Highest Paid Tamil Directors
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Arun Kumar ( born 21 September 1986 ) mononymously known as Atlee, is a film director, screenwriter and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. As a film maker, he is known for his directorial debut "Raja Rani", starring Nayathara, Nazriya, Arya and Jai, produced by Fox Star Studios, for which he was awarded best debut director by Vijay Awards and Tamil Nadu Sate award for best dialogue writer. Following the massive success of his debut film, he directed his next blockbuster hit " Theri " (2016) starring actor Vijay as the lead. He directed his next films " Mersal " ( 2017 ) and " Bigil " ( 2019 ), also featuring actor Vijay. Atlee's upcoming film is Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Sethupathy and Nayanthara in the lead roles. The film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and is scheduled for release in June 2023 in five languages.Remuneration : 60cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director who works primarily in the Tamil film industry who started his film career with the 2016 anthology film called Aviyal.He was born in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. He majored in fashion technology before pursuing his MBA. He was an ex bank employee. He pursued his passion which is towards film making by participating in a corporate short film competition. The judge of the competition was director Karthick Subbaraj. He then encouraged Lokesh to continue making films.Remuneration : 60cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who works mainly in Tamil cinema. He started his career as an assistant director to SA Chandrasekar and now he is the highest paid director in the country. He made his debut in Gentleman (1993) and since 2015 he has directed 12 movies. He won the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2010, in the Entertainment category.Remuneration : 40cr to 50cr per movie- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Nelson Dilipkumar was born on 21 June 1984 in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. He is a director and writer, known for Jailer (2023), Doctor (2021) and Beast (2022). He is married to Monisha Nelson. They have one child.Remuneration : 15cr to 55cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Murugadoss Arunasalam, commonly known by his stage name AR Murugadoss, is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter who predominantly works in the Tamil Film Industry. He is best known for his action Tamil films and Telugu films and for remaking them in Hindi cinema. Murugadoss won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for his 2014 Tamil action-drama film Kaththi.Murugadoss was born in Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu. The initials "AR" refer to his father's name Arunasalam and were added after Murugadoss signed his first film, Dheena, in 2001. Murugadoss currently resides in Virugambakkam, Chennai. Murugadoss had his schooling at the Government Higher Secondary School and studied BA in Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirapalli. His brother, Dileepan made his acting debut with Vathikuchi, which is Murugadoss' production venture.Remuneration : 30cr per movie- Writer
- Producer
- Director
The man who revolutionized Tamil-language cinema, Mani Ratnam is the biggest director in south India and one of the most respected directors in all of India. Each of his films contain its own unique style, with beautifully photographed songs and unique back-lighting. However, his films contain substance as well as style--Ratnam has dealt with a wide variety of topics, from the classic Indian love story to political thrillers.
He was born in Madras in 1956. Filmmaking was in his blood; he was the son of film producer 'Venus Gopalratnam' and his brother was G. Venkateswaran, a film distributor turned producer. Ironically, however, he studied at Madras University and received a management degree at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, and had initially started out as a management consultant. His first film, Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983), starring Anil Kapoor, didn't make many waves, although it won the State Award from Karnataka that year, but even though he made two films in Tamil and one in Malayalam, nothing worked for him until he broke through with Mouna Ragam (1986). Starring Revathi, the film told the tale of a woman who, although forced into an arranged marriage, chooses to maintain a platonic relationship with her husband. The film was noted for its sophisticated approach and execution of an extremely sensitive topic.
His next film, Nayakan (1987), was also arguably his greatest. A take-off on Francis Ford Coppola' legendary The Godfather (1972), it established Ratnam as the leading director of Tamil-language Cinema and won its leading actor Kamal Haasan the National Award for Best Actor. The film draws on 30 years of Tamil Nadu's celebrity images and directly played to the anti-Hindi feelings of Tamil Nadu when the protagonist, beaten up, tells the Hindi policeman in Bombay, "If I ever hit you, you will die!"
Then came the best of his early work - Agni Natchathiram (1988), Geethanjali (1989), and Anjali (1990). The first was a tale of conflict between two step-brothers. Shot with glossy camera work, the film resembled a cross between an advertisement and a music video, and set a trend for a whole new visual style in Tamil-language Cinema. The next, Geethanjali (1989), shot in Ooty to create a soft and poetic mood, was a touching love story between two terminally ill people with less than six months left. The third, Anjali (1990), about a disabled child brought back to her family with two normal children had been chosen by India to be sent to the Oscars for Best Foreign-language Film, but it did not receive a nomination. The next year saw his first, and only collaboration so far, with the Tamil superstar Rajni Kant in the film Thalapathi (1991). It also starred Mamooty, along side a host of other actor. This star studded film was a gritty tale of an orphan who grows up to become a notorious gang member in Chennai. The story was inspired by the great epic of Mahabharata.
It was Roja (1992) that made Ratnam a household name all over India. A patriotic love story set against the backdrop of Kashmiri terrorism, the film was dubbed in Hindi and became a huge national success. It enforced Ratnam as a director of style and substance, as well as proving a highly auspicious debut for the now-acclaimed music director A.R. Rahman, whom Ratnam had discovered. It helped that India's at-the-time election commissioner T. N. Seshan took the rare step of officially endorsing the film. Thiruda Thiruda (1993), a remake of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) was a misfire, but Ratnam bounced back with Bombay (1995), a politically charged romance between a Hindu man and a Muslim woman during the 1993 riots in Mumbai. The film underwent some controversy due to its slightly anti-Muslim viewpoint, but it contributed widely to the success of the film.
Continuing his political obsession, Ratnam made Iruvar (1997), based on the MGR-Karunanidhi affair, and Dil Se.. (1998), which starred superstars Manisha Koirala and Shah Rukh Khan. The latter was Ratnam's first Hindi-language film. Based on the northeast Indian problem, it told the story of a radio executive and a revolutionary. It had an excellent cast, beautifully crafted scenes, and most of all one of A.R. Rahman's greatest tunes--but did not go down too well with the audience, who hailed it as a strange and confusing film that headed nowhere. However, today it is held as ahead of its time, being that it was shot pre-9/11, and is now hailed as a contemporary classic.
He returned to familiar ground with Alai Payuthey (2000), which tackled the story of a couple in love that goes through the trials and tribulations of marriage. His subsequent film, Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), which told the tale of an adopted girl meeting her terrorist mother, saw Ratnam back in form as one of the greatest storytellers in Indian Cinema. His next film, Yuva (2004), saw Ratnam return to Hindi-language cinema after six years, but in spite of some fine flourishes, the film largely failed to work. However, don't take him too lightly: he is sure to return with something new next time....Remuneration : 20cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Siva was born on 12 August 1977 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He is a writer and director, known for Viswasam (2019), Vivegam (2017) and Vedalam (2015).Remuneration : 20cr per movie- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. Vetrimaaran made his directorial debut with the Polladhavan. His second feature film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards. He produces films under his production company, Grass Root Film Company. His movie Visaranai (2016) was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards.His film Asuran (2019) was named as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.Remuneration : 10cr to 25cr per movie- Writer
- Director
H. Vinoth is an Indian film writer and director who made his directorial debut with Sathuranga Vettai (2014), his debut was produced by actor, director Manobala and was distributed by Thirupathi Brothers Film Media and he worked with Ajith Kumar on Nerkonda Paarvai. His movies Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017), Nerkonda Paarvai (2019), Valimai (2020)Remuneration : 10cr per movie- Producer
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Pa. Ranjith is an exciting prospect in the new age of Tamil film directors. His debut film was a cult romantic comedy film Attakathi, which had positive reviews and his next film was Madras (2014), which showcased the life of North Madras people and their daily life. It was a blockbuster. The neat story-telling with no nonsense in logic and screenplay makes his movies more exciting. His next film was Kabali, which starred the famous Tamil actor Superstar Rajinikanth. The film received mostly positive reviews and went on to become a massive blockbuster. All of Pa. Ranjith's films have one element in common: They express the lives and culture of Dalit people and the oppression they face in contemporary society. Since he himself is from the Dalit community, his fans are claiming that his films have opened up a new facet of Tamil cinema. His next film, Kaala (2018), also stars Superstar Rajinikanth as the protagonist.Remuneration : 10cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Karthik Subbaraj is an Indian film director. He started his career working as a software engineer in Bangalore working for Infosys. During this period he got interested in film making. He learnt the basics of film making, during a one-day workshop run by Sanjay Nambiar. He made a short film "Kaatchipizhai" in Madurai, which was selected for "Naalaya Iyakunar"Remuneration : 10cr per movie- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Mohan Raja was born on 30 May 1974 in Tamil Nadu, India. He is a writer and director, known for Thani Oruvan (2015), M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004) and Santhosh Subramaniyam (2008).Remuneration : 10cr per movie- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Venkat Prabhu is the son of director and music director Gangai Amaran. Venkat Prabhu started his career as a singer in the film industry and later became an actor, acting in character roles rather than in the lead. He hogged the spotlight for the first time when he turned director with the summer hit Chennai 600028, after which he directed the comedy thriller film Saroja. This proved to be a successful box-office hit. He followed it up with Goa, which was appreciated for its entertaining and fresh storyline and was a box office hit. He is filming Mankatha with Ajith Kumar along with an ensemble cast. As a lead hero, he acted in a film called Poonjolai directed by his father in 1997 but the film was never released. He also acted in Agathiyan's Kadhal Samrajyam, which featured him in one of the lead roles and remains unreleased as well.Remuneration : 5cr to 10cr per movie- Actor
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Gautham Vasudev Menon (born 25 February 1973), also known as GVM, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films, which are remakes of his own Tamil films. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his romantic films Minnale (2001), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010) and his thrillers Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006) and Yennai Arindhaal (2015). Vaaranam Aayiram won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Menon produces films through his Photon Kathaas film production company. His production Thanga Meengal (2013) won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. Menon was born to a Malayali father and a Tamil mother on 25 February 1973 in Ottapalam, a town in the Palakkad district of Kerala. Although born in Kerala he grew up in Anna Nagar, Chennai. He earned a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mookambigai College of Engineering, Pudukkottai.Remuneration : 5cr to 10cr- Writer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sudha Kongara was born on 29 March 1989 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is a writer and director, known for Soorarai Pottru (2020), Irudhi Suttru (2016) and Guru (2017).Remuneration : 5cr to 10cr per movie