isaiDub

The title bar and strip

The page opens with a blue title bar, shaded slightly lighter at the top, with the logo in the middle: a white circle with a blue play symbol, then isai in white and Dub in bright yellow, with the word Tamil in Tamil script beside it. Under it, a small line reads Name of quality, the phrase the original always used under its name. A pale blue-grey menu row follows, with blue links to Home, Latest, Yearly, Sci-Fi, Animation, Chinese, Korean, A-Z and My List, each turning pink as you point at it. On phones, the row folds into a white Menu button in the title bar.

Below, a beige strip with a soft gradient carries a bold orange line inviting you to follow isaiDub for updates, and the name isaiDub in large pink letters with a reminder to bookmark the site. A search box on a white panel follows.

isaiDub Trends

The first blue bar reads isaiDub Trends. Under it, a grey-blue box introduces the site with the page title and a short paragraph, followed by quick links in bright pink to the newest shelf and the Chinese and Korean shelves. It is the quickest way into the site.

Latest Updates

The next bar reads isaiDub Latest Updates, and it is the heart of the page, just as it was on the original. Each row shows the title and year in bold, the note Tamil and original audio, a rating tag and a green Watch Now link. Rating tags are purple for well-loved films scoring six and a half or more, and red for the rest, the same two colours the original used. The rows sit on a pale background with dotted blue rules between them, and twenty-four of the newest titles appear, newest first.

Most Popular

The Most Popular bar shows ten films in a list of cards, each with a small framed poster, the title in bold pink, the first lines of the story in grey and the rating tag. The cards alternate between pale pink, pale blue and pale peach backgrounds, like the original's movie list, and each poster grows slightly as you point at it.

Categories and letters

The Categories bar lists every shelf as a row with a small yellow folder icon and the number of titles in red brackets: the three yearly shelves, Tamil 2016-2026, 2006-2015 and 1990-2005 Dubbed Movies; the genre shelves for Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Horror, Animation and Fantasy; the Marvel shelf; the Chinese and Korean shelves; and Hollywood Movies in English. The A-Z bar follows with a row of small letter boxes, each leading to the alphabetical list, and the help bar lists every guide in the same folder style.

The footer

At the foot of the page, a rounded blue box with a grooved light-blue border introduces a pale note about the data, followed by a beige strip of links and a blue copyright bar, all taken from the original design.

The title page

A title page on isaiDub shows the poster, a backdrop, the story, the year, the runtime, the score, the genres, the cast and the director. The Watch now button opens the viewing panel, and Add to My List keeps the film on the My List page.

The Watch now button

Press Watch now and a panel opens with a list of countries. Choose yours and the film opens on JustWatch, which lists every subscription, rental, purchase and free service that carries it there, with a direct link to each. The film plays in the service's own app or website, where you can choose the Tamil track, and isaiDub remembers your country for next time.

Choosing your country

India comes first in the country list, followed by the United States, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Philippines, New Zealand and Germany, the places where Tamil families live and watch films. Catalogues and audio options differ between countries, and the panel shows exactly which services carry each film where you are.

Hollywood in Tamil

Tamil audiences have enjoyed Hollywood films in their own language for decades. In the 1990s, dubbed prints of films such as Jurassic Park played to packed cinemas across Tamil Nadu, and many families saw their first Hollywood blockbuster in Tamil. Today, most services in India offer Tamil audio for the big Hollywood releases, so the tradition continues at home. The Hollywood guide gives a short tour.

The 1990s classics

The Tamil 1990-2005 Dubbed Movies shelf holds the films many viewers remember from childhood. Jurassic Park brought dinosaurs back to life with effects that still amaze, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day set a new standard for action films. Speed traps a bus that must stay above fifty miles an hour, Independence Day faces an alien invasion, and Mission: Impossible introduced Ethan Hunt and his famous rope-drop heist.

Die Hard: With a Vengeance sends John McClane racing around New York with a reluctant shopkeeper, Rush Hour pairs Jackie Chan with Chris Tucker, The Mummy is a rollicking adventure in the Egyptian desert, and Men in Black follows two agents who police aliens living on Earth. Anaconda and Godzilla bring giant creatures, and The Matrix changed action films forever.

The 2000s

The early 2000s gave Tamil audiences some of their favourite Hollywood films. Gladiator follows a Roman general who becomes a gladiator, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 follow Tobey Maguire's web-slinger, and X-Men introduced the mutant heroes. The Lord of the Rings films, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, are among the greatest adventures ever filmed.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl introduced Captain Jack Sparrow, I, Robot imagined a world of helpful robots with a secret, and The Matrix Reloaded continued Neo's story. The Star Wars prequels, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, tell how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and Batman Begins began Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

2006 to 2015

The Tamil 2006-2015 Dubbed Movies shelf is full of blockbusters. Avatar took audiences to the alien world of Pandora and became the highest-earning film of its time, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises complete Nolan's Batman trilogy, and Inception builds heists inside dreams. I Am Legend leaves Will Smith alone in an empty New York, The Prestige pits two rival magicians against each other, and Mad Max: Fury Road is a two-hour chase across a burning desert.

Jurassic World reopened the dinosaur park, The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 follow Katniss Everdeen's rebellion, Star Wars: The Force Awakens returned to the galaxy far away, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey went back to Middle-earth. John Wick introduced Keanu Reeves's legendary hitman, and The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted the web-slinger with Andrew Garfield.

The Marvel saga in Tamil

The Marvel films are the most watched Hollywood films in Tamil, and the Marvel shelf lets you follow the Infinity Saga almost from the beginning. Start with Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, then watch the heroes unite in The Avengers. Continue with Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man.

Captain America: Civil War splits the team, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther introduce new heroes, and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame bring the saga to its great climax, which filled cinemas across Tamil Nadu. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Logan complete the shelf.

DC and more heroes

From DC, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises form Christopher Nolan's celebrated trilogy, Wonder Woman leaves her island home to fight in the First World War, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice sets two icons against each other, and Suicide Squad gathers villains for a dangerous mission. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Miles Morales in a dazzling animated adventure.

Science fiction

The Sci-Fi shelf is one of isaiDub's richest, and the sci-fi and horror guide gives a short tour. Interstellar sends a father through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity, Gravity strands two astronauts above the Earth, and The Martian follows a botanist stranded on Mars who grows potatoes to survive. Arrival follows a linguist trying to talk with visitors from space, and Passengers wakes two travellers ninety years too early on a starship.

Dune brings Frank Herbert's desert planet to life, Blade Runner 2049 returns to a rainy neon future, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant explore the origins of the Alien, and Annihilation sends scientists into a shimmering zone where nature runs wild. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a unique love story about erasing memories, and World War Z follows a race around the world against a fast-moving plague.

Horror in Tamil

Horror films are popular in Tamil, and the Horror shelf holds some of Hollywood's best. The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 follow the real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, It and It Chapter Two follow friends facing a shape-shifting clown, and A Quiet Place follows a family surviving in silence. Get Out and Us mix scares with sharp ideas, Split follows a man with many identities, and 10 Cloverfield Lane traps a young woman in an underground bunker.

Bird Box follows a mother guiding her children blindfolded, The Cabin in the Woods turns horror clichés upside down, The Purge imagines a night when all laws are suspended, and The Meg pits Jason Statham against a giant shark.

Animation in Tamil

Animated films are family favourites in Tamil homes, and the Animation shelf gathers the best of Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks. The animation guide gives a short tour.

Pixar

Up follows an elderly widower who ties thousands of balloons to his house to fly to South America, Ratatouille follows a rat who dreams of cooking in Paris, and WALL·E is a near-silent love story between two robots. Toy Story 3 brings Woody and Buzz to a moving farewell, The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 follow a family of superheroes, Cars follows the race car Lightning McQueen, and Finding Dory follows the forgetful fish on a search for her family. Inside Out, Coco and Brave complete the Pixar shelf.

Disney and DreamWorks

Frozen follows the sisters Elsa and Anna and their famous songs, Tangled retells Rapunzel with humour and heart, and Moana sets sail across the Pacific with the demigod Maui. Zootopia is a clever mystery in a city of animals, Big Hero 6 pairs a young inventor with a gentle robot, and Wreck-It Ralph follows a video-game villain who wants to be a hero. From DreamWorks and Illumination, Kung Fu Panda follows Po, a clumsy panda who becomes a kung fu master, How to Train Your Dragon follows a Viking boy and a dragon named Toothless, and Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 follow Gru and his Minions.

Chinese movies in Tamil

The original isaiDub had its own Tamil Chinese Dubbed Movies category, and the Chinese shelf continues it. The Chinese guide gives a short tour.

Chinese martial-arts films have long been loved in Tamil Nadu. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon follows warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword, with fights across treetops, and it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Zhang Yimou's Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower are dazzling in colour and spectacle, Fearless stars Jet Li as a legendary fighter, and Red Cliff retells one of the most famous battles of ancient China.

Ip Man and The Grandmaster tell the story of the Wing Chun master who taught Bruce Lee, and Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer are joyful comedies full of cartoon-like fights. Dragon Blade pairs Jackie Chan with Roman soldiers on the Silk Road, and The Shadow's Edge brings him back as a surveillance expert in Macau.

Modern Chinese blockbusters are here too. Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2 are record-breaking animated adventures of a demon-child hero, The Wandering Earth and The Wandering Earth II imagine humanity moving the planet, The Furious is a fierce action film, Incantation is a chilling Taiwanese horror film, and Yi Yi is a gentle masterpiece about a family in Taipei.

Korean movies in Tamil

Korean films have found a large audience in Tamil Nadu, and the Korean shelf holds eighteen of the best. The Korean guide gives a short tour. Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Picture with its story of a poor family who find work, one by one, in a wealthy home. Train to Busan traps passengers on a high-speed train during a zombie outbreak, and Peninsula returns to the same world years later. #Alive traps a young gamer in his flat as the city falls, and The Flu follows a city fighting a deadly virus.

The Man from Nowhere follows a quiet pawnshop owner who rescues a kidnapped girl, The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil pairs a crime boss and a detective against a killer, and The Chaser and I Saw the Devil are intense thrillers. Decision to Leave is an elegant mystery, The Call connects two women twenty years apart through a telephone, Forgotten follows a young man whose kidnapped brother returns changed, and Burning is a slow, haunting mystery. Snowpiercer is set aboard a train circling a frozen world, A Taxi Driver tells a true story from 1980, Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds follows a firefighter through the afterlife, and No Other Choice and Colony are among the newest arrivals.

Choosing Tamil audio

Most Hollywood films on services in India offer a Tamil track alongside English, Hindi and Telugu, and many Chinese and Korean films are offered with Tamil or Hindi dubs as well as the original language with English subtitles. Open the audio menu in the player and choose Tamil, or watch in the original language with subtitles to hear the actors' own voices. Many families watch in Tamil together and revisit their favourites in the original later.

Services in India and abroad

In India, JioHotstar carries many Hollywood films, including the Marvel, Pixar and Disney titles, usually with Tamil audio. Prime Video and Netflix carry a wide mix of Hollywood, Chinese and Korean films, and MX Player carries many dubbed Asian titles. In Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia, Netflix, Prime Video and local services carry many of them. The streaming services guide lists them all.

Free and legal viewing

Some films are free and legal to watch. MX Player and JioHotstar carry free titles with adverts, and in the United States, Tubi, Pluto TV and Plex carry many Hollywood films free. The free movies guide has the details.

Renting and buying

Newer films can often be rented on Prime Video, Apple TV and Google TV before they join a subscription. The Watch now panel lists those prices alongside the subscription choices, so it is easy to pick the best way to watch.

Phones and data

isaiDub is light and quick on any phone, as the original always was. On official services, most apps offer a data-saver setting and let you download films over Wi-Fi to watch later. Add isaiDub to your home screen for one-tap access, and see the devices guide for watching on your television.

My List

My List is the last link in the menu row. Add to My List on any title page keeps the film on the My List page, where its poster waits in the same tinted list as the home page. Your browser keeps the list, so it is ready from the first film, and it can be exported as one small file for another phone.

More ways to find titles

The search box reads titles, original titles and cast names, so typing Jackie Chan, Keanu or Ma Dong-seok finds their films. The folder rows open every shelf, the A-Z page lists every film alphabetically, and the finding titles guide sums it up.

The official isaiDub

isaiDub has one fixed address, shown in your browser's address bar. Bookmark it or add it to your home screen, and it opens with your country and My List in place. The official site guide describes the real isaiDub: blue title bars, a beige strip with a pink bookmark line, dotted rows with coloured ratings and folder icons. The site status page explains a few quick checks if a page is slow.

Staying safe

Safe streaming is simple. Use official apps and websites, keep your phone and browser updated, use a strong password and two-step sign-in on your streaming accounts, and close any pop-up that asks you to install something. isaiDub has one button per title and sends you only to JustWatch and official services. The safety checklist has a few more tips.

How titles are chosen

isaiDub's catalogue follows the spirit of the original: Hollywood, Chinese and Korean films that Tamil audiences enjoy, arranged by year and genre. Every title is chosen by hand from TMDB's lists of popular and highly rated films, and each one is checked to suit a general audience.

Where the information comes from

Titles, posters, stories, cast, runtimes and scores come from TMDB, The Movie Database, through its official interface. The Watch now panel links to JustWatch, which tracks the services in each country. This guide and the help pages are written for isaiDub, an independent site with its own writing, and the look is rebuilt from the archived style sheet of the original. The About page says more.

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park is the film that made many Tamil families fall in love with Hollywood. On a remote island, a billionaire has brought dinosaurs back to life for a theme park, and a group of visitors, including two children, are trapped when the power fails and the animals break free. Steven Spielberg's dinosaurs still look astonishing, and the scenes with the T. rex and the velociraptors in the kitchen are unforgettable. Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom continue the story decades later.

Terminator 2

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the greatest action films ever made. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a Terminator, this time sent back in time to protect young John Connor from a liquid-metal assassin that can take any shape. Its effects amazed audiences in 1991, its chases are thrilling, and its story about humanity and machines still feels fresh.

The Matrix

The Matrix follows Neo, a computer programmer who discovers that the world around him is a simulation built by machines, and joins a group of rebels led by the mysterious Morpheus. Its slow-motion bullet-dodging, martial-arts fights and leather-clad style changed action films forever, and The Matrix Reloaded continues the story.

Avatar

Avatar took audiences to Pandora, a lush alien moon, where a paralysed former marine joins the Na'vi people through a remote body and falls in love with their world. James Cameron's film became the highest-earning film ever released at the time, and its floating mountains and glowing forests remain breathtaking in any language.

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame was a cinema event in Tamil Nadu, with early-morning shows and cheering crowds. After Thanos has wiped out half of all life, the surviving heroes travel through time to undo the damage, leading to one of the biggest battles ever filmed. It closes the stories of several heroes with real emotion, and it is best watched after Avengers: Infinity War.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings trilogy follows the hobbit Frodo and his companions on a quest to destroy a powerful ring in the fires of Mount Doom. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring gathers the company, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers divides them across a world at war, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings every story together and won eleven Academy Awards. They make a perfect long weekend.

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan's films are some of the most loved on isaiDub. Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises form his Batman trilogy, The Prestige follows two rival magicians, Inception builds heists inside dreams, Interstellar sends explorers through a wormhole, and Dunkirk recreates the famous evacuation of 1940. His films reward careful watching, and many viewers watch them twice.

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda is one of the most loved animated films in Tamil homes. Po, a clumsy, noodle-loving panda, is unexpectedly chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior and must train with the Furious Five to face a fearsome snow leopard. It is funny, full of beautiful martial-arts action and has a warm message about believing in yourself.

Up

Up opens with one of the most moving sequences in animation: the whole married life of Carl and Ellie told in a few wordless minutes set only to music. Years later, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house to fly to South America, with an eager young scout accidentally along for the ride. It is funny, tender and full of adventure.

Frozen

Frozen follows the sisters Elsa and Anna in the kingdom of Arendelle. When Elsa's icy powers plunge the kingdom into eternal winter, Anna sets out with an ice harvester, his reindeer and a cheerful snowman to bring her home. Its songs became a worldwide phenomenon, and children across Tamil Nadu sing them in Tamil and English alike.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the film that introduced a generation to the beauty of Chinese martial-arts cinema. A legendary sword is stolen, and two great warriors, played by Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh, pursue a young noblewoman with secret skills. Its fights across rooftops and bamboo forests are like dances, and it won four Academy Awards.

Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow's comedies are some of the most joyful films on isaiDub. Shaolin Soccer follows a Shaolin monk who gathers his old brothers to form a football team with superhuman skills, and Kung Fu Hustle follows a small-time crook in 1940s Shanghai who stumbles into a battle between a gang and a group of hidden kung fu masters living in a poor apartment block. Both are full of cartoon-like action and big laughs.

Ip Man

Ip Man tells the story of the Wing Chun master Ip Man during the Japanese occupation of Foshan, with Donnie Yen's quiet dignity and lightning-fast fights. It became one of the most loved martial-arts films of its decade. The Grandmaster tells the same master's story in a more poetic style, directed by Wong Kar-wai.

Ne Zha

Ne Zha retells the Chinese legend of a boy born as the reincarnation of a demon, who is feared by his village but fights to choose his own destiny. Its bright, funny animation made it a record-breaking hit, and Ne Zha 2, which follows Ne Zha and his friend Ao Bing after they are given a second chance at life, became the highest-earning animated film ever made.

Train to Busan

Train to Busan follows a busy father taking his young daughter from Seoul to see her mother in Busan, when a zombie outbreak spreads through the train. As the infected pour through the carriages, a pregnant woman, her tough husband, a high-school baseball team and a selfish executive must decide whom to trust. Its Tamil dub made it a favourite with families meeting Korean cinema for the first time.

Stars of dubbed cinema

Some Hollywood and Asian stars are as well known in Tamil Nadu as any local hero. Jackie Chan's mix of comedy and death-defying stunts has made him a favourite for decades, and on isaiDub he appears in Rush Hour, Dragon Blade and The Shadow's Edge. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a classic of dubbed cinema, Will Smith leads Men in Black, Independence Day, I, Robot and I Am Legend, and Keanu Reeves leads Speed, The Matrix and John Wick.

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible began one of the great action series, and Jet Li's Fearless and Donnie Yen's Ip Man brought martial-arts legends to Tamil audiences. From Korea, Ma Dong-seok's roles in Train to Busan and The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil have made him a favourite too.

A week with isaiDub

Here is one way to enjoy a week of films in Tamil. On Monday, start with a 1990s classic such as Jurassic Park. On Tuesday, try a Chinese martial-arts film such as Hero. On Wednesday, watch an animated favourite such as Kung Fu Panda. On Thursday, pick a Korean thriller such as The Man from Nowhere. On Friday, watch a science-fiction film such as Interstellar. On Saturday, invite friends for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame back to back, and on Sunday share a family film such as Moana or Up.

Festival favourites

During Pongal and Diwali, families gather for long movie evenings, and dubbed Hollywood films are part of the tradition. Big adventures such as Avatar, Jurassic World and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl suit the whole family, animated films such as Frozen and Coco keep children happy, and a Jackie Chan comedy such as Rush Hour brings laughter for everyone.

Where to start

For viewers new to dubbed films, a few titles make a perfect start. Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are classics everyone enjoys, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest event film of its time, Kung Fu Hustle is pure fun, and Train to Busan is a thrilling first taste of Korean cinema. All are offered with Tamil audio on the major services in India.

Family night

For a family evening, start with an animated film such as Toy Story 3, Zootopia or How to Train Your Dragon, move to an adventure such as The Mummy or Men in Black, and end with a film for the older children such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Most are offered in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and English, so everyone can choose.

Action night

For an evening of adrenaline, start with Speed, move to Mad Max: Fury Road and finish with John Wick. From Asia, Ip Man and The Man from Nowhere bring brilliant fights, and Die Hard: With a Vengeance adds a race against the clock through New York. Turn up the sound and enjoy the ride.

Worth watching again

Some films reward a second viewing. Inception and The Prestige are full of clues you only notice the second time, Parasite and Decision to Leave reveal new layers once you know the ending, and The Matrix and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are thrilling every time.

Gladiator

Gladiator follows Maximus, a loyal Roman general betrayed by the emperor's jealous son, who loses his family and is sold into slavery. He rises as a gladiator in the arenas of the provinces and finally in the Colosseum itself, where he seeks justice. Russell Crowe's performance, the thrilling arena battles and Hans Zimmer's music made it a classic, and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl introduced Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp's swaggering, unpredictable pirate. When the governor's daughter is kidnapped by cursed pirates who turn into skeletons in the moonlight, a young blacksmith teams up with Jack to rescue her. It is a swashbuckling adventure full of sword fights, sea battles and humour.

Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible began one of the longest-running action series in Hollywood. Ethan Hunt, framed for the deaths of his team, must break into CIA headquarters to clear his name, in a famous scene where he dangles on a wire above a silent, pressure-sensitive floor. Tom Cruise has continued the series for three decades, performing ever more daring stunts.

Hero

Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou, tells the story of a nameless warrior who comes before the king of Qin claiming to have defeated three legendary assassins. As he tells his story, the film retells it in different colours, red, blue, white and green, each version revealing a little more truth. With Jet Li, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, it is one of the most beautiful martial-arts films ever made.

The Wandering Earth

The Wandering Earth imagines a future in which the sun is dying and humanity builds ten thousand giant engines to push the Earth out of the solar system toward a new star. When the planet is caught in Jupiter's gravity, a young man and his family race across a frozen world to save it. It opened a new era of Chinese science fiction, and The Wandering Earth II tells the story of how the plan began.

Parasite

Parasite is the most celebrated Korean film ever made. The Kim family, living in a cramped half-basement, find work one by one in the elegant home of the wealthy Park family, and the story twists into something astonishing. It won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the first foreign-language film to do so.

The Conjuring

The Conjuring follows the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they help a family terrorised by a dark presence in their farmhouse in 1971. Built on slow, careful scares and old-fashioned suspense, it became one of the most successful horror films ever and started a whole universe of films. The Conjuring 2 follows the Warrens to a haunted house in London.

Moana

Moana follows the daughter of a Polynesian chief who sets sail across the ocean to find the demigod Maui and restore the heart of the goddess Te Fiti, saving her island. Its songs, its brave young heroine and its beautiful ocean made it a favourite with families everywhere, and it is one of the most watched animated films in Tamil.

Spider-Man on isaiDub

Every Spider-Man generation has a place on the shelves. Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 defined the hero for the 2000s, with a train fight in the second film that remains one of the best superhero scenes ever filmed. Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted the story, Tom Holland's Spider-Man: Homecoming brought the hero into the Avengers' world, and Spider-Man: No Way Home brought all three generations together. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse adds Miles Morales in dazzling animation.

Star Wars

The Star Wars prequels tell how young Anakin Skywalker, a slave boy on a desert planet, becomes a Jedi and then falls to the dark side as Darth Vader. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace introduces him and the pod race, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones follows the start of the Clone Wars, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith brings the tragedy to its end. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens a new chapter thirty years later.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games follows Katniss Everdeen, a young woman who volunteers in place of her little sister for a televised contest in which young people must survive in a vast arena. Jennifer Lawrence's performance made Katniss a hero for a generation, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 follows her as she becomes the face of a rebellion.

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon-ho, is set on a train that circles a frozen Earth after a failed climate experiment, carrying the last survivors of humanity. The poor live crowded in the tail and the rich in luxury at the front, until a group from the back fights its way forward, carriage by carriage. It is gripping, strange and full of ideas.

Watching by year

The original isaiDub arranged its films by year, and the three yearly shelves on the rebuilt site make it easy to travel through time. Start with the 1990s shelf for Jurassic Park and Terminator 2, move to the 2000s for the Lord of the Rings and Spider-Man, then to the 2010s for the Avengers, and finish with the newest films from China, Korea and Hollywood. Each shelf shows how dubbed cinema has grown along with Tamil audiences.

Interstellar

Interstellar follows Cooper, a former pilot and farmer, as dust storms and failing crops threaten humanity. He joins a secret mission through a wormhole near Saturn to find a new home, leaving behind his young daughter Murph, and the story becomes a moving tale of love across time and space. Its images of a black hole and a planet of giant waves are unforgettable, and Hans Zimmer's organ music gives it an extraordinary power.

Inception

Inception follows Cobb, a thief who steals secrets from people's dreams and is offered a chance to go home if he can plant an idea instead. His team builds dreams within dreams, where time moves more slowly at every level, and the famous spinning top leaves audiences arguing to this day. It is a clever, thrilling puzzle that rewards a second viewing.

Coco

Coco follows Miguel, a boy in a Mexican village who dreams of becoming a musician in a family that has banned music for generations. On the Day of the Dead he finds himself in the colourful Land of the Dead, where he meets his ancestors and uncovers a family secret. Its song Remember Me touches families everywhere, and its message about remembering loved ones speaks to every culture.

The Man from Nowhere

The Man from Nowhere follows Tae-sik, a quiet pawnshop owner who lives alone and talks only with the little girl from next door. When she is kidnapped by a gang of traffickers, he reveals a past as a special agent and sets out to rescue her. Its fights are fierce and precise, and it became one of the most successful Korean films of its year.

Men in Black

Men in Black follows Agent K, a stone-faced veteran, and Agent J, a quick-talking New York police officer he recruits, as they police the aliens secretly living on Earth. When a giant bug arrives looking for a tiny galaxy hidden on a cat's collar, the pair must save the world. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones make a perfect comic duo, and the film's gadgets and aliens make it a joy for all ages.

Independence Day

Independence Day imagines giant alien ships hovering over the world's great cities, and the fight back led by a fighter pilot, a cable engineer and the President of the United States. Its famous scenes of landmarks exploding and its rousing speeches made it one of the biggest films of the 1990s, and it remains a favourite for a big, loud movie night.

Red Cliff

Red Cliff, directed by John Woo, retells the famous Battle of Red Cliffs from the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China. Two outnumbered warlords join forces against the powerful chancellor Cao Cao, whose vast fleet gathers on the Yangtze River, and their strategist devises a daring plan involving the wind and fire. With huge battle scenes, clever tactics and a cast led by Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, it is one of the grandest war films ever made in Asia, and it is a favourite with viewers who love history and spectacle.

Speed

Speed is a perfect ninety-minute thrill ride. A Los Angeles police officer, played by Keanu Reeves, discovers that a city bus has been rigged by a bomber to explode if it drops below fifty miles an hour, and a passenger played by Sandra Bullock ends up at the wheel. The chase through traffic, across an unfinished motorway and onto an airport runway made it one of the most loved action films of the 1990s.

A last word

isaiDub is made for people who love watching the world's films in Tamil: the Hollywood blockbusters, the animated favourites, the Chinese martial-arts epics and the Korean thrillers. Pick a title, press Watch now, choose the Tamil track, and enjoy it in the best quality on the service that suits you.

Questions