Vasanth | |
|---|---|
| Born | Devakottai, Tamilnadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Director |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Vasanth is an Indian director well known inTamil language films for directing films such asKeladi Kanmani (1990),Aasai (1995),Nerrukku Ner (1997),Rhythm (2000) andSatham Podathey (2007).[1]
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Vasanth began his career as a journalist and short story writer,[2] before he began working as an assistant director toK. Balachander on 18 films includingSindhu Bhairavi andPunnagai Mannan.[3] He made his first independent film in 1990, the critically acclaimed filmKeladi Kanmani, which starred noted playback singerS. P. Balasubrahmanyam and enjoyed a 285-days-run at theatres. He next directedNee Pathi Naan Pathi, titled after a song from his previous film, which focussed on anunwed mother's issue. The film features the song "Nivedha", becoming noted for its visualisation and its lyrics consisting of a single word. His third directorial was the thrillerAasai (1995), which became a trendsetter and high financial success that ran for more than 200 days.[4] Produced byMani Ratnam.[5][6] as well as the feature film debut of lead actressSuvalakshmi, while Vasanth received theTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director.
In 1997, Vasanth's next project,Nerrukku Ner released. Also produced byManiratnam, the film introduced actorSivakumar's eldest sonSuriya, who played a leading role and Bollywood actressSimran alongsideVijay andKausalya also became a commercial success and ran for 175 days. Vasanth's subsequent projectPoovellam Kettuppar (1999), also starred Suriya, pairing for the first time withJyothika, who would later become his wife. The film is especially known as being composerYuvan Shankar Raja's first major musical success. The following year, two of his directorial released,Appu andRhythm. The former was appreciated forPrakash Raj's performance as aeunuch, whilst the latter is considered a classic, mainly for its theme and realism by critics and public.Rhythm told the tale of two individuals who lose their life partners in the same accident and overcome their sorrow to start a new relationship. The film's soundtrack, scored byA. R. Rahman consists of five songs, each depicting one of thefive elements.[7] Vasanth had pickedRhythm to be the film "closest to heart".[3]Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke! (2002) was his following project, with its major attraction being the first ensemble soundtrack in Indian cinema, featuring five songs, composed by five debutant music directors but failed at the box office.[7] In 2007, he made the thriller filmSatham Podathey (2007), which was critically acclaimed but not a commercial hit.[8][9] and a blockbuster at the box office, while fetching him aTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter.[10] 2013 he made the romantic musicalMoondru Per Moondru Kadhal, a film involving three love stories.[11] In 2015, he began his next feature film titledSivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, reported to be a "pro-women film", in which he would introduce Carnatic singerSudha Ragunathan as a music director.[12]
During hissabbaticals from filmmaking, Vasanth has worked on several ad films, short films and documentaries as well.[3][13] The short films,Thakkayin Methu Naanku Kangal(தக்கையின் மீது நான்கு கண்கள்), for which he won theNational Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film at the2005 ceremony,[14] and the critically acclaimedVisaranai Commission, based on Sakithya Academy prize-winning novel by Sa. Kandhasami,[3] are the other notable works in his career. He has directed more than 40 advertising films for multinational brands and co-directed theVijay TV extravaganzaNetru, Indru, Naalai along withMani Ratnam. Besides, Vasanth has been conducting workshops, too, teaching nuances of filmmaking.[15][3] His short filmSanath won the National award for the best film on social awareness, in the 64th National Film Awards, 2016.Sanath is an inspiring story of a victim of medical negligence, who initially becoming invalid, struggles and opens educational institutions where thousands can learn and become successful in life. This is his second National award.
| This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Vasanth" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | |||
| 1990 | Keladi Kanmani |  Y | Y | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film |
| 1991 | Nee Pathi Naan Pathi | Y | Y | |
| 1995 | Aasai | Y | Y | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director |
| 1997 | Nerrukku Ner | Y | Y | |
| 1999 | Poovellam Kettuppar | Y | Y | |
| 2000 | Appu | Y | Screenplay | |
| 2000 | Rhythm | Y | Y | |
| 2002 | Yai! Nee Romba Azhaga Irukke! | Y | Y | |
| 2005 | Thakkaiyin Meedhu Naangu Kangal | Y | Y | National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film |
| 2007 | Satham Podathey | Y | Y | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer |
| 2013 | Moondru Per Moondru Kadal | Y | Y | |
| 2016 | Sanath | Y | Y | National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues |
| 2021 | Sivaranjiniyum Innum Sila Pengalum | Y | Y | 2022National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil Released on a digital platform Sony LIV |
Web series
| Year | Web Series | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Navarasa | Director (Payasam) | Tamil | ANetflix anthology web series; Segment :Payasam |
| Year | Film | Role | Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Gandhi | Mahatma Gandhi | Ben Kingsley | Dubbed for older Gandhi[16] |
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Manathil Uruthi Vendum | Reporter |
| 1988 | Unnal Mudiyum Thambi | Reporter |
| 2014 | Ninaithathu Yaaro | Himself |
| 2015 | Vai Raja Vai | Karthik's father |