Mohan Raja
Born	(1974-05-30)May 30, 1974 (age 51)
Occupations	Film director Screenwriter
Years active	2001–present
Children	2
Father	Editor Mohan
Relatives	Ravi Mohan (brother)

Mohan Raja a.k.aRaja Mohan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu film industries.After making his debut in theTelugu filmHanuman Junction (2001), he went on to remake several successful Telugu films into Tamil, beginning withJayam (2003) which also launched his brotherRavi as a leading actor. Raja then collaborated with Ravi for three consecutive commercially successful films,M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004),Something Something... Unakkum Enakkum (2006) andSantosh Subramaniam (2008), all of which were remakes of successful Telugu films. After a period of mixed success, he returned with his first original script,Thani Oruvan (2015) which went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil films of 2015.

Raja's father,Mohan, was the adopted son of actorK. A. Thangavelu. Mohan is a well known film editor in theTamil industry.^[1] Raja has a brother,Ravi Mohan, and a sister.^[2]

As a result of his fatherEditor Mohan's involvement in the film industry, Raja regularly visited Vauhini Studios as a teenager to watch his father work as a film editor. Likewise, Raja's role as the president of the Dubbing Film Producers Association meant that Raja was exposed to world cinema, before he attendedthe Film Institute to complete his education.^[3] He made his directorial debut through the Teluguaction comedy filmHanuman Junction (2001), a remake of the Malayalam filmThenkasipattanam (2000). Featuring an ensemble cast led byArjun andJagapathi Babu.^[4] Raja won positive reviews for his work, with Jeevi of Idlebrain.com stating "credit goes to Raja for narrating the story in such a way that all the viewers understand the complex and randomly changing relationships clearly" and that "the film looks solid in most of the scenes", while adding that Raja knows "the mass pulse".^[5] Raja then moved on to make his first Tamil film,Jayam (2003), which was a remake of the successful2002 Telugu film of the same name. A romantic thriller set in a village, the film was produced by Raja's father Mohan and starred his younger brotherRavi in the lead role alongsideSadha, who acted in the original version.Jayam opened to mixed reviews, with a critic fromThe Hindu stating the film gave a sense of "déjà vu" but added that Raja's "treatment is interesting in patches".^[6] The film went on to become asurprise success at the box office, and prompted Raja to adopt "Jayam" to his stage name as a prefix, while their home production studio was renamed Jayam Company.^[7][8]

Raja then worked with his father and brother on the production ofM. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004), a remake of the Telugu filmAmma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi (2003).Nadhiya made a comeback to Tamil films by portraying Ravi's mother. The film opened in October 2004 to positive reviews, with Behindwoods.com stating "Raja has done well for his second film" and "he has well defined the relationship between a mother and a son in this movie", whileThe Hindu wrote that "casting is a main draw", praising Nadhiya's inclusion.^[9][10] Rediff.com also listed the film amongst the "best Tamil films of 2004", stating that the film was "a big success".^[11] LikeJayam,M. Kumaran son of Mahalakshmi went on to become another highly profitable venture at the box office for the production house. Following the success of the film, Ravi signed on for films directed by different filmmakers, while Raja also stated he was looking to work for other production houses.^[12]

Raja did not sign on to make any further films, while Ravi experienced two consecutive box office failures after the success of their last collaboration. Subsequently, the duo came together for another home production titledSomething Something... Unakkum Enakkum (2006), which would be a remake ofPrabhu Deva's successful Telugu film,Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana. (2005).^[13][14] A family drama focusing on the relationship between a brother and a sister, the film told the story of how a city-bred youngster attempts to please his lover's brother. The film opened to positive reviews in July 2006, with Behindwoods.com noting Raja "should be applauded for hand picking a cast that makes the movie worth watching", while remarking that "it has everything that can well set the box office collections soaring".^[15] LikewiseSify added the film was "like a saccharine coated candy floss champion that is superbly packaged" and The Hindu stated "Raja has a way of making remakes successful".^[16][17] The venture went on to become profitable, and scored the third straight success for the actor-director duo.^[18] He was then signed on byGemini Film Circuit to remakeRajkumar Hirani's Hindi filmLage Raho Munna Bhai (2006) into Tamil, but the project failed to materialise.^[19]

Raja next began work on the family drama filmSantosh Subramaniam (2008), a remake of the Telugu filmBommarillu (2006), after outbidding several other interested parties for the remake rights. The film's original version was made by Raja's friendBhaskar, who also stated that Raja would be the most apt director to remake the film into theTamil language. Ravi andPrakash Raj were chosen again to play lead roles, whileGenelia D'Souza was selected as the film's heroine, after winning acclaim for her portrayal of the role in the original version.^[20] The film revolved around a father-son relationship where the son's choices and his ambitions to achieve something in life are subdued by his father, and Raja related the storyline back to his personal life.Santosh Subramaniam opened to positive reviews from critics, with Raja winning critical acclaim for his work. A critic from Sify.com noted "Raja, a past master at remakes, is once again a winner" and that the film "has simple charm, immensely likeable characters, and the intrinsic humour in the writing makes it a must watch".^[21] Similarly, a critic fromThe Hindu noted "for the fourth time in succession film-maker Raja shows he can re-make a film to suit the audiences here", stating the script was "aptly re-tuned to suit the Tamil milieu".^[22] The film also went on to be ranked amongst theBest Tamil films of the year by the Tamil Nadu State, while it also garnered fourFilmfare Award nominations, including one for Best Film. Moreover, it became a very profitable venture for the makers, running for over 100 days in theatres across Tamil Nadu.^[23] The producers, AGS Entertainment, subsequently requested Raja to make another film with Ravi afterSantosh Subramaniam's success, but Raja gave Ravi's dates to director Prabhu Deva to filmEngeyum Kaadhal (2011).^[24]

After five consecutive successful films, Raja chose to remake the Telugu comedy film,Kick (2009) into Tamil asThillalangadi (2010), with Ravi in the lead role. The remake rights were purchased for "astronomical sum", a month after the Telugu film's release by Raja's father Mohan, who was set to produce the film.^[25] The film began production in mid-2009 and was shot extensively across Malaysia, withTamannaah andShaam signed on to play supporting roles.^[26] The film opened to mixed-to-negative reviews, unlike the original version, whilst Sify.com rated the film as "below average" film and added that it was "boring".^[27] Pavithra Srinivasan fromRediff.com cited the film as a "ridiculous pot-boiler" and criticised Ravi's performance as "lacking punch" and also drew criticism to the "wafer-thin story line", giving the film a mere 1.5 out of 5.^[28] Behindwoods.com cited "Raja's narration is interesting but is way too long", adding that "the ‘family’ feel which is generally present in Raja's films is missing inThillalangadi".^[29] The film became Raja's first venture to gain predominantly negative reviews, but the film had an average run at the box office.^[30]

In late 2009, Raja agreed terms to work with actorVijay, and spent ten months writing a script based on a story written by directorThirupathisamy in the early 2000s. Thirupathisamy had gone on to make the story into a Telugu film titledAzad (2000), while also began pre-production work to remake it in Tamil asVelan with Vijay andPriyanka Chopra in 2001, before he died later that year. Raja subsequently bought the remake rights and reworked the script ofAzad to suit Tamil audiences and signed on Genelia D'Souza andHansika Motwani to play other lead roles.^[31][32][33] The film, which was retitledVelayudham, became Raja's first Tamil venture which did not include his brother in the cast and while writing the script, Raja analysed Vijay's popularity amongst children and women audience to insert certain scenes into the script. The film told the tale of a milkman who turns into a vigilante, with a human interest story as a backdrop.^[34] The film opened to positive reviews and became the third highest grossing Tamil film of 2011. A critic from Behindwoods.com noted "Raja has done a fine job of mixing all the elements that go towards making a mass hero film, though he has lost the balance a bit in the last hour", while Rediff.com noted it is "a masala entertainer that doesn't require you to tax your brain cells".^[35][36] In early 2012, Raja began pre-production on remaking the Tamil filmRamanaa (2002) into Hindi withAkshay Kumar and Tamannaah in the lead roles. He later opted out of the film after it went through delays and was not involved in the subsequent remake titledGabbar Is Back (2015).^[37][38] Raja then briefly forayed into acting and played the father of quadruplets in the comedy thriller,Enna Satham Indha Neram (2014), directed by his friend, Guru Ramesh. Raja shot for the film for six days in Chennai, but the film had a low-key opening at the box office.^[39]

After taking a sabbatical, Raja began working on his first original script for the production houseAGS Entertainment in late 2012 and was helped by the writer duoSubha. He worked on the script ofThani Oruvan (2015) for nine months, and revealed that it was based on an original idea about "a man who goes all out to hunt evil in society". He added that in "formulaic Tamil films", the protagonist would require a flashback to show a reason to fight evil or that the "hero would wait for the villain to make the first move", but noted thatThani Oruvan would eschew those typical notions seen in Tamil films.^[40] He considered several actors for the lead role but finally chose his brother again as he wanted an actor "who would trust him blindly" because he had wanted the film to be a "career-changing film". After unsuccessful negotiations withArya andMadhavan, Raja castArvind Swamy in the role of the main antagonist because he wanted "an actor whose attractiveness would act as a distraction from his evilness".^[40] Raja called the film "experimental" and "close to his heart", revealing the efforts he put into the pre-production of the project. The film began production in late 2013 and took a year and a half to complete shoot, with several delays during production. The making of the film was marred with the troubles of the original composer backing out,Sun Pictures cancelling their film distribution contract, and a spat between the director and the lead actress,Nayanthara. As a result of the delays, Raja and Ravi decided to forgo their salaries for the last schedule to ensure the budget stopped escalating.^[41] The film opened in August 2015 to unanimously positive reviews, with Rediff.com noting that the script was "highly intelligent, racy and well-polished script that is perfectly executed" and added it has "flawless execution by the director that deserves all the credit".^[42] Likewise Sify.com called the film a "taut, intelligent, and deliciously twisted action drama", whileThe Times of India praised the "sleek filmmaking".^[43]The Hindu stated the film was a "pretty smart, pulpy thriller" and wrote it has "more style than you expect in a Mohan Raja movie".^[44] The film subsequently went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil films of 2015, as well as the biggest successes in the careers of Raja and Ravi.^[45] Raja then directed another film,Velaikkaran starringSivakarthikeyan,Nayanthara andFahadh Faasil in the lead roles. This film, being his second original film afterThani Oruvan, was released in 2017 and was a box office success. In 2022, Raja returned to remakes withGodfather, the Telugu remake of the Malayalam filmLucifer (2019), which marked his return to Telugu cinema after 20 years.^[46][47]

Raja has mostly worked on Tamil remakes of Telugu films, leading to the media nicknaming him "Remake Raja" or "Xerox Raja".^[24] He has stated, "Remakes aren't easy. Taking up a proven hit and making it succeed again is a challenge."^[3] While other filmmakers in Tamil cinema have often taken to plagiarism without acknowledging the source material, Raja has only worked on officially approved remake projects, and his first six directed films were credited to other writers.^[24] He works with his team of assistants to blend in changes to the script to suit the culture of Tamil audiences and thrashes out every single shot from the original version to add or subtract sequences. Raja has been praised for his casting decisions for putting Nadhiya in a comeback role as a young mother inM. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi and for castingAsin as the film's heroine. Meanwhile, he gavePrabhu a supporting role as a brother inUnakkum Enakkum, marking an early foray away from lead roles for Prabhu, which won him acclaim from critics.^[3] Likewise, his decision to cast Arvind Swamy as an antagonist inThani Oruvan because of his "attractiveness" also received acclaim, following the film's success.^[40]

Raja has often attempted to make films for family entertainment, and revealed that progressively sinceJayam, he has attempted to reduce scenes of glamour and vulgarity. He has also stated his intentions of appealing to all sectors of the audience and has revealed that films such asSamsaram Adhu Minsaram (1986) andKadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997) are amongst the types of films that he aspires to make.^[48]

Collaborator	Hanuman Junction (2001)	Jayam (2003)	M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi (2004)	Unakkum Enakkum (2006)	Santosh Subramaniam (2008)	Thillalangadi (2010)	Velayudham (2011)	Thani Oruvan (2015)	Velaikkaran (2017)	Godfather (2022)
Ravi Mohan
Editor Mohan
Santhanam
Nayanthara
Prakash Raj
Livingston
Sayaji Shinde
O. A. K. Sundar
Manivannan
Manobala
Kadhal Dhandapani

Raja is married and has a son, Pranav Mohan, who made his acting debut as a child artist inTamilarasan (2023).^[49] He also has a daughter.^[50]

• All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
• Note: He was credited as M. Raja till 2011.

• Mohan Raja atIMDb
• MOhan Raja onTwitter

• 21st-century Indian people
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• Living people
• Tamil film directors
• Tamil screenwriters
• Telugu people
• 1974 births

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