S. S. Stanley (14 December 1967 – 15 April 2025) was an Indian film director and actor who directed Tamil films. He was active primarily as a filmmaker and a writer in the 2000s collaborating in ventures which often included Srikanth.

Career

S. S. Stanley apprenticed with directors Mahendran and Sasi before his directorial debut. After working as an assistant director for twelve years, he made his first film ''

April Maadhathil ''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporti ...

'', a college love story starring Srikanth and

Sneha Sneha () is a popular Hindu Indian feminine given name, which means "Affection". Notable people named Sneha *Sneha (actress) (born 1981), Indian actress in South Indian films - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada languages *Sneha Khanwalkar (b ...

, which became a box office success. His second venture, ''

Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan ''Pudhukottaiyilirundhu Saravanan'' () is a 2004 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language Road movie, road film written and directed by S. S. Stanley. The film stars Dhanush as the titular character and newcomer Aparna Pillai. The music for the film ...

'' featuring

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 ...

, became an average grosser with Stanley suggesting the film's story was misunderstood by audiences. He then began work on a film featuring Ravi Krishna,

Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in '' Lava Kusa'' as well as for the title roles in movies like Chenchu ...

's granddaughter Saila Rao and

Sonia Agarwal Sonia Agarwal is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Tamil cinema and a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She is best known for her performances in films '' Kaadhal Kondein'' (2003), ''7G Rainbow Colony'' (2004) and ' ...

for producer Krishnakanth, but financial troubles meant that the film was stalled and Stanley took a sabbatical. Stanley then worked again with Srikanth in his next two ventures, with the romantic drama '' Mercury Pookkal'' releasing first. His last directorial venture ''

Kizhakku Kadalkarai Salai ''Kizhakku Kadarkarai Salai'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action romance film directed by S. S. Stanley. The film stars Srikanth and Bhavana. It was released on 10 November 2006, and was not a commercial success. Plot The movie begins ...

'' (2006) opened to poor reviews, with a critic noting it was "pathetic" and a "virtually invisible script". Stanley then began to appear in films as an actor, notably playing

C. N. Annadurai Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 19093 February 1969), also known as Perarignar, was an Indian politician who was the founder and first general-secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He served as the fourth and last chi ...

in the biographical film ''

Periyar Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 187924 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician. He was the organizer of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam and is considered the architect o ...

'' (2007). In early 2015, he planned to make a film titled ''Adam's Apple'' for

AR Murugadoss Murugadas Arunachalam (born 25 September 1974), known professionally as AR Murugadoss, () is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer who predominantly works in the Tamil cinema, Tamil film industry. He is best known for directin ...

's production house and cast

Vaibhav Vaibhav (वैभव, ) is a male given name in the Sanskrit language. People *Vaibhav Deshpande (born 1987), Indian cricketer *Vaibhav Kaul (born 1991), Indian photographer *Vaibhav Madhukar Pichad (born 1974), Indian politician *Vaibhav Mangl ...

and

Andrea Jeremiah Andrea Maria Jeremiah (born 21 December 1985), known professionally as Andrea Jeremiah, is an Indian actress and singer who works predominantly in Tamil and Malayalam films. She is a recipient of several awards including nominations for Film ...

. However the project eventually did not materialise.

Death

Stanley died on 15 April 2025, at the age of 57, after undergoing treatment at a private hospital for several illnesses.

Filmography

As actor

*''

'' (2007) *'' Raavanan'' (2010) *'' Ninaithathu Yaaro'' (2014) *'' Andavan Kattalai'' (2016) *''

Kadugu ''Kadugu'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language drama film written, produced and directed by Vijay Milton. The film features an ensemble cast of Bharath, Rajakumaran, Radhika Prasidhha, Subiksha, Bharath Seeni and A. Venkatesh. Distributed by ...

'' (2016) *'' Aan Devathai'' (2018) *''

6 Athiyayam ''6 Athiyayam'' () is a 2018 Tamil-language horror anthology film directed by Cable Sankar, Shankar Thiyagarajan, Ajayan Bala, E. A. V. Suresh, Lokesh Rajendran, and Sridhar Venkatesan. It includes six separate stories, each part being directed ...

'' (2018) *'' Sarkar'' (2018) *''Meendum'' (2021) *'' Bommai Nayagi'' (2023) *''

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

'' (2024)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, S. S. 1965 births 2025 deaths Tamil film directors Film directors from Idukki district 21st-century Indian people Screenwriters from Kerala Male actors from Kerala Male actors in Tamil cinema People from Idukki district Munnar