5 major disappointments of Tamil cinema 2025: From Coolie to Thug Life, films that letdown audience’s expectations

5 major disappointments of Tamil cinema 2025: What were some big letdowns that the audience witnessed this year

Major disappointments of 2025

Tamil cinema in 2025 was not particularly impressive. Though there were some sporadic successes here and there, it was majorly a disappointing year, given it witnessed the release of almost every star. Here are 5 such films that were a huge letdown.

5 major disappointments of Tamil cinema 2025

Thug Life

Thug Life, the action drama which is fronted by Kamal Haasan, was one of the much-anticipated films, given it was his reunion with director Mani Ratnam after their iconic Nayakan, after over three decades. But Thug Life turned out to be a major disappointment for fans and movie lovers alike. Despite a star-studded ensemble including Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan, Trisha and others, Thug Life with its weak plot points, underdeveloped characters, and very much unlike Mani Ratnam-esque style of filmmaking, the movie became a failure, not to be targeted by meme creators.

Also: Most-awaited Tamil OTT releases in January 2026 on JioHotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sony LIV, Aha, ZEE5

Coolie

Coolie was an equally anticipated Tamil films this year, which marked the first collaboration of Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj. The director, known for his LCU movies, had promised an uncompromising film in his style, but Coolie turned out to be a huge letdown of fans. Another ensemble star cast, from Nagarjuna to Aamir Khan, Coolie’s loopholes began visible soon after its FDFS, making it one of the weakest films in Lokesh’s career. Not to forget the barrage of complaints levelled against Lokesh for his weak and lazy writing, Coolie was subjected to trolls on social media.

Diesel

Headlined by Harish Kalyan, the expectations on Diesel were sky high given the actor had given back-to-back successes with Parking and Lubber Pandhu. Harish Kalyan was expected to come with a hattrick success, but Diesel became the opposite. The story centred the concept of crude oil mafia network, but had failed to create any impression among audience who had anticipated more thought-provoking and inventive script from Harish Kalyan. With nothing new to offer, Diesel lost its steam as soon as it got released.

Also read: Underrated gems of 2025: From Stolen to Raju Weds Rambai, 10 films that deserve more love and where to stream

Good Bad Ugly

This year, actor Ajith Kumar had two releases and one of them was Good Bad Ugly. Directed by his fanboy and filmmaker Adhik Ravichandran, Good Bad Ugly simply was a culmination of all pop culture references to Ajith’s career so far. While the film satisfies a fan boy, Good Bad Ugly offers pretty much nothing else, despite having a barrage of characters, making it one of the major disappointments of the year.

Idli Kadai

Idli Kadai, the Dhanush directorial film which also starred the actor, had much anticipations given the film was touted to be a light-hearted entertainer. Many even had expected Dhanush to make a film like Pa Paandi, but Idli Kadai did not impress audience with its excess melodrama.

2025 Indian films FAQs

Q. What is the highest grossing Indian film in 2025?

A. Films like Dhurandhar, Kantara: Chapter 1, Chhaava, Saiyaara, Coolie, OG, War 2 are highest grossing Indian films of 2025.

Q. What are best Indian films of 2025?

A. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, Homebound, Tourist Family, Dhadak 2, are some of the best Indian films of 2025.

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