Tamil cinema in 2025 saw a shift away from big-ticket mass masala films, with most major stars failing to deliver expected hits. Instead, small and mid-budget films dominated, focusing on themes like middle-class struggles, social dramas, and village tales. While some films generated buzz, the industry's 'secret sauce' of unique storytelling seemed to be missing, despite a few notable exceptions like Rajinikanth's 'Coolie' and Sivakarthikeyan's 'Madharaasi'.