Atlee (director)

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Atlee Kumar
Atleeawrd.jpg
Atlee at the 8th Vijay Awards, 2014
Born
Arun Kumar

(1986-09-21) 21 September 1986 (age 38)
Thiruparankundram, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupations
Years active2010–present
Spouse
Krishna Priya
​
(m. 2014)​
[1]
Children1

Arun Kumar (born 21 September 1986), known professionally as Atlee, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer best known for his work in Tamil cinema and Hindi Cinema. He initially worked as an assistant director under S. Shankar in the films Enthiran (2010) and Nanban (2012). He made his directorial debut with the film Raja Rani (2013), produced by Fox Star Studios, for which he was awarded Best Debut Director by the Vijay Award and the Tamil Nadu State award for best dialogue writer.

Contents

He directed the films Theri (2016), Mersal (2017) and Bigil (2019), all featuring Vijay, all of which became commercially successful at the box office and won several accolades. He then directed the Hindi-language Jawan (2023) starring Shah Rukh Khan, which emerged as his highest-grossing release.

Career

Atlee began his career at the age of 25, as an assistant director to director S. Shankar for the films Enthiran (2010) and Nanban (2012), a remake of the Hindi film 3 Idiots . His short film, Mugaputhagam (2011), received a massive response from the public and across various media platforms. In 2013, Atlee went on to make his directorial debut with Raja Rani , a rom com produced by A. R. Murugadoss. It starred Arya, Jai, Nayanthara, Nazriya Nazim, and Sathyaraj. It earned over ₹50 crores at the box office and won him the Best Debut Director award at the Vijay Awards. [2] [3]

Following the success of Raja Rani , Atlee went on to direct his next film, Theri (2016), an emotional action thriller, produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu, starring Vijay, Samantha, and Amy Jackson in the lead roles. It received positive reviews from the critics who praised the performances of the cast, soundtrack, score, cinematography, production design, and action sequences. Grossing over ₹150 crores at the box office, it emerged as a huge commercial success and became the second highest grossing Tamil of 2016. [4]

In 2017, Atlee went on to direct Mersal , an action thriller, produced by Thenandal Studio Limited. Again starring Vijay, it also had Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, S. J. Suryah, Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Hareesh Peradi, and Kovai Sarala appear in pivotal supporting roles. It was a commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in Tamil cinema, grossing more than ₹260 crores worldwide. The film became the recipient of various accolades. The film was released on 6 December 2018 in China by HGC Entertainment. Due to demand, the film was screened at the largest cinema theatre in Europe Grand Rex, France. The film was screened at the Hainan International Film Festival in Hainan, China and at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea. [5]

Atlee directed his next film, Bigil (2019), a sports action drama, produced by AGS Entertainment. He reunited for the third and second time with Vijay and Nayanthara, respectively. It also starred Jackie Shroff, Vivek and Kathir in other prominent roles. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman. Upon release, it received fairly positive reviews and emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019, collecting ₹305 crore upon its release. It also became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all-time and one of the highest-grossing film of Vijay's career. [6]

He also ventured into producing films. In 2017, Atlee and his wife, Priya Atlee, started their own production house, A for Apple Productions. They jointly produced their first film with Fox Star Studios, Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae , a horror comedy, written and directed by Ike. It starred Jiiva, Sri Divya, and Soori in the lead roles. [7]

In 2020, Atlee and Priya produced their second film, Andhaghaaram , a supernatural horror thriller film, written and directed by V. Vignarajan. It was produced by Priya Atlee, alongside Sudhan Sundaram, and Jayaram, under their banner, Passion Studio and K. Poornachandra's O2 Pictures. It starred Arjun Das, Vinoth Kishan, and Kumar Natarajan in the lead roles along with Pooja Ramachandran and Meesha Ghoshal in supporting roles. It was released directly on Netflix for streaming, on 24 November 2020. [8]

Atlee made his debut in Hindi cinema with Jawan , [9] starring Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Riddhi Dogra, along with others. Deepika Padukone and Sanjay Dutt made a special appearance and cameo appearance, respectively, in the film. It was produced by Khan's wife, Gauri Khan, and Gaurav Verma, under Red Chillies Entertainment. The music was composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It released on 7 September 2023 to generally positive reviews from both the critics and audience, alike. It set the record for a Hindi film grossing ₹129 crores (US$12.9 million) on its opening day. It grossed ₹520.79 crores worldwide in its opening weekend. It made about ₹1150 crores worldwide in its entire run and become an all-time blockbuster at the box office.

Personal life

Atlee married actress Krishna Priya on 9 November 2014. [10] Their son was born on 13 January 2023. [11]

Filmography

As director

YearTitleLanguageNotes
2013 Raja Rani Tamil [12]
2016 Theri
2017 Mersal
2019 Bigil
2023 Jawan Hindi

As producer

YearTitleLanguageNotes
2017 Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae Tamil
2020 Andhaghaaram
2024 Baby John HindiRemake of Theri
Co-producer

As actor

List of guest appearances by Atlee in film
YearTitleNotes
2012 Nanban In the song "Asku Laska"
2019 Bigil In the song "Singappenney"
2023 Jawan In the song "Zinda Banda"

Recurring collaborations

Editor Ruben, art director T. Muthuraj and actor Sai Dheena have worked on five of Atlee's films. Shobi and Yogi Babu has worked on four of his films. This list only concerns Atlee's directorial films.

Films Ruben T. Muthuraj Sai Dheena Shobi Yogi Babu Vijay Nayanthara G. K. Vishnu Vivek (lyricist) Manobala Rajendran Samantha Ruth Prabhu Amritha Aiyer
Raja Rani (2013)Yes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
Theri (2016)Yes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgdeleted sceneYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svguncredited
Mersal (2017)Yes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
Bigil (2019)Yes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg
Jawan (2023)Yes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svgTamil versionYes check.svgYes check.svgYes check.svg Tamil version

Plagiarism allegations and criticism

Atlee's films, though commercially successful, but have been criticized for having overly-familiar stories that have been done-to-death, starting from the 1980s of Tamil cinema. Raja Rani was described as an upgraded version of Mouna Ragam (1986), while Theri was described as inspired by Chatriyan (1990). [13] Mersal was described as an upgraded version of Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989) as well as Moondru Mugam (1982). [14] Bigil was described as " Chak De! India (2007) on steroids". [15] Atlee has countered that, despite having been sued for plagiarism numerous times. [16]

Accolades

FilmAwardCategoryResultRef
Raja Rani Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 2013 Best Dialogue Writer Won [17]
Edison Awards Best Debut DirectorWon
8th Vijay Awards Best Debut DirectorWon [18]
Best Story, Screenplay Writer Nominated
Best DialogueNominated
3rd SIIMA Awards Best Debut DirectorNominated
Theri 2nd IIFA Utsavam Best Director – TamilWon [19]
6th SIIMA Awards Best Director – TamilWon [20]
64th Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Tamil Nominated [21]
Mersal Edison Awards 2018 Best DirectorWon [22]
65th Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Tamil Nominated [23]
7th SIIMA Awards Best DirectorWon [24]
10th Vijay Awards Favourite Director Won [25]
[26]
Best DialogueNominated

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">AR Murugadoss</span> Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer

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T. Muthuraj is an Indian film production designer who works in predominantly Malayalam and Tamil films. He is well known for his collaborations with directors S. Shankar and Atlee Kumar.

<i>Raja Rani</i> (2013 film) 2013 film directed by Atlee

Raja Rani is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Atlee in his directorial debut. Produced by AR Murugadoss, the film stars Arya, Jai, Nayanthara and Nazriya Nazim, while Sathyaraj, Santhanam, Sathyan appear in supporting roles.

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

Vijay is an Indian actor, playback singer and politician who works in Tamil cinema. He made his cinematic debut in 1984 with Vetri, directed by his father, S. A. Chandrasekhar. After appearing in Chandrasekhar's films as a child artist, Vijay made his debut as a lead actor with Naalaiya Theerpu (1992) at the age of 18. He followed it with a role opposite Vijayakanth in Senthoorapandi (1993). Vijay went on to play lead roles in his father's directorial ventures such as Rasigan(1994) and Deva (1995)Vishnu Most of those films were successful commercially.

<i>Theri</i> (film) 2016 film directed by Atlee Kumar

Theri is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Atlee and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under the banner V Creations. Loosely inspired from the 1990 Tamil film Chatriyan and 2013 Hollywood film Homefront, the film stars Vijay, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Amy Jackson, Nainika, Radhika Sarathkumar, Rajendran and Mahendran. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with cinematography handled by George C. Williams and editing by Ruben. In the film, a former cop is on a mission to protect his daughter from his past enemies.

<i>Mersal</i> 2017 film directed by Atlee

Mersal (transl. Zapped) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Atlee and produced by Thenandal Studio Limited, in the studio's hundredth film production. The film stars Vijay in triple roles, alongside S. J. Suryah, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen. Sathyaraj, Vadivelu, Hareesh Peradi, Kovai Sarala and Sathyan play supporting roles. It is the second out of the three collaboration between Vijay and Atlee, before they began working with others. The film follows two brothers who were separated after the younger one's birth; Vetri, a vigilante magician who is against the medical crimes and Maaran, a reputed doctor who charges meagre amounts from his patients.

<i>Bigil</i> 2019 Indian Tamil film directed by Atlee

Bigil (transl. Whistle) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film directed by Atlee and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in the main dual lead role as father and son alongside an ensemble cast of Nayanthara, Jackie Shroff, Vivek, Kathir, Daniel Balaji, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, I. M. Vijayan, Arjan Bajwa, Indhuja Ravichandran, Reba Monica John, Amritha Aiyer and Varsha Bollamma. It is the third and final collaboration of Vijay with Atlee after Theri (2016) and Mersal (2017). The film follows Michael Rayappan a.k.a. "Bigil", a former footballer-turned-gangster, who ends up as coach of a women's football team.

<i>Theri</i> (soundtrack) 2016 soundtrack album by G. V. Prakash Kumar

Theri is the soundtrack album composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar for the 2016 Tamil action film of the same name, written and directed by Atlee Kumar and produced by S. Thanu, starring Vijay. Pulamaipithan, Na. Muthukumar, Pa. Vijay, Kabilan, Rokesh, R. Thiyagarajan and Arunraja Kamaraj wrote the lyrics for the songs. The album was launched on 20 March 2016, and received positive reviews from critics.

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<i>Mersal</i> (soundtrack) 2017 film score by A. R. Rahman

Mersal is the soundtrack of the 2017 Indian vigilante action film of the same name directed by Atlee, which stars Vijay in a triple role with Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal and Samantha as the female leads. The film, which marked the 100th production of Thenandal Studio Limited, has a soundtrack album features four tracks composed by A. R. Rahman, in his first collaboration with Atlee and his third collaboration with Vijay after composing for Udhaya (2004) and Azhagiya Tamizh Magan (2007), whilst Vivek penned the lyrics for all the songs in the film's soundtrack, also in his first association with Rahman.

"Verithanam" (transl. Frenzy) is an Indian Tamil-language song from the 2019 sports action film Bigil directed by Atlee. Composed by A. R. Rahman, the song featured lyrics written by Vivek and sung by actor Vijay, who also played the protagonist in the film. It is the first song Vijay has recorded for Rahman. The song was released by Sony Music India on 1 September 2019, and its video version was unveiled on 1 November.

<i>Jawan</i> (film) 2023 Indian Hindi action thriller film by Atlee

Jawan ( transl. Soldier) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Atlee in his Hindi film debut. It is produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as a father and son alongside Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra with Deepika Padukone in a special appearance. In the film, the jailer of a woman's prison recruits inmates and commits acts that shed light on corruption in India.

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References

  1. ↑ The Times of India (16 January 2017). "Atlee announces this wedding date!". Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Raja Rani crosses 50 crore mark". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "8th Annual Vijay Awards a grand success". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "India's Vijay Scores New Personal Record With Excellent 'Theri' Debut". Forbes . Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ↑ "Vijay's 'Mersal' Rules Overseas With ₹20 Cr./$3M Start". Forbes . Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Did Vijay's 'Bigil' incur losses at the box office despite being the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Sangili Bungili... star cast gets bigger". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Atlee's Andhaghaaram to release on Netflix". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "'A dream come true': Atlee, Anirudh Ravichander express excitement about working with Shah Rukh Khan in Jawan". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Atlee-Krishna Priya Wedding Reception Photos". International Business Times . 9 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Jawan director Atlee Kumar and wife Priya reveal name of baby boy, share family photo". The Economic Times. 7 May 2023. ISSN   0013-0389. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Before Thalapathy 63: The films Atlee has been accused of plagiarising". India Today . Chennai. 17 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ↑ "Before Thalapathy 63: The films Atlee has been accused of plagiarising". India Today. 17 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Mersal is indebted to Kamal Haasan's Aboorva Sagotharargal, as much as Baahubali to Thevar Magan". The Indian Express. 21 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  15. ↑ "Shahrukh Khan calls Bigil trailer, Chak De India on steroids". Cinema Express . 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "Assistant director to being Ambani's guest, Atlee's growth is a huge inspiration". India Today. 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  17. ↑ "TN Govt. announces Tamil Film Awards for six years". The Hindu. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  18. ↑ Sangeetha, Seshagiri (6 July 2014). "Vijay Awards: Ajith's 'Arrambam', Kamal Haasan, Sivakarthikeyan Bag Awards [Winners List]". IB Times . Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  19. ↑ Upadhyaya, Prakash (14 March 2017). "IIFA South Utsavam Awards 2017: Here is the complete nomination list for Tamil movies". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "SIIMA 2017 Nomination List – Tamil". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  21. ↑ "Tamil Nominations for Filmfare Awards South 2017". Filmfare . Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  22. ↑ Upadhyaya, Prakash (26 February 2018). "Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Mersal sweeps Edison Awards [winners' list]". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "Nominations for the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare . 4 June 2018. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  24. ↑ Goyal, Divya (15 August 2018). "SIIMA 2018 Nominations: Vijay's Mersal Beats Madhavan And Vijay Sethupathi's Vikram Vedha". NDTV. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  25. ↑ Upadhyaya, Prakash (4 June 2018). "Vijay Awards 2018: Here is the complete list of winners [Photos]". International Business Times . Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  26. ↑ "The Glitzy Night is Here!". Hotstar. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
    "Stars of the Night". Hotstar. 17 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
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