A. Venkatesh | |
|---|---|
 Venkatesh at Sandamarutham Audio Launch | |
| Occupation(s) | actor, director |
| Years active | 1996–present |
A. Venkatesh is an Indian film director and actor working in Tamil cinema. Beginning his career as an assistant, he directed his first film, Mahaprabhu , in 1996.
Initially, he worked as an assistant to director K. Rajeshwar on Nyaya Tharasu (1989) and Idhaya Thamarai (1990). He assisted Pavithran on Vasanthakala Paravai (1991) and Suriyan (1992), then he was an associate director to director Shankar on Gentleman (1993) and Kadhalan (1994). During the shooting of the film Kadhalan, producer G. K. Reddy approached him to direct a film. In 1996, he made his directional debut through Mahaprabhu starring R. Sarathkumar, Sukanya and Vineetha. He has directed Vijay's movies including action film Selva (1996) and romance film Nilaave Vaa (1998). In 1999, he directed a drama film Pooparika Varugirom starring Sivaji Ganesan, Vikram Krishna and Malavika. [1]
Following the death of director Thirupathisamy in 2001, Venkatesh was briefly announced as the new director of the film Velan featuring Vijay and Priyanka Chopra, but the project was later shelved. [2]
He started directing action movies with Prashanth's Chocolate (2001), Vijay's Bhagavathi (2002), and Silambarasan's Dum (2003) and Kuthu (2004). These were followed by Sarathkumar's Aai (2004), Chanakya (2005) and Arjun's Vathiyar (2006). [3] [4] [5]
During 2008, Venkatesh worked simultaneously on six productions, which were at different stages of completion. The Arjun-starrer Durai (2008) and Arun Vijay's Malai Malai (2009) were released first, while Sundar C's Vaadaa (2010) and Bharath's Killadi (2015) had delayed releases. Two further films, Prashanth's Petrol and Sarathkumar's Imaya Malai, were subsequently shelved mid-production. [6]
He has also acted in various Tamil movies, notably Angadi Theru (2010). Venkatesh returned after a two-and-a-half year break with Nethra (2019). The filmmaker says the delay was because he had to fulfil commitments as an actor before he could get back to direction. The film is a psycho-thriller based on a true event which he was witness to at an airport in Canada. [7]
| Year | Film | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Mahaprabhu | Debut Direction | |
| Selva | |||
| 1998 | Nilaave Vaa | ||
| 1999 | Pooparika Varugirom | ||
| 2001 | Chocolate | ||
| 2002 | Bhagavathi | ||
| 2003 | Dum | ||
| 2004 | Kuthu | ||
| Aai | |||
| 2005 | Chanakya | ||
| 2006 | Vathiyar | ||
| 2008 | Singakutty | [8] | |
| Durai | [9] | ||
| 2009 | Malai Malai | [10] | |
| 2010 | Maanja Velu | [11] | |
| Vaadaa | |||
| Vallakottai | [12] | ||
| 2013 | Summa Nachunu Irukku | [13] | |
| 2015 | Killadi | ||
| Sandamarutham | |||
| Rombha Nallavan Da Nee | [14] | ||
| 2019 | Nethra | ||
| Year | Program Name | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Triples | Councillor Chelladurai | Hotstar | Debut Web Series | [15] [16] [17] [18] |
| 2023 | Mr. Manaivi | Vedhanayagam | Sun TV | Debut as an actor | |
Sarathkumar Ramanathan is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has acted in more than 145 films and won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South.
Vathiyar (transl. Teacher) is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by A. Venkatesh from a story written by Arjun. The film stars Arjun, Mallika Kapoor, Vadivelu, Pradeep Rawat, Prakash Raj, Manivannan and Amit Tiwari. The soundtrack and background score were composed by D. Imman.
Malai Malai is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by A. Venkatesh. The film stars Arun Vijay, Prabhu, Vedhika, and Kasthuri in lead roles, while Prakash Raj, Santhanam, Ganja Karuppu, Vijayakumar, and S. N. Lakshmi play supporting roles. The music was composed by Mani Sharma with editing by V. T. Vijayan. The film released on 31 July 2009 and turned out to be a surprise hit at the box office. This film ran for 100 days in theaters.
Arun Vijay, formerly known as Arun Kumar, is an Indian actor who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He also starred in a few films in Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
Anjali is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Following a stint in modelling, she was cast in starring roles in two Telugu productions; her debut film was the Telugu thriller film Photo (2006). She then bagged a role and gained attention in the film Kattradhu Thamizh (2007) with Jiiva. In 2010 and 2011, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil, for her performances in Angaadi Theru and Engaeyum Eppothum, respectively, and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Angadi Theru, subsequently recognised as one of the "finest young actors" in Tamil cinema, and noted for mostly playing "performance-oriented roles".
Maanja Velu is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by A. Venkatesh. It stars Arun Vijay, Karthik, Prabhu and Dhansika, with Vijayakumar and Riyaz Khan playing supporting roles and Santhanam and Ganja Karuppu providing comical relief.
The Vijay for Best Story, Screenplay Writer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
Vallakottai is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language superhero film directed by A. Venkatesh. A remake of the 2007 Malayalam film Mayavi, the film stars Arjun and Haripriya, while Ashish Vidyarthi, Ganja Karuppu, Sathyan, Suresh, Livingston, Vincent Asokan and Prem play supporting roles. The music was composed by Dhina, and the film released on 5 November 2010.
K. T. Kunjumon is a former Indian film producer and writer, politician active in Tamil and Malayalam films. He began his career co-producing several Malayalam films, often working with director P. G. Viswambharan. His first Kollywood project, Pavithran's Suriyan as Sarathkumar's first solo lead role was a success. Kunjumon's second venture, S. Shankar's directorial debut Gentleman was a major success and set several records for Tamil film production. His subsequent films, Kaadhalan (1994) and Kadhal Desam (1996) were also successful, while Ratchagan (1997) became the most expensive Tamil film ever made on release.
Pizza is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language horror thriller film written and directed by debutant Karthik Subbaraj. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Remya Nambeesan in the lead roles with Aadukalam Naren, Jayakumar, Pooja Ramachandran and Bobby Simha play supporting roles.
Karthik Subbaraj is an Indian film director, writer and producer working mainly in Tamil cinema.
Vasanthakala Paravai is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Pavithran in his debut. The film stars Ramesh Aravind, Sarathkumar and Shali. The film, produced by K. T. Kunjumon and scored by Deva, was released on 19 September 1991. Deva won the Cinema Express Award for Best Music Director.
Summa Nachunu Irukku is a 2013 Tamil-language comedy film directed by A. Venkatesh, who also starred in the film. The film stars Thaman Kumar, Vibha Natarajan and Archana Vishwanath along with an ensemble cast including Thambi Ramaiah, Srinivasan, Appukutty, and Erode Mahesh. The film, produced by B. Vimal, had musical score by Achu Rajamani and was released on 30 August 2013. The story of the film was inspired by the 1997 Malayalam film Chandralekha.
Pavithran is an Indian film director, who has made many hit Tamil films. He was active primarily in the 1990s collaborating in ventures which often included Sarathkumar in pivotal roles. He was awarded the Tamil Nadu state Kalaimamani award for his works in the film industry. He is known to have made his assistants huge stars in the film Industry. All his assistant film directors have gone to be huge like S. Shankar, A. Venkatesh, Balaji Sakthivel, Vincent Selva, Saravana Subbaiya and many more. He has also introduced stars like Prabu Deva, Devayani, and Roja. During the 1990s his movies with newcomers like Sarathkumar, Ajith Kumar, and Vijay made them stars and established actors in the industry. He also introduced comedians like Soori and Vimal in his movie Mattuthavani.
Rajakumar is an Indian actor, who has worked in Tamil films. Rajakumar debuted in Balaji Tharaneetharan's critically acclaimed Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012), Rajakumar has since appeared in pivotal roles in films including Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham (2013) and Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum (2015).
Iraivi (transl. Goddess) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by C. V. Kumar, K. E. Gnanavel Raja and Abinesh Elangovan under their banners Thirukumaran Entertainment, Studio Green and Abi & Abi Pictures, respectively. The film features an ensemble cast with S. J. Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anjali, and Pooja Devariya playing leading roles. The plot revolves around three financially struggling men try to overcome their problems, by getting involved in criminal activities though not realising the impact their efforts are having on the women in their lives.
Singamuthu is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films as a comedian.
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Vani Bhojan is an Indian actress, who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her Telugu film debut with Meeku Maathrame Cheptha in 2019 and her Tamil film debut with Oh My Kadavule in 2020.
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