A.R. Murugadoss

Murugadoss Arunasalam, or just AR Murugadoss if you're not into long names, is basically a big deal in the Tamil film circuit. The dude's got his fingerprints all over some of the most adrenaline-pumping action movies down south and, honestly, he’s the king when it comes to remixing those hits into Hindi blockbusters. People throw around the word “versatile” a lot, but this guy? He actually lives it. Born and bred in Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu—tiny town, big dreams, you know the drill—he didn’t just stick to the usual grind. Nah, he picked up his BA from Bishop Heber College in Trichy, and then jumped headfirst into cinema. The “AR” in his name? That’s a little tribute to his dad, Arunasalam, tacked on after he landed his first gig as director for “Dheena” back in 2001. Fast forward, and he’s chilling in Virugambakkam, Chennai, probably planning his next big move. He’s got a Filmfare Award for Best Director on his shelf for “Kaththi” (2014), which, let’s be honest, was an absolute banger and basically set a new bar for Tamil action-dramas. Oh, and talent runs in the fam—his brother Dileepan jumped into acting with a lead role in “Vathikuchi,” which, surprise, was produced by Murugadoss himself. Guy’s got an eye for not just stories, but people too. At this point, if you haven’t seen at least one Murugadoss film, are you even watching Indian cinema?