Samuthirakani

Samuthirakani, honestly, is everywhere in South Indian cinema—dude’s got his hands in everything: direction, acting, singing, writing, you name it. He started out studying math (yeah, seriously) at Rajapalayam Rajus College and then switched gears, snagging a law degree from Ambedkar Law College. But the movie bug bit him hard. He kicked off his film journey as an assistant director under Sundar K. Vijayan and later with the legendary K. Balachander, where he even managed to squeeze in his acting debut. Total multitasker. By the early 2000s, Samuthirakani swung the director’s chair his way with Unnai Charanadaindhen, but Naadodigal in 2009 really put him on the map—critics loved it, fans loved it, and he bagged the Vijay Award for Favourite Director. He didn’t just stop there, nope. He made waves acting too, like playing ACP Sangayya in Easan, which scored him a state award. Remakes? He’s got a bunch—from Naadodigal in Telugu as Sambo Siva Sambho, to Appa and its Malayalam twin, Aakashamittayee. He even got his hands dirty with dialogue writing, winning the Vijay Award again for Poraali. Oh, and that supporting dad role in Velaiilla Pattadhari? Classic. This guy’s filmography is wild—he’s popped up in blockbusters like Kaala with Rajinikanth, RRR (yeah, that Oscar-winner), and tons more. Negative roles, character roles, lead roles—there’s nothing he won’t try. Lately, he’s been juggling direction and acting across Tamil and Telugu, popping up in everything from Bheemla Nayak to Dasara. It’s honestly hard to keep up, but you can’t miss him.