The winner of two Academy Awards, composer Allah Rakha Rahman, born in Chennai as A. S. Dileep Kumar, has brought limelight on the Tamil movie industry recently.

Dating back to pre-independence days, Tamil films are among India`s most popular films along with Bollywood films. They have large overseas distribution channels.

Tamil films have gained popularity with wide distribution in regions outside of India, such as in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Eastern Europe, North America, and other significant Tamil Diaspora regions.

FIVE OUT OF SEVEN chief ministers from the Tamil parties were actively involved in Tamil cinema either as writers or as actors. Of the actors in the Dravidian parties, M. G. Ramachandran, born in Up Country, Sri Lanka. was the most successful, who launched his own Tamil party after personal differences with leaders of DMK, and rose to power as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu mostly with the help of his movie fans and low level cadres. The legacy of politics in Tamil filmdom still continues.

Though Tamils all over the world have been making noise over Sri Lanka issue, when one compares the online Tamil movie sites, they seem to be more popular than the most well known site on SL Tamils, the Tamilnet.

Incidently, this is the spread of Tamilnet viewers: India34.1%Canada10.4%United Kingdom9.8%United States7.4%Sri Lanka7.2%