Madhubala is just an example of his acting skills. Same way Pankaj kapoor as the terrorist, played the character without much fuss. He would have played the character in a calm and composed way, which added value to it.
- Delhi Ganesh and Manivannan in Avvai Shanmughi :
Great actors have always accepted the fact that doing a comedy role is more tougher than doing a serious one. These two actors would have exhibited great talents in their comic roles. Their timing sense and dialogue delivery was just exquisite. Delivering the funny dialogues of crazy Mohan needs some talent and they have done it perfectly. Scenes where Delhi ganesh gets beaten by manivannan and others, climax sequences, scenes between shanmugi maami and manivannan are all of the top draw.
- Arun Kumar ( the mechanic kid) in Kadhal:
A great debut by this young kid. He would have portrayed the character so realistically. Was just awesome for a first movie. He had the viewers laughing for all the scenes he appeared. Brought in the proper Madurai Tamil accent and delivered dialogues in a witty way. The scenes where he gets the hero’s friend various eatables and when he is mobbed by the villain group to identify the hero’s house are notable scenes.
- Mottai Simbhu in Manmadhan :
This is a personal favorite of mine. This characterization and performance was a pleasant shock. He silenced all his critics with his sterling performance. It was great transformation for him, always known for his finger gimmicks and dance, he would have showed everyone that he could act. His performance in the sequence where he kills and his aftermath reaction was well portrayed. The success of the movie was truly deserving.
These are just my picks , guess there will be people who accept it and also oppose it , their comments are welcome. Other roles that came to my thoughts are Ramya Krishnan and Yuhi Sethu in Panchathanthiram, Laila in ‘Pithamgan’, Vaazhavanthan in ‘Ram’, Rajinikanth in ‘Valli’, Poornam viswanathan and Thulukanam in ‘Mahanadi’, Meera Jasmine in ‘Ayutha ezhuthu’, Nanditha dass in ‘Kannathil muthamittal’, Madhavan in ‘ Lesa Lesa’ and some more too. But the ones I mentioned remain my favorites