Mysskin

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Mysskin
Mysskin, Tamil filmmaker.jpg
Born
Shanmugha Raja

(1971-09-20) 20 September 1971 (age 52)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesMysskin
Occupation(s)Director, writer, music director, actor, producer, singer, lyricist
Years active2002–present

Shanmugha Raja, known professionally as Mysskin, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, singer, producer and composer. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

He made his directorial debut in 2006 with Chithiram Pesuthadi . His subsequent films Anjathe (2008), Nandalala (2010) and Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013) and Pisaasu (2014) received critical acclaim. He made his acting debut with Nandalala (2010), where he portrayed a mentally disabled man. In 2023, he debuted as music director with Devil (2024). [5] He is considered an auteur in Tamil cinema.

Early life

Shanmugha Raja chose Mysskin as his assumed name, inspired by Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot . [3] [2] His schooling was in Tamil. He is an avid book reader. [6]

Career

Directing

Mysskin was working in a book store when director Kathir first asked him to join him. He was with him for nearly eight months but did not work in any movie. It was under director Vincent Selva that he did his first movie Youth , followed by Jithan , again under Vincent Selva. [6]

Mysskin made his directorial debut in 2006 with the low-budget film Chithiram Pesuthadi , which went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. A simple love story, it became a hit owing to the unique style the film was written in. The leads, debutants Narain and Bhavana, went on to become popular faces following the success. He then directed Anjathe (2008) which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil cinema. The film received critical acclaim for all departments of filmmaking. The film was also noted for its narrative style and mise-en-scène, which marked an example of Tamil new wave cinema. [7] It starred Narain, Prasanna, Ajmal Ameer, Vijayalakshmi, and yesteryear actor Pandiarajan in a never-before-seen role. Both films had his iconic yellow saree item numbers, which became big hits and captured the hearts of the young and old alike.

Mysskin went on to direct Nandalala (2010), a film loosely based on Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro (1999) and being completely different from his first two ventures. The film is about a young boy and a mentally challenged person going in search of their respective mothers. Mysskin himself chose to play the mentally challenged character (marking his major acting debut) after the script was turned down by many established actors. The film went on to become his most critically acclaimed film, with some critics calling it one of the best Tamil films ever made. [8] Nandalala won the people's choice award at the Norway Film Festival.

His next film, Yuddham Sei (2011), a dark crime thriller was a hit at the box office as well. His visual style and directing prowess were appreciated and talked about by everybody. [9] His next film, Mugamoodi , a commercial attempt at the superhero genre, received positive reviews from the public and media. His next film Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013), was a fast-paced thriller which received superlative reviews from all corners. Audience and critics praised the film as a trendsetter and the changing face of Tamil cinema. Mysskin also acted in the film as one among the two lead characters, an antihero.

Pisaasu released on 19 December 2014 and became a major success, receiving critical acclaim for its sensible portrayal of the supernatural, horror, and romance. It was one of the biggest commercial hits of 2014 in Tamil cinema and proved to be the most profitable Tamil film for the year. His next film was Thupparivaalan (2017), a detective thriller starting Vishal in the lead and heavily inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Mysskin went on to direct Psycho (2020), starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Nithya Menen, and Aditi Rao Hydari. The film was a critical and commercial success and redefined the clichéd whodunit genre.

Acting

Mysskin has found success as an actor in films not directed by him. In the film Savarakathi (2018), he played the antagonist opposite director Ram. The film was an average commercial success but was praised by critics. He also had an important cameo appearance in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Super Deluxe (2019). [10] He has also played antagonistic roles in films such as Maaveeran (2023) and Leo (2023).

Filmmaking style

Mysskin is inspired by filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Robert Bresson and Takeshi Kitano. He is known for his peculiar combat sequences using elaborate storyboard [11] [12] and real unarmed martial strikes and stances; [13] unconventional shots (like close-ups of feet); diegetic sound, light, silhouette and shadow; stage techniques (like monologue, face-floor, motion-freeze); staccato background score; meticulous scene and set construction; irony-laden dialogues; ellipses; minimalism; deep characterization (with archetypal hairdo, dress, accent, posture, gesture, locale, furniture); limited use of song choreography; and neo-noir renditions where the lead role is not infallible.

Mysskin is known to start film shoot only after a bound script is ready. He rigorously annotates his scripts with cues and camera lens focal lengths for each scene. [14] [15] He says that his films are influenced by the works of Kurosawa. [16] His plots predominantly deal with the urban poor and middle class. His films also have a recurring theme of compassion and redemption. His favorite directors are Bresson, Kitano, and Jean-Pierre Melville. He also borrows his filmmaking style from Kitano.

He assistant directors like G. R. Adithya and Sri Ganesh have also made successful films like Savarakathi and 8 Thottakkal.

Personal life

His younger brother Aathityaa directed Devil (2024), for which he composed the music. [5]

Filmography

†Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director

List of Mysskin film directing credits
YearFilmNotes
2006 Chithiram Pesuthadi
2008 Anjathe Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil
Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Director
2010 Nandalala
2011 Yuddham Sei
2012 Mugamoodi
2013 Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum
2014 Pisaasu
2017 Thupparivaalan
2020 Psycho
2024Pisaasu IIFilming

As actor

List of Mysskin film acting credits
YearFilmRoleNotesRef.
2002 Youth Man in song "Old Model Laila"Uncredited role [17]
2002 Kadhal Virus Man at film shootUncredited role
2005 Jithan Man at phone boothUncredited role
2010 Nandalala Bhaskar Mani
2013 Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum Wolf / Edward
2018 Savarakkaththi MangeswaranAlso producer
2019 Super Deluxe Arputham
Kattumaram Singaram
Suttu Pidikka Utharavu Ibrahim
2021 Bachelor Pastor DoctorCameo appearance
2023 Maaveeran M. N. Jeyakodi
Are You Ok Baby? Child Welfare Committee Director
Leo Shanmugam
2024 Devil Cameo appearance [5]

Other crew positions

This is a list of films Mysskin worked for other directors.

YearTitleWriterProducerNotes
2018 Savarakkaththi YesYes
YesYes
2019 Super Deluxe Yes
2024 Devil PresenterAlso music director

As singer

YearSong(s)FilmComposerNotes
2008"Kannadhasan Karaikudi" & "Acham Thavir" Anjathe Sundar C Babu
2008"Sutta Pazhama" Dindigul Sarathy Dhina
2011"Aararo" & "Vedham Pudhumai" Yuddham Sei K
2012"Bar Anthem" Mugamoodi
2013"Ammadi Aathadi" Thulli Vilayadu Srikanth Deva
2015"Vellakaara Rani" Kallappadam K
2016"Kathi Edukkuthaan" Savarakkaththi Arrol Corelli
2017"Ivan Thupparivaalan" Thupparivaalan Arrol Corelli also sang the Telugu dubbed version of the song

As lyricist

YearSong(s)FilmComposerNotes
2006"Aaahayam Aaahayam" & "Idhu Enna Pudhu Kanavo (M)" Chithiram Pesuthadi Sundar C Babu
2012"Bar Anthem"MugamoodiK
2016"Thangakathi"SavarakathiArrol Corelli
2017"Ivan Thupparivaalan"ThupparivaalanArrol Corelli
2020"Thaai Madiyil" Psycho Ilaiyaraaja
2024all songs Devil himself

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References

  1. ↑ "Mysskin — Missing the forest for the trees | FCCI". Journal of Indian Cinema. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Ahead of Psycho's Release, Delving Into Mysskin's Unique Craft". The Quint. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Shanmugha Raja is the real name of director Mysskin". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Lakshmi, V. (29 June 2022). "Mysskin turns composer for a crime thriller". Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "Devil Movie Review: Works In Parts But Gets Undone In The End". TimesNow. 2 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Director Mysskin". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Kalorth, Nithin (September 2013). "Identification and Analysis of Images in Anjathey". Media Watch. 4 (3): 391–399. doi: 10.1177/0976091120130311 . ISSN   0976-0911. S2CID   61507138.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Review: Nandhalala is brilliant". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Review: Yuddham Sei is gripping". Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Super Deluxe: Director Mysskin spills the beans on Vijay Sethupathi film". India Today . 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "Mysskin choreographs fights with storyboard". YouTube . Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Mysskin says storyboarding helps cut costs". YouTube . Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Mysskin storyboarding combat sequence for Thupparivaalan". YouTube . Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Films can be made without songs or heroines, says Mysskin
  15. ↑ Cuss words are needed for realism, says Mysskin
  16. ↑ Mysskin admits Kurosawa influence
  17. ↑ "Did you know Mysskin's debut on-screen appearance was with Vijay's 'Youth'?". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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