Career
Lokesh made his directorial debut with the short film, Acham Thavir (2012), which won awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Actor at the Clubace short film festival. [5] In 2016, his short film Kalam was included in the anthology film Aviyal , produced by Karthik Subbaraj. He directed his first feature film, Maanagaram , [7] in 2017, followed by the 2019 action thriller Kaithi produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, with Karthi in the lead role.
Lokesh's next film, Master , released in January 2021 and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year. [10] [11] [12] [13]
In 2022, Lokesh directed Vikram , starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film’s success, along with the establishment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), elevated his reputation in the industry, leading to another collaboration with Vijay on Leo (2023). [14] It became one of the highest grossing Indian films by earning over ₹ 600 crore (US$71 million) worldwide [15] and served as the third installment in the LCU franchise.
In June 2023, Lokesh announced to conclude his directing career after completing 10 films. [16] Later that year, in December, Lokesh announced a short film within the LCU, titled Chapter Zero, as a prequel to Kaithi 2. [17] [18] Lokesh Kanagaraj and Shruti Haasan come together for a musical project titled Inimel (2024). [19]
Following the release of Leo, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 171st film of Rajinikanth, Coolie (2025), produced by Sun Pictures and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. It marked Lokesh’s first collaboration with Rajinikanth and was conceived as a standalone film separate from the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU). [20] It released worldwide on 14 August 2025 to mixed reviews from both critics and audience alike, with significant box-office collections reported across India and overseas markets. [21]
On 14 January 2026, coinciding with Sankranthi and Pongal, Lokesh announced he would be directing the 23rd film of Allu Arjun, produced by Mythri Movie Makers and with music composed by Anirudh Ravichander. [22]
G Squad
In November 2023, Lokesh launched his production company, G Squad, and unveiled his first production, Fight Club , directed by Vijay Kumar. [23] [24] [25] On 14 April 2024 coinciding with Puthandu, Lokesh announced his production venture, Benz , directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan and starring Raghava Lawrence in the lead. He has also written the story for the film. [26] On 30 October 2024, Benz was confirmed to be a part of the LCU. [27] A few weeks later, Lokesh announced Mr Bhaarath, an upcoming Tamil-language romantic comedy, on 18 December 2024, to be produced under his G Squad banner. [28] On 12 December 2025, Rathna Kumar’s fourth directorial venture, following Gulu Gulu (2022), was announced as a co-production by Lokesh and Karthik Subbaraj under the banners G Squad and Stone Bench. [29]
Filmmaking style
Lokesh's films are primarily in the action genre. He has likened himself to John Woo, who is also known mainly for directing such films. Despite this, Lokesh has expressed interest in exploring other genres such as fantasy and comedy. He has cited action films from the 1980s and 1990s as influences on his films, and has named Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino as some of his favourite directors due to their filmmaking styles. Rathna Kumar, who worked with Lokesh on Master, Vikram, and Leo, mentioned that his penchant for retro songs, violence, and hyperlink narratives in his films comes from his admiration for Tarantino. [30] [5] [31] [32] [33] [34] Though Lokesh's films are sometimes criticised for glorifying bloodshed and violence, he admitted that while he does try to romanticise violence, he has always had to tone down such sequences in his films to appeal to family audiences. To make his stunt sequences believable, Lokesh avoids using ropes, and believes this limitation makes the sequences look brutal and raw. [35]
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