One attribute of A R Murugadoss that his assistant directors talk about is the creative freedom he gives them.
There are many assistant directors who dream of directing their own films some day. However, few get that opportunity and go on to make it big. One of Kollywood's top film directors A R Murugadoss also started his career as an assistant director (AD). In fact he even worked with director S J Suryah as an AD for the hit Vijay film Kushi. Murugadoss has made a name for himself not just in Kollywood but in Bollywood as well. He started with the remake of Ghajini and today has directed Akshay Kumar in Holiday and Sonakshi Sinha in Akira. He is also returning to Telugu ten years later with the Mahesh Babu film Enemy.
One attribute of A R Murugadoss that his assistant directors talk about is the creative freedom he gives them. But another important aspect is that he encourages them and has even helped them get directorial projects. One main aspect we learn from his ADs is that he inculcates in them the value of the script. Today, there are five assistant directors of A R Murugadoss who have gone on to make a name for themselves in the Tamil film industry. Here's a look at who they are:
T N Santhosh
The director of Kanithan (2016) starring Atharvaa Murali and Catherine Tresa, T N Santhosh, has worked with Murugadoss in 7aum Arivu and Thuppakki. T N Santhosh made a social action thriller as he calls it was watched by Rajinikanth and Vijay thanks to producer Kalaipuli Thanu who is bankrolling all their films. The director, who has also written the screenplay for the film, was really happy with the praise he received from the two stars of Kollywood. Though the movie did not strike gold at the box office, T N Santhosh proved that debut directors do get opportunities in the film industry.
Watch the trailer of Kanithan here:
M Saravanan
This director made his mark in 2011 with Engeyum Eppodhum. M Saravanan got his directorial break in Telugu in 2009 with Ganesh Just Ganesh, for which he wrote the screenplay as well. Since then he has directed two more Tamil films and is now working on a Puneeth Rajkumar film in Kannada. Saravanan, who is from Namakkal, attempts something different with every film of his. And he believes that script matters.
Watch the Engeyum Eppodhum trailer here:
R Ajay Gnanamuthu
This director worked as an AD to Murugadoss in Vijay's Thuppakki. R Ajay Gnanamuthu has stated that he learnt how to write scripts from Murugadoss who also made his ADs think from the point of the view of the audience. Another lesson he learnt from Murugadoss is to plug any loopholes in the script. Gnanamuthu's Demonte Colony with Arulnithi was a big hit in 2015. The movie was loved by the audience and critics. Having proved himself in the horror genre, people are waiting to see what he does next.
Watch the Demonte Colony trailer here:
Thirukumaran
He made his directorial debut with Maan Karate (2014) with Sivakarthikeyan and then did Gethu (2015) with Udhayanidhi Stalin. A R Murugadoss was involved in Thirukumaran's Gethu as he was the one who got Udhayanidhi on board. He also reportedly sat in on story sessions. Thirukumaran had a hit with Maan Karate and an average film with Gethu, but he has proved that he can make commercial films. Wonder who he will work with next.
Watch the Maan Karate trailer here:
Anand Shankar
This 29-year-old director made Arima Nambi in 2014 and is now working with Vikram for his Iru Mugan. Anand Shankar says he loves making action thrillers and both these films are in that genre. Unlike Murugadoss's other ADs, Anand Shankar has studied filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. He came back to India and then worked as an AD in the 2010 Hindi film Anjana Anjani starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Siddharth Anand was the director of that film. Shankar then came to Chennai and worked as AD to Murugadoss on films like Thuppakki and 7aum Arivu. Iru Mugan with Vikram is likely to be a high-octane thriller in which the actor is also playing a dual role. All eyes are on this Vikram film at this point as it's a big budget film and important for Vikram's career as well.
Watch the Arima Nambi trailer here:
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