Pandiraj (பாண்டிராஜ் in Tamil) is an Indian film director and producer, writer who works in

Tamil cinema 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' ...

. His debut film, ''

Pasanga ''Pasanga'' () is an Indian Tamil-language children's film directed by Pandiraj. It stars debutant child actors like Kishore DS, Sree Raam and Pandian, along with newcomer Vimal and Vega Tamotia in supporting roles. The film is produced by S ...

'' (2009), was commercially successful and won several awards, including the

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 ...

Early life

Pandiraj was born 7 June 1976 and brought up in Virachilai Township,

Pudukkottai Pudukkottai is the administrative headquarters of Pudukkottai District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a large city located on the banks of the Vellar River. It has been ruled, at different times, by the mutharaiyar dynasty , Cholas, ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. After Schooling, he moved to Chennai in 1996. He worked as an "office-boy" with director

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 ...

. During his early years, he wrote several short stories for the famous Tamil Bagya. Gradually, his interest in film making increased and after hurdles, he got the chance to be an assistant director to filmmaker Cheran. He later worked as an assistant director to

Thangar Bachan Thangar Bachan (born 1961) is an Indian film director and actor, cinematographer and novelist. He has served as jury member in National Film Awards. Early life Thankar Bachan was born in Pathirakottai, a village near Panruti, Cuddalore distr ...

and

Chimbu Deven Chimbu Devan is an Indian film director also known as a writer, cartoonist, and screenwriter. His films mostly explore the fantasy and historical genres and also comedy. He debuted with the historical comedy-drama film Imsai Arasan 23 M Pulike ...

in six films.

Style

Pandiraj is also famous for making village action family movies. The movies include a lot of family sentiments and focuses on farming.

Career

In 2009, Pandiraj became an independent director with director M. Sasikumar agreeing to produce the film. Titled ''

'', it was a

children's film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films are ...

featuring several new child actors and Vimal in his first lead role. ''Pasanga'' was said to be a dedication to Pandiraj's childhood memories and was shot during the school vacations and on weekends. The film was a critical success, winning several national and international awards, including three

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 ...

, and being screened at various film festivals. Following the success of ''Pasanga'', Pandiraj directed his second film, ''

Vamsam ''Vamsam'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action film, starring debutante Arulnidhi and Sunaina in lead roles. The film is produced by Arulnidhi's father and M. Karunanidhi's youngest son, M. K. Thamizharasu, and features Jayaprakash, Ganja ...

'' with newcomer

Arulnithi Arulnithi Tamilarasu (born 21 July 1987) is an Indian actor best known for playing the lead roles in '' Vamsam'', directed by Pandiraj, Mouna Guru, and Demonte Colony. Personal life Arulnithi's grandfather is M. Karunanidhi, former Chief Minist ...

and

Sunaina Sunaina is an Indian actress and model. She predominantly works in Tamil movies as well as few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her film debut with Telugu film ''Kumar Vs Kumari'' (2005) and her Tamil debut '' Kadhalil Vizhunthen'' ...

starring. The film, which was produced by Arulnidhi's father and M. Karunanidhi's youngest son, M. K. Thamizharasu, gained positive reviews and went well in the box office. In 2012, Pandiraj set up his a film production studio named Pasanga Productions. His first production was his own directorial ''

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

'' which marked the feature film debut for television anchor and comedian

Sivakarthikeyan Sivakarthikeyan (born 17 February 1985), also referred to as SK, is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, lyricist, and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil films. He has also won a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, four Edison ...

. The film received mixed reviews from critics. The director's next '' Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga'' was also produced by him. Pandiraj cast the lead actors of his previous films, Sivakarthikeyan and Vimal, in the film, who were paired

Bindu Madhavi Bindu Madhavi (born 14 June 1986) is an Indian model and actress and a reality show winner, working in Tamil-language and Telugu-language cinema. After starting her acting career in Telugu, she shifted to Tamil cinema where she was part of seve ...

and

Regina Cassandra Regina Cassandra (born 13 December 1990) is an Indian actress and Model who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film '' Kanda Naal Mudhal'' in 2005 and made her Telugu film debut with ''Siva Manasu ...

. The romantic comedy film received positive responses from critics and became a commercial hit. Pandiraj distributed his former assistant Naveen's debut film ''

Moodar Koodam ''Moodar Koodam'' () is a 2013 Tamil language black comedy film written, produced and directed by Naveen. The film stars the director himself alongside Sendrayan, Kuberan, and Rajaj in lead roles. Oviya, Anupama Kumar, Jayaprakash, Five Star K ...

'' under his Pasanga Productions studio. He also wrote the dialogues for cinematographer

Vijay Milton S. D. Vijay Milton is an Indian cinematographer and director working in Tamil films. He directed the romantic comedy film ''Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu'' (2006) starring Bharath and Mallika Kapoor. He received critical acclaim for his ...

's second directorial ''

Goli Soda ''Goli Soda'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by S.D. Vijay Milton, who handled the Cinematography as well. Produced by his brother Bharath Seeni under Roughnote Production, the film stars Kishore, Sree Raam ...

''. In 2015, Pandiraj has directed another children's film titled ''

Pasanga 2 ''Pasanga 2 : Haiku'' is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language children's film written, co produced and directed by Pandiraj. A thematic sequel to ''Pasanga'' (2009), the film focuses on the issue of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) amongst ...

'', produced by actor

Suriya Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known by his stage name Suriya, is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter and a philanthropist. He primarily works in Tamil cinema where he is one of the highest paid actors. He received numerou ...

. He later directed romantic comedy '' Idhu Namma Aalu'' (2016) and action thriller, ''

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

'' (2016). In 2018, ''

Kadaikutty Singam ''Kadaikutty Singam'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Pandiraj and produced by Suriya on his studio 2D Entertainment. The film features an ensemble cast of Karthi, Sayyeshaa, Sathyaraj, Soori, Vi ...

'' was promoted as a film that would inspire the younger generation to take up farming. But Pandiraj loses his aim mid-way and the film becomes one that propagates good familial values and focuses less on farming. Pandiraj win Best Director Tamil in

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...

. Later, Pandiraj produce ''

Semma ''Semma'' ( Awesome) is a 2018 Indian Tamil language comedy-drama film directed by Vallikanth and written by Pandiraj. The film stars G. V. Prakash Kumar and Arthana Binu, while Yogi Babu and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others, play supporting ro ...

'' and launching his former assistant Vallikanthan as a director with the G. V. Prakash Kumar. With ''

Namma Veettu Pillai ''Namma Veettu Pillai'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy drama film written and directed by Pandiraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Aishwarya Rajesh, with a sup ...

'' (2019), which has actor

in the lead, Pandiraj, once again delivers a film with the importance of families, and the significance of the bond shared between relatives are shown amazingly with ample convincing dialogues and emotional scenes in the film.

Filmography

;Director ;Distributor *''

'' (2013)

Awards

* Anandha Vikatan Award for Best Director - ''

'' * International Children's Film Festival Golden Elephant Award for Best Director - ''

'' *

(Dialogues) - ''

'' *

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Dialogue Writer is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they w ...

- ''

'' *

Vijay Award for Best Find of the Year The Vijay for Best Find of the Year is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. Nominations *2007 Venkat Prabhu ...

- ''

'' *

Vijay Award for Best Crew The Vijay for Best Crew is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil (Kollywood) films. The list Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. See also * Tamil cinema * Cinema of India ...

- ''

'' * World Malayalee Council Award - ''

'' *

Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize Recipients Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. * The year mentioned refers to the year in which the films released. This is the list of Winners of Jury's Special Award See also * Tamil cinema * Cinema of Indi ...

- ''

'' *

- ''

'' *

for Best Director - ''

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Tamil film directors Living people 1976 births People from Pudukkottai Tamil screenwriters Tamil film producers Indian film distributors Film directors from Tamil Nadu Film producers from Tamil Nadu 21st-century Indian film directors Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Best Dialogue National Film Award winners 21st-century Indian screenwriters