Prabhu Solomon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 May 1969 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Director, Producer |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | Punitha [1] |
Prabhu Solomon (born 7 May 1969) is an Indian film director who has primarily worked on Tamil films. After making his directorial debut in 1999 with Kannodu Kanbathellam , he had a middling career before rising to prominence with the success of the romantic tragedy film Mynaa (2010).
Solomon hails from Neyveli in Cuddalore district Tamil Nadu, He was a regular at the town's only cinema hall, which fostered his passion for films. He attended St. Paul's Matriculation Higher Secondary School, after which he completed a master's degree in English literature, before relocating to Chennai. His career in the film industry started in 1991 and for three years, he looked for opportunities to become in involved in ongoing film projects. [2] He first worked as a stunt double for Sarathkumar in Namma Annachi (1994), where he also met director Sundar C, who was working as the associate director of the film. He consequently joined Sundar's film Murai Maman (1995) as an assistant director, before subsequently working with Agathiyan on the award-winning Kadhal Kottai (1996). [2]
Anbalaya Films offered him an opportunity to direct a film for their production house, after he had helped them complete post-production Murai Mappillai (1995) when director Sundar C walked out. Solomon chose to feature Raghuvaran and Bhanupriya in the leading roles, though the producers Anabalaya Films were reluctant to cast a character artiste in the lead role for the film, Kannodu Kanbathellam (1999). Prabhu revealed he met Arjun in Thenkasi during the making of Mudhalvan (1999), at the insistence of his producer and actively tried to make a poor impression. Arjun, nonetheless, was keen and worked on the film. [2] Co-starring Sonali Bendre and Suchindra, the film was released to positive reviews. A romantic thriller featuring Arjun in a different role to his usual action ventures, the film however did well at the box office and became successful at the box office. Similarly his second venture, the Kannada film Usire (2001), a remake of Cheran's Bharathi Kannamma , did not perform as expected commercially. [2] Solomon had wanted Shiva Rajkumar to play the lead role, and he lamented that miscasting Ravichandran in the leading role instead, worked against the viability of the film. Solomon had signed on Vikram to play the lead role in a project shortly after the success of Sethu (1999) and wanted to work on a different script, but the actor insisted that the pair a film from the director's script titled King (2002). Solomon revealed that he was unconvinced about Vikram portraying the lead role, feeling that he was too old to play Nassar's son, but the actor insisted the project went ahead. Delays in the production in the film meant that Vikram's star image had risen and reviewers labelled the film as a disappointment upon release. The director noted that the story was written with the expectation of a small-time actor in the lead role, and hence Vikram's sudden popularity worked against his film. He revealed that his early career in film involved making significant compromises and was strictly against the type of cinema he had actually ventured to make. [2] He made the films Kokki (2006), Lee (2007), and Laadam (2009). Kokki had a successful run, but Lee and Laadam received mixed reviews.
It was with Mynaa that Solomon achieved his first breakthrough, a romance film set against the backdrop of Kurangani Theni district, Tamil Nadu. Mynaa opened to be a critically and commercially successful venture in the box office. [3]
After Mynaa, Solomon assigned his next film Kumki to director N. Lingusamy, which also marks the debut of Vikram Prabhu, the son of actor Prabhu and the grandson of actor Sivaji Ganesan. Like his previous film, Kumki was also a huge success in box office. D. Imman's music and M. Sukumar's cinematography contributed to the film's success.
Following the success of Kumki, Solomon took a break and went on a recce to the coastal South Indian town of Nagapattinam to get inspired for a story set on the backdrop of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. He gathered real-life stories of survival and intertwined them into his script. [4] Subsequently, he launched his next production Kayal with newcomers Chandran and Anandhi in the title roles, and shot for the film for a year. Scenes were shot for several days underwater, with the team often doing up to ten hours a day in knee-length depths of water. [4] The film completed shoot after 85 days in May 2014, with the director announcing that post-production would be extensive as a result of impending VFX works. [5] [6] During the music release of the film in November 2014, Solomon revealed more details about the production of the film, noting that the climax was shot first to ensure graphic works depicting the tsunami could have as much time spent on it as possible. He went on to add that it was his costliest production till date and the film was made at a cost of ₹15 crore, with the special effects, notably the use of 7.1 Atmos mix for the climax, which was particularly expensive. [7] [8] Kayal, like Mynaa and Kumki, released to critical acclaim and positive reviews.
In 2016, Solomon released Thodari , starring Dhanush. Good performances and an interesting screenplay with plenty of fun moments made Solomon's a decent attempt. [9] Solomon produced the film Rubaai (2017) under the banner God Pictures. The film was titled as Faisal. After they had wrapped up the first schedule, the film had the title change. [10] In 2021, Solomon directed Kaadan , a film set in a territory familiar to him - revolving around elephants and protecting forests. According to Indiaglitz, Kaadan, for a Tamil film, presents North Indian police officers and has a lot of North sensibilities which make audience feel an instant disconnect as well. All said, Prabhu Solomon's Kaadan has set its intention right and is a noteworthy venture for its important social message, but the film received mixed reviews. [11] His 2022 film Sembi , produced by Trident Arts productions, [12] on the other hand, received highly positive reviews. Touted to be an intense social drama, set against the backdrop for Kodaikanal, Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan plays the lead in the film alongside actors Kovai Sarala and Thambi Ramaiah. [13]
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(November 2022) |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Kannodu Kanbathellam | Tamil | |
| 2001 | Usire | Kannada | credited as A. X. Prabhu [14] |
| 2002 | King | Tamil | |
| 2006 | Kokki | Tamil | |
| 2007 | Lee | Tamil | |
| 2009 | Laadam | Tamil | |
| 2010 | Mynaa | Tamil | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director Vijay Award for Best Story, Screenplay Writer Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Director - Tamil |
| 2012 | Kumki | Tamil | SIIMA Award for Best Director [15] |
| 2014 | Kayal | Tamil | |
| 2016 | Thodari | Tamil | |
| 2021 | Kaadan Aranya Haathi Mere Saathi | Tamil Telugu Hindi | |
| 2022 | Sembi | Tamil | |
| 2023 | Kumki 2 | Tamil | Filming |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Saattai | Tamil | |
| 2017 | Rubaai | Tamil | |
Srinivasa Sarja, better known by his stage name Arjun Sarja or simply Arjun, is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu and Kannada films and a few Malayalam and Hindi films. Referred to by the media and his fans as "Action King" for his roles in action films, Arjun has acted in more than 160 films, most of them being lead roles. He is one of few South Indian actors to attract fan following from multiple states of India. He has directed 12 films and also produced and distributed a number of films.
King is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Prabhu Solomon and produced by Krishnakanth. The film stars Vikram and Sneha, while Vadivelu, Nassar, Janagaraj, and Santhana Bharathi play supporting roles. Dhina scored the music, G. Ramesh handled the cinematography and Suresh Urs edited the film. It released on 6 September 2002.
Kannodu Kanbathellam is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film written and directed by Prabhu Solomon in his directorial debut. The film stars Arjun and Sonali Bendre, while Suchindra, Ruchita Prasad, Manivannan, Crazy Mohan, Anu Mohan, Kovai Sarala and Nizhalgal Ravi portray supporting roles. Music was composed by Deva. The film was released in August 1999. The film's name is based on a song from the Tamil film Jeans (1998).
Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran, better known as D. Imman, is an Indian film composer and singer, predominantly working in Tamil cinema. His first film as music director was Thamizhan in 2002. Since then he has composed music for more than 100 films. He is the fifth Tamil music composer to win the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. He has also won the Filmfare Awards South and he has received 4 Filmfare Awards South nominations. He has also won 1 Tamil Nadu State Film Award, 2 Vijay Awards, 1 Edison Award, 1 Ananda Vikadan Cinema Award and 1 Zee Tamil Award. D. Imman is appointed as the Ambassador for Tamil Chair in University Of Toronto, Canada (2019).
Vikram Prabhu is an Indian actor working in Tamil language films who made his debut in Prabhu Solomon's Kumki (2012). He also played the protagonist in Ivan Veramathiri (2013) and Vellaikaara Durai (2014). He is the son of actor Prabhu and grandson of the veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.
Mynaa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed and written by Prabu Solomon. Jointly distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin and Kalpathi S. Aghoram, it stars Vidharth, Amala Paul and Thambi Ramaiah. The acclaimed soundtrack by D. Imman garnered much anticipation prior to release, on 5 November 2010, coinciding with the Diwali festival. The film received critical acclaim and won the Best Film Award at the 58th Filmfare Awards South. Actor Thambi Ramaiah went on to win the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2011. Mynaa became a major success and ended as a blockbuster among 2010 Deepavali releases and was released along with Dhanush's Uthamaputhiran. The core plot was reported to be loosely inspired by the 2006 Hong Kong movie Dog Bite Dog.
Thambi Ramaiah is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works in the Tamil film industry. He has also worked occasionally as a lyricist. He directed three films, Manu Needhi (2000), Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan (2008) and Maniyaar Kudumbam (2018). He has won one National Film Award, two SIIMA Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Award and one Filmfare Award South in his career.
Kumki is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language musical adventure romantic drama film written and directed by Prabhu Solomon. It was presented by N. Lingusamy and produced by N. Subash Chandra Bose, under the banner Thirrupathi Brothers, and distributed by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under the banner Studio Green. It features Vikram Prabhu, making his acting debut, while Lakshmi Menon, Thambi Ramaiah and Ashvin Raja appear in other prominent roles.
Vidharth is an Indian actor appearing in Tamil films. He started his career in 2001 doing uncredited roles. His first major role was in Mynaa (2010), which became a huge success. He has also done a film for AVM Productions titled Mudhal Idam (2011).
Sattam Oru Iruttarai is a 2012 Tamil language film directed by Sneha Britto, which is a remake of the 1981 Vjayakanth film of the same name by S. A. Chandrasekhar. The film stars Thaman Kumar and Bindu Madhavi while Erode Mahesh and Reema Sen amongst others play supporting roles. Pia Bajpai plays a Guest role in the film. The film marks the acting debut of Erode Mahesh as well as the last featured film for actress, Reema Sen prior to her marriage and further retirement to take care and concentrate on her family more.
Kayal (transl. Fish) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language adventure romance film directed by Prabhu Solomon and produced by Madhan of Escape Artists Motion Pictures. The film stars newcomers Chandran, Anandhi and Vincent, while D. Imman composed the film's music. The film, set against the backdrop of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, released on 25 December 2014. The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as Tholi Premalo in 2016.
Sethu G Pillai is an Indian actor who appears in South Indian language films. He was born in Mavelikkara, Alappuzha district, Kerala. Sethu resides with his family in Kottayam, Kerala, India. He is also called as Mynaa Sethu, after the film Mynaa, in which he had debuted as an actor. After the success of Mynaa, Sethu acted in many more movies like 100 Degree Celsius and Manadhil Maayam Seidhai that bombed in the box office. Currently, he has turned producer and has produced movies like Kokki and Karuppusamy Kuththagaithaarar.
Anandhi is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Tamil and Telugu films. After her debut in the Telugu film Bus Stop (2012), she appeared in Vetrimaaran's Tamil production Poriyaalan (2014). The same year she got her major breakthrough with Prabhu Solomon's Kayal (2014) by which she is recognized as Kayal Anandhi. She also won Special Prize for Kayal at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Murai Mappillai is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language film directed and co-written by Sundar C. The film stars newcomers Arun Vijay and Kirthika, with Rajashree, Manivannan, K. Prabakaran, Goundamani and Senthil playing supporting roles. It was released on 15 December 1995.
M. Sukumar is an Indian cinematographer, who has worked in the Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam language films.
Rubaai is a 2017 Tamil-language action drama film directed by Anbazhagan and produced by Prabhu Solomon, starring Chandran and Anandhi in the leading roles.
M. Jeevan is an Indian director, cinematographer and still photographer, who has worked in the Tamil, and Telugu film industries.
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.
Florent C. Pereira was an Indian journalist and actor who appeared in Tamil language films as a supporting actor.
Kumki is the soundtrack to the 2012 film of the same name directed by Prabhu Solomon, starring Vikram Prabhu and Lakshmi Menon. The ten-song soundtrack consisted of seven musical numbers composed by D. Imman and written by Yugabharathi, and karaoke versions of three songs. Kumki is Imman's second collaboration with Solomon after Lee (2007) and Mynaa (2010).
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