Akhilesh C.
10. Selvaraghavan
Language(s): Tamil, Telugu
Notable Work(s): ‘Kaadhal Kondein (2003)’, ‘7G Rainbow Colony (2004)’, ‘Pudhupettai (2006)’, ‘Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007)’, ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini (2008)’, ‘Aayirathil Oruvan (2010)’, ‘Mayakkam Enna (2011)’
Actor-Producer Dhanush’s brother Selvaraghavan is known for his straightforward, realistic portrayals, many of which have been closely associated with his own life. With his successful streak right from his directorial debut ‘Kaadhal Kondein’ until ‘Mayakkam Enna’, Selvaraghavan has experimented with his style of filmmaking and also with the film genres, ranging from romance to thrillers and from gangster neo-noir films to epic fantasies and horror movies. Except for Yuvan Shankar Raja who he partners with regularly for the music and background score, there is seldom anything common among his movies, which proves his diverse know-how on the subject. Selvaraghavan is a director who has proven his worth more often than not and it would be exciting to see his upcoming projects, possibly with some big names in the cast.
9. Priyadarshan
Language(s): Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi
Notable Work(s): Kanchivaram (2008), Vellanakalude Nadu (1988), Chithram (1988), Kilukkam (1991), Chandralekha (1997), Hera Pheri (2000), Oppam (2016)
Many still consider Priyadarshan an indomitable genius who, with his proclivity for perfection with respect to his films’ humour, and his attention to detailing out the scripts himself, has managed to rule the charts since 80’s when cinema in India was still maturing. While Priyadarshan gained the most from partnering with Mohanlal, the latest example being the smash hit ‘Oppam (2016)’, along with numerous others, a few would know that he’s been extremely successful venturing into Tamil and Telugu films as well. His stint with Bollywood is well-known, with Akshay Kumar being his all-time favourite pick, and blockbusters like ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Malamaal Weekly’, ‘Hulchul’ etc. in his blockbusters kitty. Priyadarshan though has come a long way in more than 4 decades, he has a lot of cinema left within him and many more of his bone-tickling comedy scenes are eagerly awaited.
8. Gautham Vasudev Menon
Language(s): Tamil, Telugu, Hindi
Notable Work(s): Minnale (2001), Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya (2010), Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012), Yennai Arindhaal (2015), Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada (2016)
If we draw parallels to romantic heroes of Bollywood or be it the thunderous action sequences, GVM has, right from the very beginning, been a trendsetter following the path of Mani Ratnam, yet making his own mark along the way. Right from ‘Minnale’ which was a brave effort considering it was the starting point of Madhavan’s career to the National Award Winning Best Feature ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’, GVM settled with his image of a no-nonsense filmmaker with a tendency to inculcate bits and pieces of his own life into his movies’ narrative. His stint with the police trilogy that began with ‘Kaakha Kaakha’ and culminated with ‘Yennai Arindhal’ shows his passion and adeptness with the neo-noir, while his ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya’ is an eternally beautiful love story that shouldn’t ever be remade. With two upcoming mega-projects in his kitty, and with the phenomenal successes he’s followed through, our hope for GVM is for him to ‘Live Long and Prosper’.
7. Trivikram Srinivas
Language(s): Telugu
Notable Work(s): Nuvve Nuvve (2002), Athadu (2005), Jalsa (2008), Khaleja (2010), Julayi (2012), Attarintiki Daredi (2013), S/O Sathyamurthy (2015), A Aa (2016)
Known for his impeccable screenwriting and his attention to detail, especially with the monologues and the dialogues, which always stay with us along with his dash of humour in all of his works, Trivikram Srinivas is to directors as Allu Arjun is to actors. For all the blockbuster movies he’s worked on, alongside actors like Pawan Kalyan and Allu Arjun predominantly, Trivikram’s filmography style surrounds primarily the comedy, romance, and nail-biting yet crisp action sequences, meaning, nothing in his movies is overdone to the extent of being labelled as boring. While I consider ‘Athadu’ and ‘Attarintiki Daredi’ as his best works so far, the masses have often carried him on his shoulders for his dedication to the cinema and his presentation style. Arguably, Trivikram is one of the best directors working today in the Telugu film industry.
6. Pawan Kumar
Language(s): Kannada
Notable Work(s): Lifeu Ishtene (2011), Lucia (2013), U Turn (2016)
More often than not, I consider ‘Lucia’ as the best Kannada movie ever made. And the brains behind ‘Lucia’ was none other than those of Pawan Kumar. Starting his career as a humble screenwriter for the exceptional ‘Manasaare (2009)’, wherein he also had a small role in the movie and for which he garnered all the praises for the intricacies of attires, costumes, and the entire production design to directing ‘Liefu Ishtene’ – the celebrated dark-comedy which has numerous awards tagged to it, Pawan himself has come a full circle. His stint at making commercially successful films continued with ‘Lucia’ and ‘U Turn’. While ‘Lucia’ can easily be called as the ‘Inception’ spin-off Made in India, the film was produced through crowdfunding which is a major milestone in itself. With the remake of ‘U Turn’ in other languages is in the pipeline, we can only hope for more such feats of success from Pawan Kumar.
Read More: Pawan Kalyan Movies
