Bharathiraja (born 17 July 1941) is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the

Tamil film industry Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

. Making his debut in 1977 with ''

16 Vayathinile ''16 Vayathinile'' (; read as ''Pathinaaru Vayathinile'') is a 1977 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Bharathirajaa in his directorial debut. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, and Rajinikanth, with Ganthim ...

'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

, four

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

, two

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...

and a

Nandi Award The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

. He has also directed films in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

honoured him with the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

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 Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

(

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

) from

Sathyabama University Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), formerly Sathyabama University, is a deemed to be university, situated at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1987 as Sathyabama Engineering College by the late Jeppiaar and re ...

Film career

Bharathiraja started his film career as an assistant to Kannada filmmaker

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

. Later, he assisted P. Pullaiah, M. Krishnan Nair, Avinasi Mani and

A. Jagannathan A. Jagannathan (26 November 19357 October 2012) was an Indian film director who worked in the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi film industries and he was introduced by R.M. Veerappan in his Sathya Movies banner for Manipayal. He directed nearly ...

. His first film ''

'', for which he wrote the script, broke the then existing convention to create a new genre of village cinema. The film is now regarded as a milestone in the history of Tamil Cinema. About the film, Bharathiraja said: "This movie was meant to be a black & white art film produced with the help of National Film Development Corporation", but turned out to be a commercially successful colour film and a starting point for several important careers. His next film ''

Kizhake Pogum Rail ''Kizhakke Pogum Rail'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja, starring newcomers Sudhakar and M. R. Raadhika. The film had musical score by Ilaiyaraaja and was released on 10 August 19 ...

'' produced similar results and eventually brought in criticisms that Bharathiraja was capable of catering only to village audiences. This led him to make ''

Sigappu Rojakkal ''Sigappu Rojakkal'' () is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Bharathirajaa. The film starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, with Goundamani, Bhagyaraj and Vadivukkarasi in supporting roles. It revol ...

'', about a psychopathic woman-hater that was totally westernized in terms of both conception and production. Bharathiraja confirmed his versatility and refusal to be tied down to one particular genre with an experimental film ''

Nizhalgal ''Nizhalgal'' () is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars primarily newcomers such as S. Rajasekar (credited as Rajasekaran), Raadhu (credited as Rohini), Ravi, Chandrasekhar and Suvith ...

'' (1980), and the action thriller '' Tik Tik Tik'' (1981). But undoubtedly, rural themes proved to be his strong suit as his biggest hits in the 1980s: ''

Alaigal Oivathillai ''Alaigal Oivathillai'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Bharathiraja, from a story by Manivannan. The film stars two new debutants Karthik and Radha, while Thiagarajan, Silk Smitha and Kamala Kamesh app ...

'' (1981), ''

Mann Vasanai ''Mann Vasanai'' () is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. Starring debutants Pandiyan and Revathi, with Vinu Chakravarthy, Ganthimathi, and Y. Vijaya in supporting roles, the film was a blockbuster, an ...

'' (1983) and ''

Muthal Mariyathai ''Muthal Mariyathai'' (; ) is a 1985 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha (actress), Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and ...

'' (1985) were strong love stories in a village backdrop. ''Muthal Mariyathai'' starred

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...

in the lead, playing a middle-aged village head.

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

is a poor young woman who moves into his village for a living. The love that bonds these two humans separated not just by age but also by caste and class, is told by Bharathiraja with poetic touches. ''

Vedham Pudhithu ''Vedham Pudhithu'' () is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja. It is based on the play ''Saadhigal Illaiyadi Papa'' written by K. Kannan, who after this film came to be known as ''Vedham Pudhithu'' Kann ...

'' dealt with the caste issue in a stronger manner. The film's narrative was seamless and starred

Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also includ ...

as Balu Thevar. It contains some of Bharathiraja's trademark touches as well as several ground-breaking scenes. However, it does follow the anti-Brahmin trend common in Tamil films – in this respect it departed from his earlier success ''Alaigal Oiyvadhillai'', where the caste and religion factor was given a more balanced treatment. Bharathiraja has successfully managed to modernise his film-making techniques for the 1990s. The commercial success of ''Kizhakku Cheemaiyile'' and the awards that ''Karuththamma'' garnered stand as testimony to his ability to thrill the younger generation as well. Bharathiraja was on the same stage in 1996 to receive another National Award for ''Anthimanthaarai''. In late 1996, Bharathiraja was signed on to direct two films, with the

Sarathkumar Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards S ...

-starrer ''Vaakkapatta Bhoomi'' announced in October. The following month, he began work on a film titled ''Siragugal Murivadhillai'', starring Napolean,

Heera Rajagopal Heera Rajagopal (born 29 December 1971) is a former Indian actress who has appeared in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi language films. Career As a military brat, Heera shifted to schools across different states in Indi ...

and

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...

. Both films were later shelved. He planned to revive ''Vaakkapatta Bhoomi'' with Cheran during late 2004, but the collaboration did not materialise. His 2001 film ''

Kadal Pookal ''Kadal Pookkal'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja which stars Murali, Manoj Bharathiraja, Umashankari, Pratyusha and Sindhu Menon. The film was delayed several times before release but opened to cri ...

'' won him that year's

National Film Award for Best Screenplay The National Film Award for Best Screenplay is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one o ...

. The well-known Tamil film director

Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor, ...

was one of his assistant directors. In 2008, Bharathiraja made his television debut with series ''Thekkathi Ponnu'' which aired on Kalaignar TV. He went on to direct two other series ''Appanum Aathaalum'' and ''Muthal Mariyathai'' for the same channel. During early 2016, Bharathiraja was embroiled in a legal tussle with director Bala on making a film titled ''Kutra Parambarai'', though neither filmmaker eventually made their respective films. He later moved on to plan a film starring director

Vasanth Vasanth is an Indian director well known in Tamil language films for directing films such as ''Keladi Kanmani'' (1990), ''Aasai'' (1995), ''Nerrukku Ner'' (1997), ''Rhythm'' (2000) and ''Satham Podathey'' (2007). Career Vasanth began his car ...

's son, Ritwik Varun, and Vikram's nephew, but the film was dropped after two schedules. In 2018, Bharathirajaa was working on a film titled ''November 8, Iravu 8 Mani'' starring

Vidharth 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 ...

, which narrates events following the decision to demonetise certain banknotes in India.

Style, critique and public perception

When the old era was dominated by films shot inside studios, Bharathiraja directed village themed films that inspired Tamil cinema to capture live locations. Array of village films in Tamil cinema started after his trendsetting film ''

.'' He changed the attire of male lead role as simple and without much cosmetics and female leads in his films as dusky looking which were before dominated by fair skinned ladies. He started the style of directors speaking to the audience with his famous dialogue "En Iniya Thamizh Makkale (My sweet Tamil people)". Bharathiraja is revered as one of the best directors of Indian cinema. His ideas were original and his subjects were complex ideas expressed in a manner every common man could understand. He is also known for introducing a number of new faces to the film industry. He has introduced many actors as new faces notable among them are Karthik,

Revathi Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil & Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu, Hindi & Kannada films. She has won several ...

Raadhika Raadhika Sarathkumar is an Indian actress, entrepreneur, producer and politician who works predominantly in Tamil cinema along with Telugu cinema as well as a few Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the founder and CP of the Radaan Media ...

, and

Vijayashanti Vijayashanti (born 24 June 1966) is an Indian actress, producer and politician. In a film career spanning 40 years, she has acted in 187 feature films in a variety of roles in various languages predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, in addition to Hi ...

. Apart from lead actors, he has introduced a bunch of supporting actors. Notable among them include

Janagaraj Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly in Tamil cinema as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. Early life Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthul ...

Vadivukkarasi Vadivukkarasi is an Indian actress. She made her acting debut in the Tamil film ''Sigappu Rojakkal'' (1978) and has acted in more than 350 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam and 40 television serials in Tamil. Film director A. P. Nag ...

Chandrasekhar Chandrasekhar, Chandrashekhar or Chandra Shekhar is an Indian name and may refer to a number of individuals. The name comes from the name of an incarnation of the Hindu god Shiva. In this form he married the goddess Parvati. Etymologically, the nam ...

, Pandiyan, and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. As an experimental initiative he used to give new actors a small role in his films later they becoming popular among people and turning to busy actors. Many present day directors who were unknown to people turned into actors after playing a debut petty role in his films:

K. Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor ...

Manivannan S. Manivannan Rajagopal (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013), better known by his mononym Manivannan, was an Indian film director, actor and activist who worked mainly in Tamil cinema and also worked in a few Telugu & Malayalam films. In a care ...

Manobala Manobala (born 8 December 1953) is an Indian film director, producer, actor and comedian who predominantly plays supporting roles in Tamil-language films. He started his career in Tamil cinema in the early 1970s and with Kamal Haasan's referen ...

Thiagarajan Thiagarajan Sivanandam (born 21 June 1946) is an Indian actor, director and producer in Tamil cinema. Beside Tamil, he has also acted in several Malayalam and Kannada films and a few Telugu films. He is the father of Tamil actor Prashanth and t ...

, and

Ponvannan Ponvannan (born Shanmugam; 23 September 1963) is an Indian actor and director who has worked in Tamil cinema and television. After beginning his career as an artist (painter), Ponvannan apprenticed as a director and writer under Bharathiraja. H ...

are among them. He was also instrumental in portraying

for the first time in lead role. Bharathiraja inspired many young film makers and runs a school called Bharathi Raja International Institute of Cinema (BRIIC) on film making. Bharathiraja directed socially themed films with special emphasis on women and their complicated interpersonal relationships. He addressed other social evils like caste discrimination in his films.

Personal life

Bharathiraja was born as Chinnasamy to parents Periyamayathevar and Karuthammal. He married ChandraLeela in 1974 and has two children

Manoj Bharathiraja Manoj K. Bharathi (born 11 September 1976 as Manoj Bharathiraja) is an Indian actor. He is most noted as the son of director Bharathiraja. Manoj made his acting debut with ''Taj Mahal'' in 1999. He has been the part of few Tamil movies like ''S ...

(born 1976) and Janani (born 1979). Manoj is an actor who was introduced in ''Tajmahal'' and he married actress

Nandana Nandana or Nandna ( pnb, ) was a fort built at strategic location on a hilly range on the eastern flanks of the Salt Range in Punjab Pakistan. Its ruins, including those of a town and a temple, are present. It was ruled by the Hindu Shahi king ...

. Janani is married to Malaysian Rajkumar Thambiraja. Bharathiraja's brother-in-law Manojkumar has directed films such as ''

Mannukkul Vairam ''Mannukkul Vairam'' () is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Manoj Kumar in his debut and produced by Kovaithambi. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Rajesh and Murali. The film, had musical score by Devendran, and was release ...

'', ''

Vandicholai Chinraasu ''Vandicholai Chinraasu'' is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed and co-written by Manoj Kumar, and produced by Vivekananda Pictures. This remains the only Sathyaraj film as hero where A. R. Rahman composed the music. It was releas ...

'', ''

Vaanavil ''Vaanavil'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced by Guru Films and directed by Manoj Kumar. The film stars Arjun, Abhirami and Prakash Raj in lead roles. The film released to mixed reviews, but performed well at the box offi ...

'' and ''

Guru Paarvai ''Guru Paarvai'' is a 1998 Indian Tamil language thriller film written and directed by Manoj Kumar, who earlier directed '' Vandicholai Chinnarasu'' starring Sathyaraj. The film stars Prakash Raj, Khushbu and Anju Aravind, while Thalaivasal Vi ...

''. His brother Jayaraj made his acting debut with '' Kaththukkutti''. His relative Stalin is a television actor who acted in serials such as ''

Saravanan Meenatchi ''Saravanan Meenatchi'' is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language television series broadcast on STAR Vijay. The first season was broadcast from 7 March 2011 to 21 October 2013. The second season of the show, which started as a sequel and next generatio ...

'' and '' 7C''.

Awards

Civilian honours

* 2004 –

Padmashri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred ...

from the

National Film Awards

* 1982 –

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

for '' Seethakoka Chiluka'' (Director) * 1986 –

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awa ...

for ''

Mudhal Mariyathai ''Muthal Mariyathai'' (; ) is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film produced, directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, with Vadivukkarasi, newcomers Deepan and Ranjini, Janagaraj, Sathyaraj, ...

'' (Producer & Director) * 1988 –

National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues The National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues is one of the category in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Ind ...

'' (Director) * 1995 –

National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

for ''

Karuththamma ''Karuthamma'' is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced and directed by Bharathiraja from a story by M. Rathnakumar. The film stars Raja, Rajashree and Maheswari, with Saranya, Periyar Dasan, Ponvannan, Vadivukkarasi, Vaani, Vadivel ...

'' (Director) * 1996 –

for ''

Anthimanthaarai ''Anthimanthaarai'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film. The film stars Vijayakumar and Jayasudha. It is produced by Chandraleela Bharathiraja and Thilaka Ganesh The director of this film is Bharathiraja. The film won the ...

'' (Director) * 2001 –

for ''

Kadal Pookkal ''Kadal Pookkal'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja which stars Murali, Manoj Bharathiraja, Umashankari, Pratyusha and Sindhu Menon. The film was delayed several times before release but opened to crit ...

'' (Director & Writer)

Filmfare Awards South

* 1978 – Best Tamil Director for ''

'' * 1987 - Best Tamil Film for ''

'' * 1987 - Best Tamil Director for ''

'' * 1994 - Best Tamil Film for ''

Karuthamma ''Karuthamma'' is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language drama film produced and directed by Bharathiraja from a story by M. Rathnakumar. The film stars Raja, Rajashree and Maheswari, with Saranya, Periyar Dasan, Ponvannan, Vadivukkarasi, Vaani, Vadivel ...

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards

* 1977 – Best Director Award for ''

'' * 1979 -

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film is given by the Government of Tamil Nadu as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. It includes prizes for three top places. Key List of winners Reference ...

- Second Prize - ''

Puthiya Vaarpugal ''Puthiya Vaarpugal'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars K. Bhagyaraj and Rati Agnihotri, with G. Srinivasan, Goundamani, K. K. Soundar and Usharani in supp ...

'' * 1981 – Best Director Award for ''

'' * 1994 - Best Film Portraying Woman in Good Light for ''

'' * 2001 -

Tamil Nadu State Film Honorary Award The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Honorary Award given by the ''Tamil Nadu State Government'' as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil cinema personalities who contributed in developing the Tamil cinema in India. Arignar A ...

- Arignar Anna Award in 2001 * 2003 – Best Film in First place '' Eera Nilam''

Nandi Awards

* 1981 –

Nandi Award for Best Director Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

for '' Seethakoka Chiluka''

Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held in ...

* 2012 – Contribution to Tamil Cinema * 2013 – Best Supporting Actor for ''

Pandiya Naadu ''Pandiya Naadu'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Suseenthiran and produced by Vishal. The film features Vishal and Lakshmi Menon in the lead roles, while Bharathiraja, Soori, Vikranth, and Sharath ...

Other awards

* 1980 – South Indian Film Technicians : Best Technician Award for ''Kallukkul Eeram'' * 2005 –

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

(

D.Litt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

) from

*2015 –

SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award SIIMA Lifetime Achievement Award is an award presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards for the person who contributed much to the film industry. It was instituted in 2012, with Ambareesh ...

Legal issues

* He attended the Heroes Day Conference at

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most ...

and appreciated its bravery and valour. * He organised a protest by

Nadigar Sangam The Nadigar Sangam ( en, Actors' association), officially known as the South Indian Artistes' Association (SIAA), is a union for film, television, and stage actors in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, based in Chennai. Formed in 1952, the grou ...

against the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

for not releasing

Cauvery The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri (hill), Karnataka, Brahmagiri range in th ...

water at

Neyveli Neyveli is a industrial town in the Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located inland from the Bay of Bengal, west of Pondicherry and south of Chennai. The town was developed in 1956 after the establishment of Neyve ...

. During an interview to Sun TV channel, film co-stars such as

Sarath Kumar Sarathkumar Ramanathan (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician, filmmaker, and singer. He has acted in more than 130 Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. He has won two Tamil Nadu State Film A ...

and wife

who attended the conference accused him of using that opportunity to eulogise current

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...

Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

and launching attacks on actor

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

's home state's ethnicity.

Filmography

Films

Television

List of

TV Serials In television and radio programming, a serial is a show that has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the complete run of ...

directed by Bharathiraja and aired at

Kalaignar TV Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...

. * ''

Thekkathi Ponnu Thekkathi Ponnu ( ta, தெக்கத்தி பொண்ணு) is a 2008 Tamil soap opera that aired on Kalaignar TV. The show premiered on 14 April 2008 and aired Monday through Friday at 8:30PM IST. The show starred Napoleon, Ranjitha, ...

'' * ''Appanum Aathalum'' * ''Muthal Mariyathai''

Dubbing artist

Vijayan Vijayan is a South Indian name and may refer to: Given name *Pinarayi Vijayan (born 1944), Indian politician * Vijayan (actor) (1944–2007), Tamil & Malayalam film actor *Vijayan (stunt coordinator), action choreographer for South Indian films *Vi ...

(''

Niram Maaratha Pookkal ''Niram Maratha Pookal'' () is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. It stars Sudhakar, Raadhika, Vijayan and Rati. The film was released on 31 August 1979. Plot Sudhakar is a poor man desperately looki ...

)'' *

(''

'') *

Nizhalgal Ravi Ravichandran Samanna (born 16 April 1956), known professionally as Nizhalgal Ravi, is an Indian film, television and voice actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He has performed in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films and television series. He st ...

(''

'', ''

'') *

(''

Kodi Parakuthu ''Kodi Parakkuthu'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by Bharathiraja. The film starred Rajinikanth, who worked with Bharathiraja nearly a decade after their last film ''16 Vayathinile'' (1977). Plot A mafia leader ...

'') *

Thennavan ''Thennavan'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language political action film written and directed by newcomer A. M. Nandakumar and produced by Vijayakanth, who played the title role Thennavan IAS, in-charge as the Chief Election Commissioner and fight ...

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En Uyir Thozhan ''En Uyir Thozhan'' () is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Bharathiraja. The film was released on 16 February 1990 with positive reviews but failed at box-office; however it garnered cult following. Plot The film revolves aroun ...

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*"Kaadu Pottakaadu" (''

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* {{Authority control Tamil film directors Tamil-language film directors Tamil screenwriters Male actors from Tamil Nadu 1941 births Living people Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Telugu film directors Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Filmfare Awards South winners Nandi Award winners 20th-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian film directors People from Theni district 20th-century Indian male actors Film directors from Tamil Nadu Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award South Indian International Movie Awards winners