M. Rajesh | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | National Engineering College, Kovilpatti |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Years active | 2009–present |
Spouse | Shakthi |
Muthukumarasamy Rajesh is an Indian film director and screenwriter, working primarily in the Tamil film industry. Known for making comedy films, he made his directorial debut with Siva Manasula Sakthi in 2009 and followed it up with Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010) and Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012), all three of which emerged very successful at the box office. This was followed by a career setback, as his subsequent films were poorly received.
M. Rajesh was born in Nagercoil. [1] After studying engineering at National Engineering College in Kovilpatti, he worked as an information technology professional in Mumbai for six months before deciding to pursue a career in film. [2]
Rajesh worked with the production unit Cosmic Blues, and as an assistant on many short films and advertisement films for one-and-a-half years before shifting to Chennai. He began his feature film career as an assistant director under Ameer in Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002), and later assisted S. A. Chandrasekhar on a few films including Sukran (2005) and Nenjirukkum Varai (2006). After deciding to turn director, Rajesh opted against imitating Ameer or Chandrasekhar's directing styles, but wanted his own style that would appeal to youngsters, and wrote the script of Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009). [2] [3] The film became a commercial success, as did his next two directorial ventures, Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010) and Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012). All three films were described by Sify as having reinvented "the trend of light-hearted comedy entertainers without big storylines". [4]
Rajesh later wrote the dialogues for Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013), also a success. [5] However, his subsequent directorial ventures All in All Azhagu Raja (2013), Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga (2015), [4] Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru (2016) and Mr. Local (2019) became box-office bombs. [6] [7] By the time of Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga's release, he was described by Sify as having lost his "Midas touch", and that he "should work on something out of the box to taste the much needed success". [4] His next venture, Vanakkam Da Mappilei , premiered on Sun NXT in 2021. [8] In 2022, Rajesh directed "Mirrage", an episode of the anthology thriller series Victim , deviating from his usual comedy films. [9] He also began work on Brother . [10]
Rajesh's films have been heavily criticised for seemingly glorifying stalking, drinking and degrading women. Ashutosh Mohan wrote for Film Companion that Rajesh's initial films appeared harmless: "Why shouldn't wastrels get the good girls? It stopped being funny from All in All Azhaguraja, when it became clear that misogyny, more than comedy, was really Rajesh's thing". Mohan felt the lead characters in Rajesh's films are "paragons of unproductivity. They have online degrees in stalking, which somehow seems to help them get girls who are otherwise sensible and independent" and lamented that these characterestics seemed to have influenced the lead characters in films not directed by Rajesh, such as Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam (2013), Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal (2014) and Nannbenda (2015). Though Rajesh initially said Mr. Local would not feature any drinking or smoking scene, the film received criticism because of its toxic treatment of the female lead character, body shaming, shaming of transgender people and glorifying other activities not considered socially proper. [11] [12]
Rajesh is married to Shakthi, who he met while working as an assistant under Chandrashekhar. [2] Rajesh's father died on 2 October 2010. [13]
Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Writer | |||
2009 | Siva Manasula Sakthi | Yes | Yes | |
2010 | Boss Engira Bhaskaran | Yes | Yes | |
2012 | Oru Kal Oru Kannadi | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam | No | Dialogues | |
2013 | All in All Azhagu Raja | Yes | Yes | |
2015 | Vasuvum Saravananum Onna Padichavanga | Yes | Yes | |
2016 | Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru | Yes | Yes | |
2019 | Mr. Local | Yes | Yes | |
2021 | Vanakkam Da Mappilei | Yes | Yes | |
2022 | Victim | Yes | Yes | Anthology series; episode: "Mirrage" |
2023 | MY3 | Yes | Yes | Streaming television series [14] |
TBA | Brother | Yes | Yes |
Jamshad Cethirakath, known by his stage name Arya, is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema and a few Malayalam and Telugu films. Arya has won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South and received two nominations each for Filmfare Awards and Vijay Awards. He was included on the 2015 edition of the Forbes India Celebrity 100, a list based on the top earning Indian celebrities.
Santhanam is an Indian actor and producer who mainly works in Tamil cinema. Beginning his career as a comedian on television, he rose to fame through his performances in STAR Vijay's Lollu Sabha enacting the lead role in spoofs of Tamil films. He was subsequently given a chance by actor Silambarasan to feature in a supporting role in Manmadhan (2004) and then was signed on to appear in a host of films, notably winning good reviews for his work in Sachien (2005) and Polladhavan (2007). He appeared in a one-off leading role in Shankar's production Arai En 305-il Kadavul (2008) and became a staple feature as a comedian in successful Tamil films during the period, with his market popularity helping stuck films find distributors.
G. V. Prakash Kumar is an Indian music composer, playback singer, actor and producer known for his work in Tamil films and a few Telugu films as well. His first film was S Pictures' Veyil (2006) and he gained fame in Tamil films by the early 2010s. He made his debut in acting on 2015 through Darling. He has won one National Award and three Filmfare Awards in his film career.
Siva Manasula Sakthi also known by the initialism SMS, is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant M. Rajesh, a former assistant of director S. A. Chandrasekhar. It stars Jiiva and newcomer Anuya Bhagwat, a student of Pune Film Institute, in the lead roles, with Santhanam, Urvashi and Sathyan appearing in supporting and Arya appearing in a cameo role.
The Vijay for Best Comedian is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The Vijay for Best Lyricist is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
Udhayanidhi Stalin is an Indian film producer, politician and former actor who prominently worked in Tamil cinema. He was appointed as Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Special act implementation Department of Tamil Nadu in the ministry by his father the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin in December 2022. He is a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, representing the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency.
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.
Oru Kal Oru Kannadi abbreviated as OKOK is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh. It stars producer Udhayanidhi Stalin in his acting debut, Hansika Motwani, and Santhanam, while Saranya Ponvannan and Azhagam Perumal play supporting roles. The film's music was composed by Harris Jayaraj with cinematography by Balasubramaniem and editing by Vivek Harshan. The film was named after the song of the same name from Rajesh's film Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009).
Dinesh Kumar is an Indian choreographer working with South Indian films, including Tamil films. He won the 2011 National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work in Aadukalam (Tamil)
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Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Ponram, in his directorial debut. Produced by P. Madan under the Escape Artists Motion Pictures banner, it stars Sivakarthikeyan, Sathyaraj, Sri Divya and Soori in prominent roles. The music for the film is composed by D. Imman, with cinematography handled by Balasubramaniem and editing done by Vivek Harshan. M. Rajesh wrote the dialogues for the film.
All in All Azhagu Raja is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh. The film stars Karthi in dual lead roles with Kajal Aggarwal, Prabhu, Santhanam, Saranya Ponvannan, and Radhika Apte in the supporting roles. The music was composed by S. Thaman with cinematography by Sakthi Saravanan and editing by Vivek Harshan. The film was released on 2 November 2013 coinciding with Diwali to negative reviews from critics.
OK OK may refer to:
Santhanam is an Indian actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil films as a comedian and also has appeared in films in a lead role. He began his career on television shows including Vijay TV's Lollu Sabha enacting the lead role in spoofs of Tamil films. He was subsequently given a chance by actor Silambarasan in a supporting role in Manmadhan (2004) and then was signed on to appear in films including Sachien (2005) and Polladhavan (2007). He appeared in a one-off leading role in Shankar's production Arai En 305-il Kadavul (2008) and subsequently became a staple feature as a comedian in successful Tamil films during the period, with his market popularity helping stuck films find distributors. Santhanam has also had embarked on collaborations with directors including M. Rajesh's comic trilogy of Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009), Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010) and Oru Kal Oru Kannadi (2012).
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.
Yaar Kannan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who has worked on Tamil films. He made his debut with the 1985 with the horror film Yaar? and regularly collaborated with Ramarajan in the late 1980s.
R. D. Raja is an Indian film producer, creative producer, lyricist and movie promotion consultant who primarily works in the Tamil film Industry also known for his films produced in Tamil cinema through his production company, 24AM Studios.
Ponraman Perumal, known professionally as Ponram is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He directed the film Thirutham in 2007 Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam in 2013. Later on he had directed Seema Raja in 2018.
The American mappillai also known as America mappillai, is a stock character in Tamil cinema, a NRI man who is portrayed as a potential suitor of the female lead character but is often turned down in favour of the Indian lead character.