Kamal Haasan is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter, social activist and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil, he has also appeared in some Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali films. Considered as one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Haasan is also known for introducing many new film technologies and film making techniques to the Indian film industry. He has won numerous accolades, including Four National Film Awards, Nine Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Four Nandi Awards, One Rashtrapati Award, Two Filmfare Awards and 17 Filmfare Awards South. He was awarded the Kalaimamani Award in 1984, the Padma Shri in 1990, the Padma Bhushan in 2014 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) in 2016.
Daggubati Ramanaidu was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual, with more than 150 films in 13 Indian languages. He also served as a Member of Parliament for the Bapatla constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the 13th Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004.
Shankar Shanmugam, credited as S. Shankar or his mononymShankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typically deal with the contemporary social issues, vigilante themes and the usage of state of the art technology and VFX. He has won one National Film Award, four Filmfare Award South and six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in his career.
Nayakan ( transl. Hero) is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language epic crime drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Produced by Muktha Srinivasan, the film stars Kamal Haasan, Saranya and Karthika, with Janagaraj, Vijayan, M. V. Vasudeva Rao, Delhi Ganesh, Nizhalgal Ravi, Nassar and Tara in supporting roles. It revolves around the gradual transformation of Velu Naicker (Haasan) from an ordinary slum dweller to a highly respected don.
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan, also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. Popularly known by the sobriquet Mellisai Mannar, he composed songs for more than 800 Indian films and various albums across languages primarily in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He has also acted and sung in a few Tamil films. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa conferred the Thirai Isai Chakravarthy title on him in August 2012 and presented him with 60 gold coins and a new car.
Pallavi Anu Pallavi is a 1983 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam in his debut. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Lakshmi, and Kiran Vairale. It revolves around a young man falling in love with a slightly older woman. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while cinematography was handled by Balu Mahendra. The film is also Kapoor's debut in Kannada cinema.
Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
Sivaji: The Boss is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language action drama film co-written and directed by S. Shankar and produced by AVM Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth and Shriya Saran in the lead roles, with Vivek, Suman, Sathyan, Manivannan and Raghuvaran playing pivotal roles. In the film, Sivaji is a software systems architect, who returns to India in order to provide free medical treatment and education, but has to face hurdles from the system and Aathisheshan, an influential political leader.
P. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna was an Indian actress, singer, film producer, director, music composer, and novelist. She is regarded as the first female super star of Telugu cinema. She is also considered the first female director of Telugu cinema with her debut directorial Chandirani (1953). Bhanumathi appeared in over 100 films predominantly in Telugu and Tamil languages. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001 for her contribution to the Indian cinema. She was honored among "women in cinema" at the 30th International Film Festival of India.
Kongara Jaggayya was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as Kanchu Kantam Jaggayya (Telugu) for his booming voice. In a film career spanning forty years as a matinee idol, he starred in eighty films, as a lead actor, and lead antagonist in a variety of genres. In 1967, he was elected as a member of the fourth Lok Sabha, from the constituency of Ongole, becoming the first Indian film actor to be elected as a member of the Parliament.
Sabu Cyril is an Indian film production designer. Having worked in 72 feature films and 500 ad films. He has won four National Film Award for Best Production Design, four state awards, six Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction, five International Indian Film Academy Awards, and many other awards. His work in Enthiran won him international recognition. Over the years, he has emerged to be the most celebrated art director in the country.
Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani, professionally known as M. M. Keeravani, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. His accolades include, eleven Nandi Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a LAFCA Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. In 2023, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
Arjun is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Gunasekhar and produced by G. Ramesh Babu. The film starred Mahesh Babu as the titular character along with Shriya Saran, Keerthi Reddy, Raja Abel, Prakash Raj, and Saritha. The music was composed by Mani Sharma with cinematography by Sekhar V. Joseph and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. The film released on 18 August 2004 and was successful at the box-office. It was later dubbed into Hindi as Maidan-E-Jung and in Tamil as Varenda Maduraikku. The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section. This was Keerthi Reddy's final acting performance prior to her retirement from the film industry. The film won three Nandi Awards.
Choodalani Vundi is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Gunasekhar, and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. This film stars Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Anjala Zaveri and Prakash Raj. The film has music composed by Mani Sharma with cinematography by Chota K. Naidu.
Sankaramanchi Janaki, widely known as Sowcar Janaki, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada language films. Janaki has appeared in close to over 390, films, predominantly in Telugu,. She also performed on stage in over 300 shows and was a radio artist during her earlier years. She is the recipient of two Nandi Awards, Kalaimamani and India's fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri. Her younger sister Krishna Kumari, is also a noted actress.
Seetamalakshmi is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Talluri Rameswari and Chandra Mohan. It was released on 27 July 1978. It won two state Nandi Awards and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Talluri Rameswari. Seetamalakshmi was remade in Tamil as Enippadigal (1979), and in Hindi as Sitara (1980).
M. Prabhaharan is an Indian Film Art Director, Production Designer and Director who completed his degree course in Fine Arts at Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. He had a brief stint as an illustrator in Special Effects Venky's office in 1990 and then worked as an assistant Art Director under the noted Art Director, Mr. Ashok Kumar in Tamil and Telugu film industry for a few years. He got a big break in 1995 when he was offered to do art direction for R. Parthiepan's movie Pulla Kuttikaran, for which he received the award for Best Art Direction from Tamil Nadu Govt. He did art direction for many Tamil movies, to name a few, Ullathai Allitha, Thulladha Manamum Thullum, Thirupaachi, Anbe Sivam, Virumaandi, Dasavathaaram, Majaa, Vishwa Thulasi, Tenaliraman and Bairavaa. He is currently working on Swayambhu, an Indian Telugu-language epic action drama film.
