Ashwin Saravanan

Last updated

Ashwin Saravanan
Born
Tamil Nadu, India
OccupationFilm director
Years active2015–present
SpouseKaavya Ramkumar

Ashwin Saravanan is an Indian film director, who has directed predominantly Tamil language films. Directorial debut from Maya and film making style is neo-noir horror film. Second film was Game over and it is a psychological thriller film. Third movie is Connect and it is a supernatural horror movie.

Contents

Career

Ashwin Saravanan began writing short stories during his years in college and eventually made some short films. Inspired by the success of young filmmakers in the early 2010s such as Karthik Subbaraj, Balaji Mohan and Nalan Kumarasamy, Ashwin chose to quit his job in the software industry to work as a film director. [1] His first film, the horror drama Maya (2015) featured Nayanthara in the lead role, and the film won positive reviews from critics. A critic from The Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote: "Maya is wholly original and cerebral as well. Even after the film has ended, we keep thinking about it, replaying the scenes in our mind and thinking about the inventiveness in how the plot lines are brought together. And that is its real success". [2] Sify wrote: "Maya is a stupendous film and the entire team has done a remarkable job on par with international standards", going on to call it "undoubtedly one of the best horror movies of Tamil cinema". [3]

Ashwin subsequently began working on Iravaakaalam, a thriller film starring S. J. Suryah and Wamiqa Gabbi, by early 2017. Despite completing production, the film remains unreleased owing to financial problems face by the producers, Thenandal Studio Limited. [4] In 2018, Ashwin moved on to work on a bilingual psychological thriller film, Game Over (2019), shot in Tamil and Telugu. The film featured Taapsee Pannu playing a character dealing with an 'anniversary reaction', a condition which triggered unsettling feelings around the anniversary of a traumatic event. Produced by Y NOT Studios, the film performed well at the box office. [1] Ashwin then began pre-production on a film starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead role, but the film failed to develop into production despite a year of work. [5]

Ashwin's latest release was Connect (2022), a horror drama featuring Nayanthara, Anupam Kher and Sathyaraj in leading roles. He wrote the script for the film during the COVID-19 lockdown in India, noting that he added elements of the anxiousness that he was feeling during the period into the script. After pitching the idea to Nayanthara, the actress also agreed to produce the film. [6]

Personal life

Ashwin is married to Kaavya Ramkumar, who has worked as a co-writer in his films. [6]

Filmography

YearFilmDirectorWriterNotesRef.
2015 Maya YesYes [7]
2019 Game Over YesYesSimultaneously shot in Telugu [8]
2022 Connect YesYes [9]
TBAIravaakaalam†YesYesDelayed [10]
Key
†Denotes films that have not yet been released

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nayanthara</span> Indian actress, producer (born 1984)

Nayanthara is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she was the only South Indian actress to be featured in the Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list of 2018. She has acted in more than 75 films in a career spanning over two decades and has won numerous awards, including five Filmfare Awards South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and a Nandi Award. For her iconic filmography and the impact she created through it, she is popularly referred to as the 'Lady Superstar' of Indian cinema.

<i>Vismayathumbathu</i> 2004 Malayalam film

Vismayathumbathu is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language psychological thriller film written, directed and produced by Fazil. It stars Mohanlal, Mukesh, and Nayanthara. Mohanlal plays Sreekumar, who possess sixth sense, while Nayanthara does the role of a wandering spirit who get associated with Sreekumar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Ruth Prabhu</span> Indian actress (born 1987)

Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian actress who works primarily in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards South.

<i>Boss Engira Bhaskaran</i> 2010 Indian film

Boss Engira Bhaskaran is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh who earlier directed Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009). Starring Arya, Nayanthara and Santhanam in lead roles, the film is produced by K. S. Sreenivasan and features music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography handled by Sakthi Saravanan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taapsee Pannu</span> Indian actress (born 1987)

Tapasee Pannu, known as Taapsee Pannu, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. She has received several awards, including two Filmfare Awards and a Filmfare OTT Award.

<i>Nadunisi Naaygal</i> 2011 Indian film

Nadunisi Naaygal is a 2011 Tamil-language experimental psychological thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon that stars Veera, Sameera Reddy and Deva, 4 Rottweiler dogs, with Swapna Abraham and Ashwin in other pivotal roles. The film notably has no score, instead featuring sounds designed by Renganaath Ravee. Produced by Photon Kathaas Productions and R. S. Infotainment, Nadunissi Naaygal released on 18 February 2011, simultaneously dubbed and released in Telugu as Erra Gulabilu. The title Nadunisi Naaygal is taken from the title of a poem of Sundara Ramasamy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YNOT Studios</span> Indian film production company

YNOT Studios is an Indian film production company in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, established by producer S. Sashikanth. As of 2023, the company has produced 21 feature films, which includes productions made in the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi film industries of India. It has collaborated with filmmakers including Sudha Kongara, Balaji Mohan, Pushkar–Gayathri and Karthik Subbaraj.

<i>Arrambam</i> 2013 Indian film

Arrambam (transl. Beginning) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan. Produced by A. Raghuram and co-written by Subha, the film stars Ajith Kumar, Arya, Nayanthara and Taapsee Pannu, with Kishore, Rana Daggubati, Akshara Gowda in supporting roles. While the score and soundtrack of the film were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the cinematography was handled by Om Prakash and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aari Arujunan</span> Indian actor

Aari Arujunan is an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. He made his lead debut in Rettaisuzhi (2010) produced by director Shankar, before having a breakthrough performance as Murugan in Nedunchaalai (2014) and starring in the supernatural thriller Maya. In 2021, he emerged as the title winner of the Tamil reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4.

<i>Biriyani</i> (film) 2013 film by Venkat Prabhu

Biriyani is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action comedy thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Studio Green. It stars Karthi and Hansika Motwani alongside an ensemble cast including Premji, Nassar, Ramki, Sampath Raj, Madhumitha, Jayaprakash, Prem, and Mandy Takhar. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the score and soundtrack of Biriyani, which marks his 100th film, while Sakthi Saravanan and Praveen-Srikanth handled cinematography and editing, respectively.

<i>Aranmanai</i> 2014 film by Sundar C.

Aranmanai (transl. Mansion) is a 2014 Indian Tamil horror comedy film written and directed by Sundar C. The film stars Sundar C. alongside an ensemble cast including Hansika Motwani, Vinay Rai, Andrea Jeremiah, Raai Laxmi, Santhanam, Kovai Sarala, Manobala, Chitra Lakshmanan and Nithin Sathya. This film was the first installment in Aranmanai film series. In the film, When a family returns to their hometown to sell their ancestral palace. However, their arrival is marked by supernatural events, and Ravi, a relative of the family, decides to uncover the truth.

<i>Maya</i> (2015 Tamil film) 2015 Indian film

Maya is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir horror film written and directed by Ashwin Saravanan and produced by Potential Studios. The film features Nayanthara in her 50th film along with Aari Arujunan in the lead roles, while Lakshmi Priya and Amzath Khan play supporting roles. The music was composed by Ron Ethan Yohann with cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan and editing by T. S. Suresh.

<i>Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga</i> 2015 film directed by M. Rajesh

Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga also known by the initialism VSOP, is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh. It stars Arya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Santhanam and Muktha. Arya produced the film through his studio The Show People, associating with Prasad V Potluri's PVP cinema. The soundtrack was composed by D. Imman. Nirav Shah and Vivek Harshan handled cinematography and editing, respectively. The film began production in November 2014 and was released on 14 August 2015 to mixed reviews.

<i>Thani Oruvan</i> 2015 film directed by Mohan Raja

Thani Oruvan is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Mohan Raja and written by Raja and Suresh and Balakrishnan. Produced by Kalpathi S. Aghoram, S. Ganesh and S. Suresh under the studio AGS Entertainment, it stars Jayam Ravi, Arvind Swamy and Nayanthara while Ganesh Venkataraman, Harish Uthaman, Nassar, Thambi Ramaiah, Mugdha Godse, amongst others play supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thenandal Studio Limited</span> TSL Group

Thenandal Studios Limited (TSL), formerly known as Sri Thenandal Films and Sri Thenandal Pictures, is an Indian film production and distribution studio in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded by director Rama Narayanan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nayanthara filmography</span>

Indian actress and film producer Nayanthara, popularly addressed as the Lady Superstar of South Indian Cinema, works predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She made her acting debut with Sathyan Anthikad's Malayalam film Manassinakkare in 2003, post the success she became a popular star in the Malayalam industry. She did two more Malayalam films the following year: Shaji Kailas' Natturajavu, and Fazil's psychological thriller Vismayathumbathu. Nayanthara's first appearance in a non-Malayalam film was Hari's Tamil film Ayya, released in 2005. While still shooting for this film, she was cast in another Tamil film Chandramukhi, after its director P. Vasu's wife had seen Manassinakkare and recommended her. The film ran for over 100 days in theatres, eventually turning Nayanthara into one of the most-sought after actresses in Tamil.

<i>Imaikkaa Nodigal</i> 2018 film by R Ajay Gnanamuthu

Imaikkaa Nodigal is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by R. Ajay Gnanamuthu. It stars Nayanthara with Atharvaa, Raashii Khanna, Anurag Kashyap, both marking their debut in Tamil cinema in prominent roles. Vijay Sethupathi plays an extended cameo. The music was composed by Hiphop Tamizha, cinematography by R. D. Rajasekhar, editing by Bhuvan Srinivasan, and produced by C. J. Jayakumar. The film is a situational story focalizing on how a serial killer is apprehended by an intelligent CBI officer.

<i>Game Over</i> (2019 film) 2019 Indian Psychological thriller film

Game Over is a 2019 Indian psychological thriller film directed by Ashwin Saravanan. Produced by YNOT Studios and Reliance Entertainment, the film stars Taapsee Pannu as a woman with PTSD who is defending her home from a mysterious intruder. The film was shot simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu. The film was also dubbed in Hindi and was presented by Anurag Kashyap. The dialogues were written by Ashwin Saravanan and Kaavya Ramkumar in Tamil and Venkat Kacharla in Telugu. The music is composed by Ron Ethan Yohann.

Chakravarthy Ramachandra is an Indian film producer who has worked on Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam-language films. After beginning his career as an independent producer, he joined YNOT Studios as its CEO.

<i>Connect</i> (2022 film) 2022 Indian Tamil film

Connect is a 2022 Tamil-language supernatural horror film directed by Ashwin Saravanan and produced by Vignesh Shivan under Rowdy Pictures, starring Nayanthara, Sathyaraj, Anupam Kher, and Vinay Rai. Connect marks the second collaboration of Saravanan with Nayanthara, after Maya. The background score was composed by Prithvi Chandrasekhar. The film also marks Kher's return to Tamil cinema after a long gap.

References

  1. 1 2 "From software trainee to directing Taapsee: 'Game Over' director Ashwin Saravanan intv". The News Minute. 4 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Maya Movie Review". The Times of India .
  3. ↑ "Review : Maya". Sify . 19 September 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "We are hopeful that Mersal will have a Diwali release: Sri Thenandal Film's Hema Rukmani". 12 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Game Over director's next with Samantha Akkineni?". 23 December 2019.
  6. 1 2 "'Nayanthara is an actor who puts the script first': Director Ashwin Saravanan to TNM". The News Minute. 21 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Maya Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Maya by Times of India". The Times of India .
  8. ↑ "Game Over Movie Review {4/5}: Critic Review of Game Over by Times of India". The Times of India .
  9. ↑ "Connect Movie Review: A horror film with connectivity issues". The Times of India .
  10. ↑ "Director Ashwin Saravanan opens up on Iravakaalam release!". IndiaGlitz. 6 April 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.