Harish Durairaj’s directorial debut Con Citywhich follows the caper misadventures of scam artists played by Arjun Das and Anna Benis an acquired taste. It mixes heist energy, madcap family anticsand cat-and-mouse intrigue in roughly equal measures, but Tamil cinema has a long history of making taut, exciting films about criminals who are fascinating if morally reprehensible.
If you enjoyed the mix of con-artist hi-jinks and police–procedural suspense in Con City, here are seven Tamil crime thrillers available on streaming that juxtapose similar dual narratives of scams and investigations, often with amoral protagonists and deeply sympathetic antagonists.
1. Maharaja (Streaming on Netflix)
Vijay Sethupathi stars in a revenge thriller Maharaja, directed by Nithilan Saminathan, which broke box office records.
It tells the story of an ordinary barber who complains to the police about the theft of a dustbin called Lakshmi.
From therethe film follows an escalating series of home invasions and reveals a network of corruption and blackmail at the heart of the community.
Much like Con City, it makes brilliant use of misdirection and revenge as it unveils a shocking conclusion.
2. Por Thozhil (Streaming on SonyLIV)
If you have had enough of heist comedies and want something with a bit more polish in your Tamil movie night, look no further than Por Thozhil . These taut police procedural follows a rookie cop, played by Ashok Selvan, and his jaded mentor, R. Sarathkumar, as they investigate a string of murders of young women in rural Tamil Nadu.
Vignesh King’s directorial debut is a gripping character study of a killer that manages to be both methodical and exciting in its exploration of the subject. The film’s moody atmosphere and tightly written script combine to form an engrossing mystery about the psychology of murder.
3. Sathuranga Vettai (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar)
Prior to Con City ’s take on family-run scams, H. Vinoth’s directorial debut Sathuranga Vettai was the one true benchmark for scam-themed Tamil movies. In it, Nattraja Subramaniam (Natty) plays Gandhi Babu, a conman without a shred of integrity, who exposes a string of real-life scamsranging from emu farming frauds to fake antiques’ peddling.
Sathuranga Vettai boasts a sharp dialogue and a particularly cynical outlook, as befits its theme, which makes it even more remarkable that it is Vinoth’s debut.
4. Suzhal: The Vortex (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Written by Pushkar-Gayathri and directed by Bramma and Anucharan Murugaiyan, Suzhal: The Vortex is an eight-episode investigative series revolving around a traditional festival in a small factory town. During the local event, a young girl goes missingand the police start investigating disappearances that have long been happening in the area, discovering a sinister conspiracy that ties the town’s elite, criminals, and families together.
Similar to Rule’s small-town goings-on in Con City Suzhal presents a local color that gives the story a sense of an enclosed environment full of surprises.
5. Ratsasan (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar)
No conversation about modern Tamil thrillers is complete without Ram Kumar’s Ratsasan . It follows would-be film director-turned-police-sub-inspector Arun (Vishnu Vishal), who uses his knowledge of cinematic psychopaths to track down a killer preying on schoolgirls.
Ghibran’s score, plus the film’s otherworldly villain, make it a standout in the genre.
No conversation about modern Tamil thrillers is complete without Ram Kumar’s Ratsasan . It follows would-be film director-turned-police-sub-inspector Arun (Vishnu Vishal), who uses his knowledge of cinematic psychopaths to track down a killer preying on schoolgirls.
Ghibran’s score, plus the film’s otherworldly villain, make it a standout in the genre.
6. Vikram Vedha (Streaming on JioHotstar)
A Pushkar-Gayathri directorialVikram Vedha is a reinvented retelling of the age-old Indian folktale Baital Pachisi set in contemporary times. R. Madhavan stars as Vikram, a ruthless encounter specialist who interrogates Vijay Sethupathi, a gangster-turned-police-informant named Vedha, on three morality-based riddles.
Vikram Vedha is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller that delves deep into moral dilemmas and showcases the brilliant mind-games of its lead characters. A must-watch for fans of the genre!
7. Thunivu (Streaming on Netflix)
For viewers who enjoy watching heists on a grand scales, H. Vinoth’s Thunivu is an exhilarating ride. Ajith Kumar plays “Dark Devil,” an amorous mastermind who kidnaps innocent people from a private bank in Chennai to unveil a multi-crore fraud.
Anti-capitalist themes run through this high-octane action-adventure set in corporate-owned banks.
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Sunny Singh is a Journalist and Content Writer with a strong affinity for Bollywood and Hollywood insiders, music and more. Somewhat of a writer and poet himself, he thrives on giving life to words and deliver all you need to know about the entertainment sector.
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