Vikraman | |
|---|---|
 Vikraman at Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga's audio launch in 2016 | |
| Born | 30 March 1964 [1] |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Jayapriya [2] |
| Children | Kanishka, Pooja |
Vikraman is an Indian film director primarily working in Tamil cinema.
He worked as an assistant to actor and director R. Parthiban in Puthiya Pathai (1989), which was the latter's debut film as a director and an actor. Vikraman made his directorial debut with the film Pudhu Vasantham (1990) produced by R. B. Choudary, for which director K. S. Ravikumar apprenticed under him as an assistant director. [3] The film was about four unemployed friends and musical experts who find themselves unexpectedly saddled with a young woman. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim and it re-wrote Tamil cinema history, sparking a whole range of "friendship" films. [4] Its hero Murali went on to become a romantic actor in subsequent films. [5] His second film Perum Pulli (1991) received negative reviews with N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express stating, "Directed by Vikraman who made Pudhu Vasantham and made name for himself [..] Perum Pulli has a hash of a story" and it bombed at the box-office. [6] His next two films Naan Pesa Ninaipathellam (1993) and Gokulam (1993) received mixed reception. [7] [8] In 1994, his venture Pudhiya Mannargal starring Vikram and with music composed by A. R. Rahman flopped at the box-office despite a revolutionary theme of students and politics. A critic wrote, "Nothing much in this movie but a controversial idea". [9] [10]
Vikraman was recalled once again by R. B. Choudary to make a film with Vijay titled Poove Unakkaga in 1996. It was the first breakthrough in the young actor's career. [11] His next film Suryavamsam (1997) with Sarath Kumar and Devayani was a major success. [12] Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen made in 1998 gave a fresh lease of life to Karthik and Roja who were once dominating the film industry. While Ajith Kumar impresses in a rather lengthy cameo. [13] In 2000, he made a film Vanathai Pola with an ensemble cast, another blockbuster which gave back the superstardom to Vijayakanth. It also won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 2001 and also many state awards. [14] He then began pre-production work in 2000 for a film starring Surya and Laila and the said project Unnai Ninaithu (2002) did well. [15] [16]
His next film Priyamaana Thozhi (2003) produced by the AVM Productions was a hit again. [17] Its simultaneously shot Telugu version, Vasantham in (helmed by himself) was one of the top grossers of 2003. But he had to face another dud in 2004 in Cheppave Chirugali , a Telugu remake of his hit Tamil film starring Suriya and Sneha, Unnai Ninaithu . [18] Taking a two-year break, he had started work again for a Tamil film called Chennai Kadhal (2006) with Bharath in the lead. However, the film was unsuccessful at the box office. [19] He made a comeback with Mariyadhai in 2009, another Tamil film starring Vijayakanth, Meena, Meera Jasmine and Ambika playing the lead roles. [20] His latest film Ninaithathu Yaaro featuring newcomers released in January 2014. [21]
Vikraman has been elected as the new president of the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association (TANTIS) replacing Bharathiraja after he defeated fellow director Visu in the election. [22] [23] [24]
| Year | Title | Songs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Perum Pulli | "Aagayam Thottil" | |
| 1993 | Naan Pesa Ninaipathellam | "Kadhal Ennum" | |
Priyamaana Thozhi is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Vikraman and produced by AVM Productions. The film stars Madhavan, Sridevi Vijayakumar, Jyothika and Vineeth while Livingston and Manivannan playing other supporting roles. The film's music is composed by S. A. Rajkumar, while S. Saravanan handled the camera. The film opened simultaneously alongside the Telugu version of the film, Vasantham, in July 2003 to an average response critically and commercially. The movie was remade in Kannada in 2010 as Hoo.
Ramesh Khanna is an Indian actor and film director who has worked in Tamil cinema. He has acted in a number of supporting and comedian roles.
Vaanathaippola is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language family drama film written and directed by Vikraman. The film stars Vijayakanth in dual role. The supporting cast include Meena, Prabhu Deva, Livingston, Kausalya and Anju Aravind. Produced by V. Ravichandran under Oscar Films, the film has a score and soundtrack composed by S. A. Rajkumar and cinematography handled by Arthur A. Wilson. The film tells the story of a caring brother who makes sacrifices to ensure his three younger brothers succeed in life.
Unnai Ninaithu is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vikraman. It stars Suriya, Laila and Sneha while Ramesh Khanna, Charle, R. Sundarrajan and Ramji play supporting roles. The film was released on 10 May 2002 and became a commercial success. It was remade into Telugu by the same director as Cheppave Chirugali and in Kannada as Krishna.
The Filmfare Best Actor Award is given by the Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil film lead actors. The Filmfare Awards South Awards were extended to "Best Actor" in 1972. The year indicates the year of release of the film.
Poove Unakkaga is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vikraman. The film stars Vijay and Sangita. Actor Murali makes a guest appearance in a song in the film. The film released on 18 February 1996. The film received critical acclaim and it was the first blockbuster and a major breakthrough in Vijay's career in the Tamil film industry. The movie ran over 270 days in theatres at the time of release. The film was remade in Telugu as Subhakankshalu (1997), in Kannada as Ee Hrudaya Ninagagi (1997) and in Hindi as Badhaai Ho Badhaai (2002).
The Filmfare Best Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972.
Pa. Vijay is an Indian lyricist, poet, writer, director, producer and film actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in India for his song Ovvoru Pookalume in Cheran's Autograph (2004).
Vinayagar Sundar Vel, known professionally as Sundar C., is an Indian film director, actor and producer. He has directed over 34 films in Tamil and acted in 17 movies as the protagonist. He remains one of the successful and most wanted director in the Industry for the last 3 decades.
S. A. Rajkumar is an Indian composer and lyricist. He has made music for all South Indian language films in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada.
Velmurugan Thangasamy Manohar, professionally credited as Charle, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. He has acted in more than 800 Tamil films as a comedian and supporting actor. He was named after the English comedian Charlie Chaplin.
The Vijay for Best Male Playback Singer is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The award was first given in 2007.
Richard Rishi is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil and Telugu films and few Malayalam and Kannada films. He is known for Koottu, A Film by Aravind and his subsequent movies with director Mohan G, namely Draupathi and Rudra Thandavam.
Kanal Kannan is an Indian actor, action choreographer and screenwriter who works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films. He has worked with actors Ajith Kumar, Vijay, Vikram, Suriya, Vishal, Arjun Sarja and R. Sarath Kumar in many films. Stunt coordinators including Stun Siva, Peter Hein, Anal Arasu, K. Ganesh Kumar, Silva, Rajasekhar, Hari Dinesh, T. Ramesh and Thunder Jeeva have worked as fighters and assistants to him.
Cheppave Chirugali is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Vikraman. The film stars Venu Thottempudi, Abhirami and Ashima Bhalla. It is the Telugu remake of his own 2002 Tamil film Unnai Ninaithu with Ramji and Pandu reprising their roles and Ramesh Khanna in a different role. It was produced by Venkata Shyam Prasad under SP Entertainments.
Rajith CR, better known as Rajith Menon, is an Indian actor and director who made his acting debut through the 2007 Malayalam movie Goal and in Tamil through Ninaithathu Yaaro.
Ninaithathu Yaaro is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Vikraman and produced by Ramesh P Pillai. The project stars debutants Rejith Menon and Nimisha Suresh playing the lead pair with Karthik Yogi, Azhar, Ashvatt, Riythvika & Subiksha. The film began production in 2013 and released on 30 January 2014.
Perum Pulli (transl. Bigshot) is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Vikraman, starring Babu and Suman Ranganathan. It was released on 14 January 1991.
Theni Kunjarammal was an Indian actress and playback singer who has worked in the Tamil film industry. As a playback singer, she has worked extensively with A. R. Rahman during the late 1990s and early 2000s for folk songs, while also regularly collaborating with Harris Jayaraj.