India has been nominating it's movies in the foreign category to the Oscars since 1957, that is since the 30th Academy Awards. So far 59 Indian films have made their entries, but only 3 out of those have been officially nominated to the Oscars. Those are Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay (1988) and Lagaan (2001).
Out of the 59 entries, 9 have been from Tamil, making it the the second most nominated language after Hindi. The nine films are:
Deiva Magan
Starring Shivaji Ganesan in three roles and Jayalalithaa. It is family drama that revolves around a father and 2 sons. The father has a scarred face and he has twins, one of whom is born with a scarred face. So he hides himself and his eldest son so that the mother and the younger son can have a life away from social trauma. Chevalier Shivaji Ganesan essayed the roles of father and the twins in this critically acclaimed movie.
Nayakan
Directed by Mani Ratnam, the movie stars Kamal Haasan as a gangster who fights against the injustice done to the Tamil community in Mumbai. He is considered as the Robin-hood of the community. The film is loosely based on the cult gangster drama, The Godfather. The movie is one of the few Indian movies that made to the list of 100 must watch movies in the Time's list.
Anjali
The movie is about the story of dying mentally disabled child and the emotional trauma experienced by the family. The film revolves around a colony where the family lives and how the neighbors and the siblings respond to the child, Anjali. A tear jearking film, this was one of Mani Ratnam's masterstroke.
Thevar Magan
The film is based on the caste politics in rural Tamil Nadu. The film stars Shivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Revathi, Gautami and Nasser in pivotal roles. The film was a blockbuster hit and a critically acclaimed film during the early 90's.
Kuruthipunal
Again, a masterstroke by Kamal Haasan, the film is about two honest and bold police officers. The film is a stylish buddy cop thriller movie that set the trend for action thrillers in this genre. Arjun and Kamal are police officers who launch Operation Dhanush to destroy a terrorist organisation. Both the officers lose their lives serving their country and make the operation a success.
Indian
Directed by Shankar, the film took a reality check on India 50 years after it's independence. The movie dealt with rampant corruption and prejudices present in the country and drew a parallel to how freedom fighters fought and died to give independence to the country.
Jeans
A complete entertainer starring Prashanth and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles, the film was a comedy drama about a girl who cheats her in laws claiming she has a twin sister. Directed by Shankar, this magnum opus was shot in 7 continents around the world.
Hey Ram
A modern interpretation of the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, Kamal Haasan said that this movie was his journey towards understanding Gandhi's principles. Starring Kamal, Rani Mukerjee and Vasundhra Das in lead roles, the movie was critically acclaimed for its different style of film making.
Visaranai
The film deals with our highly corrupt judicial and police system. Visaranai meaning interrogation is about how homeless people are picked up by the police and beaten up until they confess to a crime that they did not commit. Attakathi Dinesh and Samuthirakani were highly appreciated for their performances in this film.