Siva (director)

Last updated

Siva
Siva at Maniyar Kudumbam Audio Launch.jpg
Siva in 2018
Born
Sivakumar Jayakumar

(1977-08-12) 12 August 1977 (age 47)
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India (present-day Chennai)
Other namesSiruthai Siva
Occupations
Years active2001–present
Relatives Bala (brother)

Sivakumar Jayakumar (born 12 August 1977), known professionally by his mononym Siva or Siruthai Siva, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, lyricist and cinematographer who works primarily in Tamil cinema industry.

Contents

Siva started his film career as a cinematographer for several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He then pursued his career as a film director and screenwriter in Telugu cinema with Souryam (2008) a superhit, which was followed by Sankham (2009) a hit and Daruvu (2012) another hit,

Siva achieved huge success when he progressed to Tamil cinema, where he entered as a screenwriter and director with Siruthai (2011). He further made the high-prolific Veeram (2014), Vedalam (2015), and Viswasam (2019). He also directed Vivegam (2017) Annaatthe (2021) and Kanguva (2024).

Early life and family

Siva was born to documentary film director M. Jayakumar in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. [1] [2] He is the grandson of producer and writer A. K. Velan. [3] His brother Bala is an actor in Tamil and Malayalam films.

Career

Although he always wanted to become a filmmaker, he pursued photography. In 1998, Siva became a gold medalist from M.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute [1] He went on to work with cinematographer Jayanan Vincent. Siva then came to Hyderabad to work for Venkatesh's film Jayam Manade Raa (2000) as an operative cameraman. [1] In 2001, he became an independent cinematographer. He has shot for about 10 films since then.

In 2008, he narrated a script to actor Gopichand who agreed to play the lead role. [1] Souryam , co-starring Gopichand along with Anushka Shetty was Siva's directorial debut. The following year, Siva made his second film, again with Gopichand in the lead. In 2011, Siva made his debut as a director in Tamil cinema with Siruthai , a remake of S. S. Rajamouli's Telugu action masala Vikramarkudu . The film, featuring Karthi in the starring role, went on to become a commercial success, which led to him being referred to as "Siruthai" Siva in Tamil cinema from then on. [2] His fourth directorial, Daruvu, released in May 2012.

In December 2011, Siva was signed by Vijaya Productions to direct a film for their centenary year with Ajith Kumar signed on to play the leading role. [4] Ajith Kumar requested Siva to make it as a rural story and production began in 2013. [5] He directed Veeram (2014) with Ajith Kumar Playing the lead role, which became a blockbuster hit. His third film in Tamil titled Vedhalam (2015) starring Ajith alongside an ensemble cast including Shruti Hassan and Rahul Dev movie was a mass entertainer. His fourth film in Tamil titled Vivegam (2017) was again with Ajith Kumar. It released in August 2017 to mixed responses. His next movie with Ajith Kumar, Viswasam (2019), which was produced by Sathya Jyothi Films, became a huge hit despite releasing along with Petta . His next film Annaatthe starring Rajinikanth released on 4 November 2021 coinciding with Diwali.

Filmography

As cinematographer

YearFilmLanguage
2001Ee Naadu Innale VareMalayalam
2002 Charlie Chaplin Tamil
Sreeram Telugu
2003 Manasellam Tamil
2004 Nenunnanu Telugu
2005 Manasu Maata Vinadhu
Gowtam SSC
2006 Boss

As director and screenwriter

YearFilmLanguage
2008 Souryam Telugu
2009 Sankham
2011 Siruthai Tamil
2012 Daruvu Telugu
2014 Veeram Tamil
2015 Vedalam
2017 Vivegam
2019 Viswasam
2021 Annaatthe
2024 Kanguva

As lyricist

YearFilmSongs
2015 Vedalam "Theri Theme"
2017 Vivegam "Surviva", "Thalai Viduthalai", "Veriyera"
2019 Viswasam "Rise Up Theme"

As actor

Story credits

YearFilmLanguage
2023 Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan Hindi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajith Kumar</span> Indian actor and sports car racer (born 1971)

S. Ajith Kumar is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 61 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. In addition to his acting career, Ajith is also a sports car racer and participated in the MRF Racing series (2010). He became a race car driver, competing in circuits around India in places such as Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. He is one among very few Indians to race in the international arena and in Formula championships. Based on the annual earnings of Indian celebrities, he was included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list three times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopichand (actor)</span> Indian actor

Tottempudi Gopichand is an Indian actor who works primarily in Telugu cinema. Known for his roles in action films, he made his debut with Tholi Valapu (2001) in a lead role. After playing an antagonist in films such as Jayam (2002), Nijam (2003) and Varsham (2004), he got his breakthrough as a protagonist with Yagnam in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahman (actor)</span> Indian actor (born 1967)

Rashin Rahman commonly known by his Surname Rahman is an Indian actor. He has worked in around 200 films, primarily in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil, Hindi and Telugu cinema, and has won several awards. In Tamil and Telugu cinema, he is also known by the screen names Raghuman and Raghu.

<i>Kireedam</i> (2007 film) 2007 Indian film

Kireedam (transl. Crown) is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by A. L. Vijay in his directorial debut. The film is the Tamil remake of the 1989 Malayalam film of the same name. It stars Ajith Kumar in the main lead role alongside Trisha and Rajkiran, while Vivek, Saranya, Ajay, and Santhanam appear in supporting roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, while Tirru was the cinematographer.

Bala Kumar is an Indian actor and director, who works in Malayalam and Tamil films. He made his debut in the Telugu film 2 Much (2002). He is well known for his roles in films such as Big B (2007), Sound of Boot (2008), Puthiya Mukham (2009), Hero (2012), Veeram (2014), Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015), Pulimurugan (2016), Aanakkallan (2018), Lucifer (2019), and Thambi (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramachandra Babu</span> Indian cinematographer (1947–2019)

K. Ramachandra Babu was an Indian cinematographer of over 125 films, out of which most are Malayalam films. He also worked for films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Arabic and English languages. He served as the cinematographer for several documentaries and advertisement films as well. He was the founder of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajith Kumar filmography</span>

Ajith Kumar is an Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. Apart from a small role in the 1990 Tamil film En Veedu En Kanavar, his professional career began three years later with his debut as a lead actor in Tamil cinema with Amaravathi (1993). Despite being a moderate success, the film helped him obtain more modelling assignments. He followed it up the same year with Prema Pusthakam, his only Telugu film to date. After Amaravathi's release, Ajith opted against acting, and instead tried pursuing a career in auto racing. While training for an amateur race, he injured his back and underwent three major surgeries, leaving him bed-ridden for a year and a half. After recovering from the injury, he played supporting roles in Paasamalargal (1994) and Pavithra (1994). After this, he co-starred with Vijay in Rajavin Parvaiyile (1995). That same year, he had his breakthrough with the romantic thriller Aasai. His performance earned him critical acclaim and established him as an up-and-coming actor in Tamil cinema.

<i>Siruthai</i> 2011 film by Siva

Siruthai (transl. Cheetah) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by Siva, who is also one of its co-writers. It is a remake of the 2006 Telugu film Vikramarkudu, directed by S. S. Rajamouli. It stars Karthi playing dual roles, alongside Tamannaah Bhatia and comedian Santhanam. The film was produced by K. E. Gnanavelraja and features music by Vidyasagar. The story revolves around "Rocket" Raja, a petty thief who comes across a little girl says that he's her father. When he learns the truth about his lookalike Rathnavel Pandian, who's an honest cop, he decides to turn a new leaf and help get rid of a crime gang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidyasagar (composer)</span> Indian music composer

Vidyasagar is an Indian composer, musician and singer who works predominantly in the Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu film industries. After working with several composers as assistant and conductor, Vidyasagar made his debut as a film composer in the 1989 Tamil film Poo Manam and is nicknamed as "Melody King". Working for over 225 feature films, he is the recipient of one National Award, multiple State Awards and five Filmfare Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the finest and most acclaimed composers in the history of Indian cinema.

<i>Veeram</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Siva

Veeram (transl. Valour) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language romantic action comedy film directed by Siva and produced by Vijaya Productions. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Tamannaah Bhatia, with a supporting cast including Vidharth, Bala, Santhanam, Nassar, Pradeep Rawat and Atul Kulkarni. The film's music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, with cinematography handled by Vetri and editing done by Kasi Viswanathan.

<i>Vedalam</i> 2015 Indian Tamil-language action film

Vedalam (transl. "Phantom") is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action film directed and co-written by Siva. It stars Ajith Kumar and Lakshmi Menon while Shruti Hassan, Ashwin Kakumanu, Rahul Dev, Thambi Ramaiah, Kabir Duhan Singh, and Soori play supporting roles. The film features music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while the cinematography and editing were done by Vetri and Ruben.

Vetri Palanisamy is an Indian cinematographer who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu film industries. He is an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. He is known for his work in films such as Souryam, Muni 2: Kanchana, Veeram,Vedalam, Viswasam and Annaatthe.

<i>Vivegam</i> 2017 film directed by Siva

Vivegam (transl. Prudence) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film co-written & directed by Siva and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. It stars Ajith Kumar, alongside Vivek Oberoi, Kajal Aggarwal, Akshara Haasan, Karunakaran, Aarav Chowdhary, Bharath Reddy and Sharat Saxena. The film marks the Tamil debuts of Vivek Oberoi and Akshara Haasan. The music was composed by Anirudh Ravichander, while cinematography and editing were handled by Vetri and Ruben.

<i>Katamarayudu</i> 2017 film by Kishore Kumar Pardasani

Katamarayudu is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. It stars Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan while Tarun Arora, Siva Balaji, Ajay, Ali, Kamal Kamaraju, Chaitanya Krishna, Pradeep Rawat, Rao Ramesh, and Nassar appear in supporting roles. It is a remake of Tamil film Veeram (2014) directed by Siva.

Kalyan is an Indian choreographer who has primarily worked on Tamil and Telugu language films as well as Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films. After beginning his career as a dancer and actor, he has gone on to choreograph songs in over two hundred films as a popular choreographer. He has also been a judge in the popular reality TV dance shows Jodi Number One and Kings of Dance for Vijay TV.

<i>Viswasam</i> 2019 film directed by Siva

Viswasam (transl. Loyalty) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Siva and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara and Jagapathi Babu in the lead roles, alongside Vivek, Thambi Ramaiah, Robo Shankar, Kovai Sarala, Yogi Babu, Anikha Surendran, Kalairani, Sujatha Sivakumar, Rajitha and R. N. R. Manohar. It is the second collaboration between Ajith with Siva out of three films. The film follows Thookudurai, a villiage ruffian, who goes to take on Gautham Veer after trying to patch his marriage with Niranjana.

<i>Viswasam</i> (soundtrack) 2018 soundtrack album by D. Imman

Viswasam is the soundtrack album composed by D. Imman for the Indian Tamil-language action drama film of the same name directed by Siva, starring Ajith Kumar and produced by Sendhil Thyagarajan and Arjun Thyagarajan of Sathya Jyothi Films. The film was initially announced with Yuvan Shankar Raja as the composer, who left the project citing schedule conflicts and several other composers were rumoured to score music before the team approached Imman as the music director. This film marked Imman's first collaboration with Ajith Kumar and Siva.

<i>Annaatthe</i> 2021 film directed by Siva

Annaatthe is a 2021 Indian, Tamil-language action drama film directed and co-written by Siva and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film stars Rajinikanth, Khushbu, Meena, Nayanthara, and Keerthy Suresh. The movie features Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori, Pandiarajan, Sathyan, and Sathish in supportive roles. D. Imman composed the film's music, Vetri handled the cinematography, Dhilip Subbarayan arranged stunts and Ruben edited the film. The movie's plot revolves around Kaalaiyan, a sarpanch in Thanjavur, who strives to protect his sister from a businessman and his elder brother.

Chandra Sekhar, known professionally as Chatrapathi Sekhar, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S. S. Rajamouli.

Anu Vardhan is an Indian costume designer and entrepreneur.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Siva Kumar (Souryam director) interview – Telugu Cinema interview – Telugu film director and cinematographer". Idlebrain.com. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 ‘Even those who are not will become Ajith's fans’. The Hindu (7 November 2015). Retrieved on 2017-12-31.
  3. Manchi manasuku manchi rojulu (1958). The Hindu (9 July 2015). Retrieved on 2017-12-31.
  4. "Ajith's new film starts rolling". IndiaGlitz. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  5. "Ajith asks Siruthai Siva to rework script". The Times of India . 21 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2012.