Kalaipuli S. Thanu () is an Indian film producer, director and distributor, known for his films in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

. He has produced several films through his two companies, V Creations and Kalaipuli Films International. Many of his films have been commercially successful, three of which are among the top-ten highest grossing Tamil films. He has won two

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

, two

Cinema Express Awards Cinema Express Awards are presented annually by Indian Express Group on behalf of Cinema Express film magazine to honour artistic excellence of professionals in the south Indian film industry which comprises Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayala ...

and one

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

Personal life

Thanu is married to Kala. Their son Kalaprabhu made his directorial debut with '' Sakkarakatti'' (2008). Thanu also has a daughter Kavitha.

Career

S. Thanu began his career as a film financier and distributor, before becoming a producer and a partner at Kalaipuli Films with S. Thanu and Soori with '' Yaar?'' (1985), being their debut film as producers. He initially started as a publicity designer being responsible for christening Rajinikanth as "Superstar" and creating a 35 feet cutout of him in a theatre. He started his own company V. Creations and went on to produce commercially successful films with

Vijayakanth Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor, filmmaker, philanthropist and politician. He worked in Tamil cinema in a career spanning four decades. He ventured into politi ...

in '' Cooliekkaran'' (1987), '' Nallavan'' (1988) and '' Pudhu Padagan'' (1990). His '' Vanna Vanna Pookkal'' (1992) directed by

Balu Mahendra Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (20 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan Tamil cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked in various Indian film industries, primarily in Tamil ...

won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. He also did in a cameo appearance for a film '' Magalir Mattum'' in 1994. '' Kizhakku Cheemayile'' (1993) and '' Kandukondain Kandukondain'' (2000) won the Cinema Express Award for Best Film – Tamil. He has also produced films with Suriya in '' Kaakha Kaakha'' (2003), ''

Maayavi ''Maayavi'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language black comedy film directed by Singampuli that stars Suriya and Jyothika (who plays a fictional version of herself), whilst Vijayakanth makes a cameo. The film's score and soundtrack ...

'' (2005) and with Vijay in '' Sachein'' (2005), '' Thuppakki'' (2012) and '' Theri'' (2016). He collaborated with Rajinikanth for the first time for '' Kabali'' (2016). He has produced four films for

Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in Dhanush filmography, 50 films over his car ...

such as '' Velaiilla Pattadhari 2'' (2017), '' Asuran'' (2019), '' Karnan'' (2021) and '' Naane Varuvean'' (2022).

Companies

Thanu owns Kalaipuli Films and V Creations. The former company was registered as a private company on 8 March 2004, and the CEO of the latter is Thanu's other son Paranthaman.

Filmography

As actor

As producer

As distributor

*1996 - '' Delhi Diary'' (Tamil dubbed) * 1996 - '' Siraichaalai'' (Tamil dubbed) * 2004 - '' Gharshana'' (Telugu) * 2010 - '' Milaga'' * 2010 - '' Thottupaar'' * 2011 - '' Pathinaaru'' * 2011 - '' Maaveeran'' (Tamil dubbed) * 2011 - '' Urumi'' * 2014 - '' Ner Ethir'' * 2014 - '' Yennamo Yedho'' * 2015 - '' Thakka Thakka'' * 2015 - '' Vellaiya Irukiravan Poi Solla Maatan'' * 2016 - '' Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai'' * 2016 - '' Parandhu Sella Vaa'' * 2017 - '' Velaiilla Pattadhari 2'' * 2019 - ''

Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...

'' (Tamil dubbed) * 2019 - ''

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...

'' (Tamil dubbed) * 2021 - '' Maraikayar: Arabikadalin Singam'' (Tamil version) * 2022 - '' Andhagan'' * 2022 - '' Iravin Nizhal''

Awards and honours

;

* Won, Best Feature Film in Tamil for '' Vanna Vanna Pookkal'' (1992) * Won, Best Feature Film in Tamil for '' Asuran'' (2019) ;

* Won, Best Film for '' Kizhakku Cheemayile'' (1993) * Won, Best Film for '' Kandukondain Kandukondain'' (2000) ;

* Won, Best Film for '' Kandukondain Kandukondain'' (2000) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Kaakha Kaakha'' (2003) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Thuppakki'' (2012) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Theri'' (2016) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Kabali'' (2016) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Karnan '' (2021) ;

South Indian International Movie Awards The South Indian International Movie Awards (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 appreciate and hono ...

* Nominated, Best Film for '' Thuppakki'' (2012) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Theri'' (2016) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Asuran'' (2019) * Nominated, Best Film for '' Karnan '' (2021) ;

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 i ...

* Won, Favourite Film for '' Thuppakki'' (2012) ;

Edison Awards Edison Awards is an American company that runs an annual competition honoring excellence in innovation in a broad range of categories. Company The Edison Awards were established by the American Marketing Association in 1987 and has been an i ...

* Won, Best Film for '' Kabali'' (2016) ; Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards * Won, Most Popular Movie for '' Kabali'' (2016) ;

IIFA Utsavam The IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malayalam cine ...

*Nominated, Best Film for '' Kabali'' (2016) ; Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards * Won, Best Film for '' Asuran'' (2019)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thanu, S. Living people Tamil film producers Indian film distributors 1958 births