Karthik Subbaraj to Manikandan: Successful filmmakers in Tamil cinema

Over the last few years, Kollywood has seen some brilliant films from young filmmakers, who are presently doing extremely good work in cinema. At a time when Tamil cinema was dominated by mindless masala entertainers, a young crop of filmmakers emerged who brought in a whiff of fresh air into the industry. Currently, these younger bunch are touted as the future of Tamil cinema. Right from Karthik Subbaraj to Atlee, here’s a list of popular young directors who have earned a niche for themselves.

After his stint in short filmmaking, Karthik Subbaraj made his directorial debut with the horror-thriller ‘Pizza’. The film was a refreshing change in the horror genre and was lauded for Subbaraj’s meticulous details. ‘Pizza’ opened to rave reviews from critics and became extremely successful at the box office. It was the first Tamil film to use the potential of 7.1 surround sound. The success of the film crossed borders and was remade in several languages. Following the success of ‘Pizza’, Karthik Subbaraj achieved a strong fanbase in the Northern belt after the terrific success of his gangster drama ‘Jigarthanda’. The film was celebrated by critics, who couldn’t just stop praising Karthik Subbaraj and became extremely profitable venture for the producers. The film won two National Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing. Veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam also appreciated Karthik for the film. Karthik’s multi-layered ‘Iraivi’ and the experimental silent thriller ‘Mercury’ have only upped the ante. He is all set to direct superstar Rajinikanth in the upcoming massive project, which will also star Vijay Sethupathi in an important role.

Nalan Kumarasamy, too, started his career as a short-film maker and featured in the television reality show along with friends Karthik Subbaraj and Balaji Mohan. Nalan Kumarasamy’s directorial debut ‘Soodhu Kavvum’ was a phenomenal hit in Tamil Nadu. In fact, it attracted a lot of audience from the north. Nalan was highly appreciated for writing a brilliant black comedy that tickles your funny bone quite often. ‘Soodhu Kavvum’ was a blockbuster success at the box office and was remade in other languages as well. Nalan once again worked with Vijay Sethupathi for the romantic drama ‘Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum’, which has a niche following in Tamil. Despite decent reviews, the film made average business at the box office. It’s been two years since Nalan Kumarasamy had his last release. The director is collaborating with fellow writers Mysskin and Thiagarajan Kumararaja for the upcoming ‘Super Deluxe’.

Balaji Mohan, too, started his career as a short film maker and appeared in the television reality show, in which he also won an award. Balaji Mohan debuted through the romantic comedy ‘Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi’, which was based on his short film of the same name. Starring Siddharth and Amala Paul in lead roles, the film opened to unanimous positive response from the audience. In many ways, it was a refreshing change in the rom-com genre itself and was praised for the same. His second film ‘Vaayai Moodi Pesavum’, too, received good reviews. Balaji Mohan then collaborated with Dhanush for the gangster comedy ‘Maari’, which was panned by critics and ultimately failed at the box office. After two years, Balaji Mohan debuted in web series with ‘As I’m Suffering From Kadhal’. The director is currently busy wrapping up ‘Maari 2’, a sequel starring Dhanush and Sai Pallavi in the lead.

Cinematographer turned director Manikandan is easily one of the most important filmmakers around! His comedy drama ‘Kaaka Muttai’ created waves across the country when it released in 2015. The main highlight of the film is the fact that Manikandan addressed an important issue of globalisation through the eyes of two slum children. It received terrific response from critics and was commercially successful as well. ‘Kaaka Muttai’ was screened at several national and international film festivals. Manikandan then teamed up with Vidharth for ‘Kuttrame Thandanai’, a neo-noir crime thriller, that was well-received by the audience. Manikandan once again wooed the fans when his situational-comedy ‘Aandavan Kattalai’ hit the screens in 2016. The National Award-winning filmmaker is currently busy with his forthcoming ‘Kadaisi Vivasaye’, that stars Vijay Sethupathi in the lead role.

Atlee worked as an erstwhile assistant director to Shankar and made his directorial debut with the romantic comedy ‘Raja Rani’. The film received good responses from critics and audience alike, and became a profitable venture at the box office. Following the success, Atlee teamed up with ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay for the cop thriller ‘Theri’. The film was a quick comeback for Vijay, who was going through a rough patch till then. ‘Theri’ tells the story of an honest police officer Vijay Kumar (Vijay), who is pitted against a powerful politician, played by J Mahendran. When it released in 2016, the film was nothing short of a celebration for fans and was a money spinner at the box office. Last year, Atlee once again teamed up with Vijay for the entertainer ‘Mersal’, which went on to become the highest grossing Tamil film of 2017. Despite commercial success, Atlee has always been criticised for copying the earlier films like ‘Mouna Raagam’, ‘Chatriyan’ and ‘Apoorva Sagodharargal’ respectively.