Pandiraj | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 June 1976 |
| Occupation(s) | Film director screenwriter film producer distributor |
| Years active | 2009-present |
Pandiraj is an Indian film director, producer and writer who works in Tamil cinema. His debut film, Pasanga (2009), and directed many commercially successful films. [1] He has won several awards, including two National Film Awards and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. [2]
Pandiraj was born 7 June 1976 and brought up in Virachilai Township, Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, India. After Schooling, he moved to Chennai in 1996. He worked as an "office-boy" with director K. Bhagyaraj. During his early years, he wrote several short stories for the famous Tamil Bagya. Gradually, his interest in film making increased and after hurdles, he got the chance to be an assistant director to filmmaker Cheran. He later worked as an assistant director to Thangar Bachan and Chimbu Deven in six films. [3]
Pandiraj is also famous for making village action family movies. The movies include a lot of family sentiments and focuses on farming.
In 2009, Pandiraj became an independent director with director M. Sasikumar agreeing to produce the film. Titled Pasanga , it was a children's film featuring several new child actors and Vimal in his first lead role. Pasanga was said to be a dedication to Pandiraj's childhood memories and was shot during the school vacations and on weekends. [4] The film was a critical success, winning several national and international awards, including three National Film Awards, [5] and being screened at various film festivals. [6] Following the success of Pasanga, Pandiraj directed his second film, Vamsam with newcomer Arulnithi and Sunaina starring. The film, which was produced by Arulnidhi's father and M. Karunanidhi's youngest son, M. K. Thamizharasu, gained positive reviews and went well in the box office. [7]
In 2012, Pandiraj set up his a film production studio named Pasanga Productions. His first production was his own directorial Marina which marked the feature film debut for television anchor and comedian Sivakarthikeyan. The film received mixed reviews from critics. [8] The director's next Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga was also produced by him. Pandiraj cast the lead actors of his previous films, Sivakarthikeyan and Vimal, in the film, who were paired Bindu Madhavi and Regina Cassandra. The romantic comedy film received positive responses from critics and became a commercial hit. [9] Pandiraj distributed his former assistant Naveen's debut film Moodar Koodam under his Pasanga Productions studio. He also wrote the dialogues for cinematographer Vijay Milton's second directorial Goli Soda . [10] In 2015, Pandiraj has directed another children's film titled Pasanga 2 , produced by actor Suriya. [11] He later directed romantic comedy Idhu Namma Aalu (2016) and action thriller, Kathakali (2016).
In 2018, Kadaikutty Singam was promoted as a film that would inspire the younger generation to take up farming. But the movie propagates good familial values more and focuses less on farming. [12] Pandiraj won Best Director Tamil in South Indian International Movie Awards. [13] Later, Pandiraj produced Semma and launched his former assistant Vallikanthan as a director, starring G. V. Prakash Kumar. [14] With Namma Veettu Pillai (2019), which had actor Sivakarthikeyan in the lead, Pandiraj, once again focused a film on family values. [15]
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 2009 | Pasanga |  |  | | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil National Film Award for Best Screenplay (Dialogues) Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer Vijay Award for Best Find of the Year Vijay Award for Best Crew |
| 2010 | Vamsam | | | | |
| 2012 | Marina | | | | Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer |
| 2013 | Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga | | | | |
| 2014 | Goli Soda | | | | |
| 2015 | Pasanga 2 | | | | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Second Film (Co-produced along with Suriya and Jyothika) |
| 2016 | Idhu Namma Aalu | | | | |
| Kathakali | | | | ||
| 2018 | Kadaikutty Singam | | | | SIIMA Award for Best Director |
| Semma | | | | ||
| 2019 | Namma Veettu Pillai | | | | |
| 2019 | Marina Puratchi | | | | Norway Tamil Film Festival award for Best Picture |
| 2022 | Etharkkum Thunindhavan | | | | |
The Vijay for Best Début Actor is given by Vijay Sethupathi as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The Vijay for Best Story, Screenplay Writer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The Vijay Award for Favorite Director is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
Vemal is an Indian actor known for his appearances in Tamil films. He gained recognition with his credited appearances and supporting role in the critically acclaimed movie Kanchivaram. He later played the lead role in Pandiraj's highly acclaimed film Pasanga in 2009.
V. Jayaprakash is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil and Telugu films. He ventured into film business in the early 2000s as a producer, making several films under his banner GJ Cinema and later turned actor, with Cheran's 2007 film, Mayakannadi. Subsequently, performing a variety of supporting roles, he found more success as a character actor, with his most notable performances in Pasanga (2009), Naadodigal (2009), Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), Yuddham Sei (2011), Mankatha (2011), Moodar Koodam (2013) and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum (2014).
Marina is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written, produced, and directed by Pandiraj and starring Pakkada Pandi, Gautham Purushoth, Sivakarthikeyan and Oviya. This film marks the debut of Purushoth and Sivakarthikeyan. The music was composed by Girishh G and the movie was released on 3 February 2012. It won 2 Tamil Nadu State film Awards for Best Dialogues and the Special Jury Award for Best Film.
Sivakarthikeyan Doss, also known by the initialism SK, is an Indian actor, playback singer, lyricist, film producer and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. In 2021, he won the Kalaimamani Award.
Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga is a 2013 Tamil-language political comedy drama film written, directed and co-produced by Pandiraj. It features Vimal and Sivakarthikeyan in lead roles, alongside Bindu Madhavi and Regina Cassandra. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the soundtrack. The film released on 29 March 2013 and received positive responses from critics as well as audiences. It ran for 100 days in many theatres in Tamil Nadu and was commercially successful. The film was remade in Kannada as Katte.
SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Tamil is presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards, for best acting done by an actor in Tamil films. The award was first given in 2012 for films released in 2011.
Moodar Koodam is a 2013 Indian Tamil language action comedy film written, produced and directed by Naveen. The film stars the director himself alongside Sendrayan, Kuberan, and Rajaji in lead roles. Oviya, Anupama Kumar, Jayaprakash, Five Star Krishna, and Uday Mahesh play other pivotal roles. The film was produced by director Naveen himself under the "White Shadows Productions" banner with Pandiraj releasing the movie through his Pasanga Productions. The music is by Natarajan Sankaran. This film received positive reviews. This film is loosely based on the 1999 South Korean crime-comedy film Attack the Gas Station.
Pasanga 2 : Haiku is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language children's film written, co produced and directed by Pandiraj. A thematic sequel to Pasanga (2009), the film focuses on the issue of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) amongst children and is set in the city, unlike Pasanga. The film, starring debutante child actors Nishesh and Vaishnavi in lead alongside Ramdoss, Vidya Pradeep, Karthik Kumar and Bindu Madhavi. This film is produced by Suriya, who also appears in a supporting character along with Amala Paul. The film will mark Pandiraj's last of the trilogy for children, following Pasanga and Marina.
Sujatha Sivakumar is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil films. She rose to fame with her performance in Ameer's Paruthiveeran (2007), before appearing in several supporting roles as a mother in Tamil cinema.
Naveen Mohammed Ali is a director, who works in the Tamil film industry. Naveen made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Moodar Koodam in 2013. He produces films under his production company, White Shadows Productions.
Semma is a 2018 Indian Tamil language comedy-drama film directed by Vallikanth and written by Pandiraj. The film stars G. V. Prakash Kumar and Arthana Binu, while Yogi Babu and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others, play supporting roles. Featuring music also composed by Prakash Kumar and cinematography by Vivekanand Santhosham, the film began production during early 2017 and released on 25 May 2018 to mixed reviews. It was later dubbed into Telugu as Chinni Krishnudu.
Veerasamar is an Indian art director and actor who has appeared in Tamil language films. Veerasamar started his career as assistant to art director Sabu Cyril and made his breakthrough as an actor with a leading role in Veerasekaran (2010) and has often appeared in films in both lead and comedy roles.
Kadaikutty Singam is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Pandiraj and produced by Suriya on his studio 2D Entertainment. The film features an ensemble cast of Karthi, Sayyeshaa, Sathyaraj, Soori, Viji Chandrasekhar, Bhanupriya, Deepa Shankar, Arthana Binu and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The film's music was composed by D. Imman and the cinematographer was by Velraj. The film was released on 13 July 2018 to Positive reviews.
Namma Veettu Pillai is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy drama film written and directed by Pandiraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Aishwarya Rajesh, with a supporting cast including Anu Emmanuel, Samuthirakani, Soori, Bharathiraja, and Natty Subramaniam. The movie marks the third collaboration between Pandiraj and Sivakarthikeyan after Marina and Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga. The music for the film is scored by D. Imman, while cinematography and editing is handled by Nirav Shah and Ruben. The film released on 27 September 2019. The film received positive response from audience and become a successful venture at the box office.
Etharkkum Thunindhavan, also known by the initialism ET, is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film, written and directed by Pandiraj, and produced by Sun Pictures. The film stars Suriya, Vinay Rai and Priyanka Mohan. D. Imman composed the film's music, R. Rathnavelu handled the cinematography and Ruben edited it. The film revolves around a lawyer who opposes a pornography racket that is run by a prominent minister's son.
Etharkkum Thunindhavan is the soundtrack album composed by D. Imman for the Tamil-language action thriller film of the same name directed by Pandiraj and produced by Sun Pictures, starring Suriya and Priyanka Arul Mohan. The soundtrack has ten tunes; four songs featuring lyrics written by Yugabharathi, Sivakarthikeyan and Vignesh Shivan and the remainder of the album featured instrumental tracks used in the background score. It was released on 31 January 2022.
Myna Nandhini is an Indian actress and television personality who predominantly appears in Tamil films and television shows. She is best known as Myna Revathi in Saravanan Meenatchi , Alabarai Myna in Chinna Thambi and for her major breakthrough role Mynavathi in Aranmanai 3 (2021). She is also the runner-up of the cooking show Kitchen Super Star which aired on Star Vijay in 2015. In 2022, she participated in Bigg Boss 6 as a contestant.