Ameer Sultan | |
|---|---|
 Ameer at Santhanathevan Movie Launch | |
| Born | (1967-12-05)5 December 1967 (age 58)[1] Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupations | Film director, Film producer, Screenwriter, Actor |
Ameer Sultan (born 5 December 1967) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor, working in theTamil film industry.[2]
Ameer Sultan was born inMadurai, Tamil Nadu,India. He initially studied economics and worked as an entrepreneur before starting to work as an assistant director to Tamil filmmakerBala on his award-winning filmSethu in 1999 andNandhaa in 2001. Shortly after, he directed his first film, the romantic comedyMounam Pesiyadhe (2002). The film starredSuriya in the lead and becameTrisha Krishnan's first release featuring her in a leading role. The same year, he began his own production company, Teamwork Production House.
His second directorial was the mystery thrillerRaam, which he produced himself. It was released three years later, in 2005. The film, which revolves around anautistic teenager, portrayed byJiiva, who is highly attached to his mother, but becomes the main suspect in her murder, received critical acclaim, with Jeeva and the film's composerYuvan Shankar Raja winning awards at the 2005Cyprus International Film Festival.[3] It also became Jeeva's first successful film in the film industry, who till then, had appeared in two unsuccessful home productions only.[4][5]
In 2007, he directed the dramaParuthiveeran set in a village inTamil Nadu, which marked the debut ofKarthi, younger son ofSivakumar and brother ofSuriya. Karthi as well asPriyamani, who performed the female lead, won several notable prizes for their performances.Paruthiveeran remains Ameer's most acclaimed work, having received sixFilmfare Awards South including theBest Film andBest Director trophies, twoNational Film Awards, twoTamil Nadu State Film Awards and fourVijay Awards. The film further fetched accolades at international platform, winning the Best Film Award at theOsian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema andNetpac Special Mention award at theBerlin International Film Festival.[6][7] His fourth directorial,Aadhi Bhagavan, starringJayam Ravi andNeetu Chandra, released in 2013, to mixed reviews. Later, he winAnanda Vikatan Cinema Award Best Supporting Actor forVada Chennai (2018).[8] He starred as lead actor in the political dramaUyir Thamizhukku (2024).[9]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | |||
| 2002 | Mounam Pesiyadhe |  Y |  N | Y | Also lyricist for "Love All Day" and "Kannil Kanthamey" |
| 2005 | Raam | Y | Y | Y | |
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran | Y | Y | Y | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil |
| 2009 | Yogi | N | Y | Y | |
| 2013 | Aadhi Bhagavan | Y | N | Y | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sethu | College Student | Uncredited role |
| 2002 | Mounam Pesiyadhe | Peon | Uncredited role |
| 2009 | Yogi | Yogeshwaran (Yogi) | |
| 2011 | Yuddham Sei | Dancer | Special appearance |
| 2014 | Ninaithathu Yaaro | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2018 | Vada Chennai | Rajan | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award Best Supporting Actor |
| 2022 | Maaran | Parthiban | |
| 2024 | Uyir Thamizhukku | MGR Pandian | |
| 2025 | Bison Kaalamaadan | Pandiaraja | |
| TBA | Maayavalai | Rajan | Guest appearance |
| Year | Film | Song | Composer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Paruthiveeran | "Sari Gama Pathani" | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
| 2009 | Yogi | "Seermevum Koovathiley" |
On 24 October 2008, Ameer was arrested.[10] Being a Tamil activist, he took part in a film rally condemningstate atrocities against Tamils in Sri Lanka, organised by directorBharathiraja, also a Tamil activist, and other prominent Tamil directors, actors, and producers. The rally was part of statewide protests acrossTamil Nadu in 2008 condemning Sri Lanka. During the rally, Ameer and fellow directorSeeman made speeches criticising the Indian government and expressing support to theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Tamil separatist group on the island and condemning the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka.[11][12] The two were later released on bail with the help of their assistant directors, Bharathiraja, and actorR. Sarath Kumar. Other Film directors such asBalu Mahendra,Bhagyaraj,Cheran,R K Selvamani, V Sekar,Bala, Rajkapoor, lyricists Arivumathi, Snehan and others waited from 8 am for the two directors' release.[13]