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

Tamil film industry Tamil cinema is the segment of cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the nam ...

. Making his debut in 1977 with ''

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

'', he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films and popularly referred to as ''Iyakkunar Imayam''. As of 2017, he has won six

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 ...

, four

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 ...

, six

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, 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 Governmen ...

and a

Nandi Award The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic s ...

. He has also directed films in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

and

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

honoured him with the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), 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. In ...

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 '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

(

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 hon ...

) from

Sathyabama University Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology (SIST), formerly known as Sathyabama Engineering College and Sathyabama University, is a private, STEM-intensive, multi-disciplinary, multi-campus deemed university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. ...

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 Indian cinema's most influent ...

. Later, he assisted P. Pullaiah, M. Krishnan Nair, Avinasi Mani and A. Jagannathan. 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. Radhika. It was released on 10 August 1978 and ran for over 365 days in theatres. T ...

'' 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-directed and co-written by Bharathirajaa. The film starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi, with Goundamani, Bhagyaraj and Vadivukkarasi in supporting roles. I ...

'', 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 Su ...

'' (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 teen romantic drama film written and directed by Bharathiraja, from a story by Manivannan. The film stars Karthik and Radha, in their acting debuts. Thiagarajan, Silk Smitha and Kama ...

'' (1981), ''

Mann Vasanai ''Mann Vasanai'' () is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Pandiyan and Revathi, with Vinu Chakravarthy, Gandhimathi, and Y. Vijaya in supporting roles. It was released on 16 September ...

'' (1983) and ''

Muthal 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, ...

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

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

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

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

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 directed and co-written by Bharathiraja. It is based on the play ''Saadhigal Illaiyadi Papa'' by K. Kannan, who wrote the film adaptation's dialogues and became known as ''Vedh ...

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

Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), known professionally as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a media personality who appears predominantly in Tamil films. He also appears in works in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam ...

as Balu Thevar. It contains some of Bharathiraja's trademark touches as well as several ground-breaking scenes. Vedham Pudhithu made a revolutionary thoughts about caste discriminations in Brahmin and other upper castes in Tamil Nadu. 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 Ramanathan Sarathkumar (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu cinema, Telugu, Malayalam cinema, Malayalam, Kannada cinema, Kannada and Hindi cinema ...

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

Heera Rajagopal Heera Rajagopal is a former Indian actress who has appeared in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi language films. Early life and family Heera Rajagopal was born to Colonel Dr. Rajagopal and his wife on 29 December 1971, ...

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 Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...

. 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'' 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 National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with ...

. The well-known Tamil film director

Bhagyaraj Bhagyaraj is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *K. Bhagyaraj (born 1953), Indian film director *Poornima Bhagyaraj, Indian actress *Praveena Bhagyaraj (died 1983), Indian actress *Shanthanu Bhagyaraj Shanthanu Bhagyaraj (born ...

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 Bala may refer to: Films * ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary * ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film * ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy Life forms *Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...

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 cinema, Tamil language films for directing films such as ''Keladi Kanmani'' (1990), ''Aasai'' (1995), ''Nerrukku Ner'' (1997), ''Rhythm (2000 film), Rhythm'' (2000) and ''Satham Podathey'' (200 ...

'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 (born Venkatasubramanian) 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 Pr ...

, 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 cinema, Tamil and Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi and ...

Radhika Radhika may refer to: * Radha, a Hindu goddess and eternal consort of Krishna * Radhika (given name), an Indian given name * Radhika (Malayalam actress) * Radhika (choreographer), in South Indian films * Kalamandalam Radhika, Indian dancer and ...

, and

Vijayashanti Moturi Vijaya Shanthi (born 24 June 1966) is an Indian actress, film 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 language, Te ...

. 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 240 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 Muth ...

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

, Chandrasekhar, Pandiyan, and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

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

Manivannan Manivannan (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, voice artist, playback singer and social activist who worked in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning three decades, he went from being a story and ...

Manobala Balachandar (8 December 1953 – 3 May 2023), known by his stage name Manobala (), was an Indian actor, film producer, director, comedian, and YouTuber who predominantly played supporting roles in Tamil-language films. He worked predominantly i ...

Thiagarajan Thiagarajan Sivanandam (born 21 June 1946) is an Indian actor, film director and film producer in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil, he has acted in several Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films. He is the father of Tamil actor Prashanth, son- ...

, and

Ponvannan Ponvannan (born Shanmugam; 23 September 1964) 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 in

Theni Allinagaram Theni Allinagaram is a valley town and a municipality, situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, 70 km from Madurai. As of 2011, the town had a population ...

, a town in the erstwhile

Theni district Theni District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in India. Surrounded by hills, the district is located to the west of Madurai district. The town of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural div ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...

in a Kallar family. He married ChandraLeela in 1974 and has two children

Manoj Bharathiraja Manoj Kumar Bharathiraja (11 September 1976 – 25 March 2025) was an Indian actor, film director, producer and playback singer who worked in Tamil cinema. He was the son of director Bharathiraja and made his acting debut with his father's ''Ta ...

(1976–2025) and Janani (born 1979). Manoj was an actor who was introduced in ''Taj Mahal'' and he married actress

Nandana Aswathi Nandana Aswathi (born 1985) is an Indian former actress who handled lead roles and supporting roles during the 2000s in Malayalam and Tamil films. She made her cinematic debut with the Malayalam movie '' Snehithan'' in 2002. Career In 2002, ...

. He died of heart attack on 25 March 2025. Janani is married to Malaysian Rajkumar Thambiraja. Bharathiraja's brother-in-law

Manoj Kumar Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishan Giri Goswami; 24 July 1937 – 4 April 2025) was an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful actors in t ...

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. It was released on 12 December 1986. Plot Chittu retu ...

'', ''

Vandicholai Chinraasu ''Vandicholai Chinraasu'' is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed and co-written by Manoj Kumar, and produced by Vivekananda Pictures. The film stars Sathyaraj, Sukanya and Sivaranjani. It was released on 15 April 1994, and recei ...

'', ''

Vaanavil ''Vaanavil'' () is a 2000 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language film produced and directed by Manoj Kumar (Tamil director), Manoj Kumar. The film stars Arjun Sarja, Arjun, Abhirami Gopikumar, Abhirami (in her Tamil debut) and Prakash Raj. It was ...

'' and ''

Guru Paarvai ''Guru Paarvai'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language thriller film written and directed by Manoj Kumar. The film stars Prakash Raj, Khushbu and Anju Aravind, while Thalaivasal Vijay, Manivannan, Easwari Rao and Ramesh Khanna play the support ...

''. His brother Jayaraj made his acting debut with ''

Kaththukkutti ''Kaththukkutti'' is a 2015 Indian Tamil language romantic comedy film directed by R. Saravanan and produced by Ramkumar. The film stars Narain and Srushti Dange, with Soori in another pivotal role. The film was released in October 2015 to pos ...

''. 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 18 October 2013. The second season of the show, which started as a sequel and next generatio ...

'' and '' 7C''.

Awards

Civilian honours

* 2004 –

Padmashri The Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), 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 Janu ...

from the

National Film Awards

* 1982 –

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Telugu Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kam ...

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

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The National Film Award for Best Tamil Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kama ...

for '' Mudhal Mariyathai'' (Producer & Director) * 1988 –

National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues The National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues was 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 (India ...

'' (Director) * 1995 –

National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

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, Va ...

'' (Director) * 1996 –

for '' Anthimanthaarai'' (Director) * 2001 –

for ''

Kadal Pookkal ''Kadal Pookkal'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Bharathiraja, starring Murali, Manoj K. Bharathi, Uma, Prathyusha and Sindhu Menon. The film was released on 14 December 2001. Bharathiraja won the National Film Awar ...

'' (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, Va ...

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 Referenc ...

- 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 s ...

'' * 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 ''Eera Nilam'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language war film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja, starring his son Manoj and Nanditha. It was released on 8 August 2003, and won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film while The ...

Nandi Awards

* 1981 –

Nandi Award for Best Director The Nandi Award for Best Director the Award was first given in 1981. See also * Nandi Awards References {{DEFAULTSORT:Nandi Award For Best Director Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magaz ...

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 i ...

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

Pandiya Naadu ''Pandiya Naadu'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by Suseenthiran and produced by Vishal, who stars in the lead role alongside Lakshmi Menon, Bharathiraja, Soori, Vikranth, and Sharath Lohitashwa. The music wa ...

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 '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

) 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 being t ...

Legal issues

* He attended the Heroes Day Conference at

Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...

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

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

against the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

for not releasing

Cauvery The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...

water at

Neyveli Neyveli is an industrial town in the Cuddalore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. 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 Ney ...

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

Sarath Kumar Ramanathan Sarathkumar (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. He has acted in more than 150 films and won two ...

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 the chief mini ...

Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016), popularly known as Amma, was an Indian actress, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. She ...

and launching attacks on actor

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...

's home state's ethnicity.

Filmography

As director and producer

Films

Television

List of TV Serials directed by Bharathiraja and aired on

Kalaignar TV Kalaignar TV is a Tamil-language general entertainment pay television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar, and is named after former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidh ...

. * '' Thekkathi Ponnu'' * ''Appanum Aathalum'' * ''Muthal Mariyathai'' * ''

Modern Love Chennai ''Modern Love Chennai'' is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language romantic anthology television series directed by Bharathiraja, Balaji Sakthivel, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Raju Murugan, Krishnakumar Ramakumar and Akshay Sundher. It was produced by Tyler ...

'' - Web series Episode 5: ''Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal''

As actor

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 * ...

('' Niram Maaratha Pookkal,

)'' *

(''

'') *

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 also performed in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films and television series. ...

(''

'') *

(''

Kodi Parakuthu ''Kodi Parakkuthu'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language action film co-written, produced and directed by Bharathiraja. The film starred Rajinikanth, who worked with Bharathiraja nearly a decade after their last film ''16 Vayathinile'' (1977). It ...

'') *

Thennavan Thennavan () may refer to: * ''Thennavan'' (film), a 2003 Indian Tamil-language film * Thennavan (actor) Thennavan is an Indian actor who has appeared in supporting roles. After making his debut in Bharathiraja's ''En Uyir Thozhan'' (1990), t ...

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En Uyir Thozhan ''En Uyir Thozhan'' ( ) is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language political drama film directed by Bharathiraja starring newcomers Babu, Thennavan and Rama. The film was released on 16 February 1990, and failed at the box-office; however it garnered a ...

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Singer

*"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 21st-century Indian people 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 Tamil television directors Tamil television writers