Ameer Sultan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 December 1967 [1] Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Actor |
Ameer Sultan (born 5 December 1967) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor, working in the Tamil film industry. [2]
Ameer Sultan was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu India. He initially studied economics and worked as an entrepreneur before starting to work as an assistant director to Tamil filmmaker Bala on his award-winning film Sethu in 1999 and Nandha in 2001. Shortly after, he directed his first film, the romantic comedy Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002). The film starred Suriya in the lead and became Trisha Krishnan's first release featuring her in a leading role. The same year, he began his own production company, Teamwork Production House.
His second directorial was the mystery thriller Raam , which he produced himself. It was released three years later, in 2005. The film, which revolves around an autistic teenager, portrayed by Jiiva, who is highly attached to his mother, but becomes suspected of having murdered her, received critical acclaim, with Jeeva and the film's composer Yuvan Shankar Raja winning awards at the 2005 Cyprus International Film Festival. [3] It also became Jeeva's first successful film in the film industry, who till then, had appeared in two unsuccessful home productions only. [4] [5]
In 2007, he directed the drama Paruthiveeran set in a village in Tamil Nadu, which marked the debut of Karthi, younger son of Sivakumar and brother of Suriya. Karthi as well as Priyamani, who performed the female lead, won several notable prizes for their performances. Paruthiveeran remains Ameer's most acclaimed work, having received six Filmfare Awards South including the Best Film and Best Director trophies, two National Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and four Vijay Awards. The film further fetched accolades at international platform, winning the Best Film Award at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema and Netpac Special Mention award at the Berlin International Film Festival. [6] [7] His fourth directorial, Aadhi Bhagavan , starring Jayam Ravi and Neetu Chandra, released in 2013, to mixed reviews. Later, he win Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award Best Supporting Actor for Vada Chennai (2018). [8] He starred as lead actor in the political drama Uyir Thamizhukku (2024). [9]
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 2002 | Mounam Pesiyadhe |  |  | | |
| 2005 | Raam | | | | |
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran | | | | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil |
| 2009 | Yogi | | | | |
| 2013 | Aadhi Bhagavan | | | | |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sethu | College Student | Cameo appearance |
| 2002 | Mounam Pesiyadhe | Peon | Cameo appearance |
| 2009 | Yogi | Yogeshwaran (Yogi) | |
| 2011 | Yuddham Sei | Dancer | Special appearance |
| 2014 | Ninaithathu Yaaro | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2018 | Vada Chennai | Rajan | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award Best Supporting Actor |
| 2022 | Maaran | Parthiban | |
| 2023 | Maayavalai | Rajan | Guest appearance |
| 2024 | Uyir Thamizhukku | MGR Pandian | |
| Year | Film | Song | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran | "Sari Gama Pathani" | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
| 2009 | Yogi | "Seermevum Koovathiley" |
On 24 October 2008, Ameer was arrested. [10] Being a Tamil activist, he took part in a film rally condemning state atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka, organised by director Bharathiraja, also a Tamil activist, and other prominent Tamil directors, actors, and producers. The rally was part of statewide protests across Tamil Nadu in 2008 condemning Sri Lanka. During the rally, Ameer and fellow director Seeman made speeches criticising the Indian government and expressing support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Tamil separatist group on the island and condemning the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. [11] [12] The two were later released on bail with the help of their assistant directors, Bharathiraja, and actor R. Sarath Kumar. Other Film directors such as Balu Mahendra, Bhagyaraj, Cheran, R K Selvamani, V Sekar, Bala, Rajkapoor, lyricists Arivumathi, Snehan and others waited from 8 am for the two directors' release. [13]
Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films and popularly referred to as Iyakkunar Imayam. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
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Vedham Pudhithu is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. It is based on the play Saadhigal Illaiyadi Papa by K. Kannan, who wrote the film adaptation's dialogues and became known as Vedham Pudhithu Kannan. The film stars Sathyaraj, Saritha and Amala, with Raja, Charuhasan, Nizhalgal Ravi, Janagaraj and Master Dasarathi in supporting roles. It revolves around an atheist whose son falls in love with a Brahmin woman in the same village, leading to catastrophic consequences.
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Priya Mani Raj, known professionally as Priyamani, is an Indian actress and television personality who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
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Paruthiveeran is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Ameer. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the title character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan, Ganja Karuppu, Sampath Raj, and Sujatha Sivakumar playing supporting roles. Produced by Ameer, it features a soundtrack and score composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematograhy by Ramji and editing by Raja Mohammad.
Nagarajan Muthukumar was an Indian poet, lyricist, and author. Best known for his Tamil language film songs, he received the most Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist in Tamil and was a two-time recipient of the National Film Award for Best Lyrics for his works in Thanga Meenkal (2013) and Saivam (2014). He has won Two National Film Awards, Four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, and Four Filmfare Awards South respectively.
Senthamizhan Seeman is an Indian politician, actor and former filmmaker. He is the leader and chief-coordinator of the Naam Tamilar Katchi political party in Tamil Nadu. He is a strong advocate for regional autonomy and Tamil nationalism by focusing on the Tamil language, identity, and culture.
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