P. Samuthirakani
(born 26 April 1973) is an Indian actor and film director who works predominantly in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Telugu and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
films. He worked as an assistant to director
K. Balachander, in ''
Paarthale Paravasam''. He won the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2016 for ''
Visaranai'',
he is also an recipient of three
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 ...
, a
Filmfare Award
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...
and a
SIIMA award
Early life
Samuthirakani was born on 26 April 1973 in
Seithur
Seithur is a small panchayat town in Rajapalayam taluk, Virudhunagar district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the Rajapalayam to Tenkasi National Highway 744, 65 km from Courtallam, and 5km from the Sasthakovil r ...
,
Rajapalayam,
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 ...
.
He did his B.Sc. in Mathematics from the Rajapalayam Rajus College and he also earned a Bachelor of Law from
Ambedkar Law College. However, he aimed to become an actor. He has said that people used to tell him that he did not have the physical appearance or talent necessary to be an actor.
Career
In 1997, he joined as an assistant director under
Sundar K. Vijayan. He was then noticed by
K. Balachander and was recruited as assistant director for Balachander's 100th film ''
Paarthale Paravasam''. He also assisted Balachander in the mega-serial ''
Anni'' telecasted by
Jaya TV
Jaya TV HD is a Tamil language satellite television channel based in Chennai, India. Jaya TV HD is also broadcast to the expatriate Tamil community via various media partnerships. Hemant Sahai of HSA had Jaya TV HD as his first client. Jaya TV ...
. Samuthirakani recalled that the work experience he gained under Balachander helped him in many ways while shooting ''Arasi'' and ''Selvi'', the mega-serial telecasted in
Sun TV, which were massive hits among housewives.
In the early 2000s, Samuthirakani began his career as a director. He notably launched a shelved film titled ''Uyir Nanbanukku'' starring
Cheran, before making ''
Unnai Charanadaindhen'' (2003) for
S. P. B. Charan.
He worked as an assistant director for
K. Balachander in ''
Parthale Paravasam'' (2001) and ''
Poi'' (2006) and for
Ameer in ''
Paruthiveeran'' (2007).
However, it was the success of ''
Naadodigal'' (2009) that established Samuthirakani as a director. Since then he has directed films such as ''
Poraali'' (2011), ''
Nimirndhu Nil'' (2014) and ''
Appa'' (2016). All these films have been remade in Telugu and Kannada. He gained appreciation for his acting in ''
Velaiilla Pattadhari'' (2014) as
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 ...
's father and in ''
Visaranai'' (2016) as a police inspector.
He also played important role in
Rajinikanth's film ''
Kaala'' (2018).
In 2020, he appeared in Telugu film, ''
Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo''. Samuthirakani's returned to directing with ''
Naadodigal 2'', a film that takes up the topic of equality. He played the main role in the Telugu film, ''
Aakashavaani'' (2021). He also directed two fantasy comedy ''
Vinodhaya Sitham'' (2021) and ''
Bro'' (2023).
He also played the role of
Vibhishana
Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana,'' and one of the eight Chiranjivis. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing ...
in the Telugu superhero film ''
Hanu-Man'' (2024).
Filmography
Tamil films
Telugu films
Malayalam films
Television
Dubbing artist
As a director
;Films
;Television
Singer
Narrator
*''
Eye of the Leopard'' (2006) - Tamil version -
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
*''
Sundarapandian'' (2012)
*''Roar of the Royals'' (2020) - Tamil version - National Geographic
*''
Serndhu Polama'' (2015)
*''
Anandham Vilayadum Veedu
''Anandham Vilayadum Veedu'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Nandha Periyasamy and produced by Sri Vaari Film. The film stars Gautham Karthik, Cheran and Shivathmika Rajasekhar with a supporting ...
'' (2021)
*''The Way Of The Cheetah'' (2021) Tamil version - National Geographic
References
External links
*
Opera king*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuthirakani, P.
Living people
Tamil film directors
1973 births
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners
Best Supporting Actor National Film Award winners
Indian male voice actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Male actors in Malayalam cinema
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Tamil Nadu
People from Virudhunagar district
20th-century Indian male actors
21st-century Indian people
Film directors from Tamil Nadu
Kannada film directors
Malayalam film directors
Male actors in Telugu cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Tamil male television actors