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 hit 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 hit film 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 the 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 | [8] |
| Selva | [9] | ||
| 1998 | Nilaave Vaa | [10] | |
| 1999 | Pooparika Varugirom | [11] | |
| 2001 | Chocolate | [12] | |
| 2002 | Bhagavathi | [13] | |
| 2003 | Dum | [14] | |
| 2004 | Kuthu | [15] | |
| Aai | [16] | ||
| 2005 | Chanakya | [17] | |
| 2006 | Vathiyar | [18] | |
| 2008 | Singakutty | [19] | |
| Durai | [20] | ||
| 2009 | Malai Malai | [21] | |
| 2010 | Maanja Velu | [22] | |
| Vaadaa | [23] | ||
| Vallakottai | [24] | ||
| 2013 | Summa Nachunu Irukku | [25] | |
| 2015 | Killadi | [26] | |
| Sandamarutham | [27] | ||
| Rombha Nallavan Da Nee | [28] | ||
| 2019 | Nethra | [29] | |
| 2024 | Operation Laila | [30] | |
| Dhil Raja | |||
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Vasanthakala Paravai | ||
| 1992 | Suriyan | Telegram Office clerk | |
| 1994 | Kadhalan | Cameo appearance | in "Kadhalikum Pennin" song |
| 1998 | Nilaave Vaa | Christian who prays at Hindu temple | |
| 2010 | Angaadi Theru | Karungali | |
| 2011 | Sattapadi Kutram | Ekambaram | |
| Mahaan Kanakku | Maths Teacher | ||
| 2012 | Paagan | ||
| 2013 | Azhagan Azhagi | Rathinavel | |
| Naan Rajavaga Pogiren | Isakkimuthu Annachi | ||
| Summa Nachunu Irukku | Gautham (Dato) | ||
| 2014 | Goli Soda | Vanmathi's father | |
| 2015 | Touring Talkies | a Doctor | |
| Rombha Nallavan Da Nee | |||
| Iravum Pagalum Varum | |||
| Pallikoodam Pogamale | Vijay's father | ||
| Sivappu | |||
| 2016 | Pagiri | Madhu's father | |
| Aandavan Kattalai | Gandhi's brother-in-law | ||
| Thodari | Thangapandian | ||
| 2017 | Nisabdham | a public prosecutor | |
| Kadugu | an Inspector | ||
| 2018 | Onaaigal Jakkiradhai | Chithappu | |
| Torchlight | |||
| Thodraa | |||
| 2019 | Nethra | an officer | |
| Asuran | Viswanathan | ||
| 2020 | Nungambakkam | Advocate Durai | |
| Alti | |||
| 2022 | Oh My Dog | a moneylender | |
| Nadhi | |||
| Laththi | Inspector Gnanamuthu | ||
| 2023 | Rudhran | Ethiraj | |
| Thuritham | |||
| Priyamudan Priya | |||
| 2024 | Singappenney | ||
| Dhil Raja | |||
| Year | Program Name | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Triples | Councillor Chelladurai | Hotstar | Debut Web Series |
| 2023 | Mr. Manaivi | Vedhanayagam | Sun TV | Debut as an actor |
| 2024 | Goli Soda Rising | Vanmathi's father | Disney+Hotstar | |
Ramanathan Sarathkumar is an Indian actor, politician and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi 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 and Mallika Kapoor, while Vadivelu, Pradeep Rawat, Prakash Raj, Manivannan and Amit Tiwari play supporting roles. The soundtrack and background score were composed by D. Imman.
Nilaave Vaa is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by A. Venkatesh and produced by K. T. Kunjumon. The film stars Vijay and Suvalakshmi, while Sanghavi, Raghuvaran and Manivannan play other supporting roles. The film was released on 14 August 1998 and was a decent hit at the box office.
Selva is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film directed by A. Venkatesh. The film stars Vijay, Swathi, Riva and Raghuvaran. The music is composed by Sirpy. The film was a successful venture.
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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.
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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.
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. His assistant film directors include S. Shankar, A. Venkatesh, Balaji Sakthivel, Vincent Selva, Saravana Subbiah and many more. He has also introduced stars like Prabhu Deva, Devayani. During the 1990s his movies with newcomers like Sarathkumar, Ajith Kumar, and Vijay, who later became established actors in the industry. He also introduced comedians like Soori and Vimal in his movie Mattuthavani.
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Arjun Sarja is an Indian actor, producer and director who works predominantly in Tamil cinema and he also established his career in Telugu and Kannada cinema apart from a few Hindi and Malayalam films. He debuted as a child actor in the film Simhada Mari Sainya in the year 1981. Sarja had acted in more than 160 movies. He has directed 12 films and also produced and distributed a number of films. After starring in numerous Kannada films with minor roles, he starred in his first movie as an independent actor in Male Bantu Male. In 1984, Sarja made his Tamil debut in Rama Narayanan's film Nandri. During the subsequent years he acted in many Telugu and Kannada films portraying lead and supporting roles in Trimurtulu (1987), Premagni (1989), Prathap (1990) and Shivanaga (1992).