Karthik Subbaraj (born 19 March 1983) is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter working mainly in Tamil cinema.
Karthik Subbaraj | |
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 Karthik at Iraivi Press Meet in 2016 | |
| Born | March 19, 1983 Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Alma mater | Thiagarajar College of Engineering |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Spouse |
Sathya Prema (m. 2011) |
| Relatives | Gajaraj (Father) |
Early life
editKarthik did his schooling in SBOA Matriculation and Higher Secondary School, Madurai after which he went on to study mechatronics at Thiagarajar College of Engineering. During his college days he performed stage shows and skits.[2] His father, Gajaraj, is an actor who has acted in many supporting roles in films like Mundasupatti and Kabali.[3]
He made the short film "Kaatchipizhai" in Madurai, which was selected for Nalaya Iyakunar.[4]
Career
editKarthik had intended to direct Jigarthanda first but could not fund the project. He then came up with the story for the low-budget Pizza. The film was a commercial success, remade in Hindi, Bengali and Kannada.[5] This allowed him the opportunity to make Jigarthanda, which received positive reviews and earned actor Bobby Simha a national award.[6] Subbaraj was praised by S. Shankar and Mani Ratnam.[7][8]
His third movie, Iraivi (2016), received positive reviews, and Subbaraj was praised for the film's portrayal of society's treatment of women. The movie also observed the various ways men's attitudes and behaviors impact women throughout life. He also showcased the pain he gothrough from the producer of his second film, through the character of S. J. Suryah. He then went on and directed a silent thriller, Mercury (2018), starring Prabhu Deva in the lead, which was not a commercial success.[9] He produced Kallachirippu, a web series under his banner Stone Bench Creations.[10]
Subbaraj directed the action drama Petta (2019) with Rajinikanth's 166th film. He also produced the Amazon original movie Penguin starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead role.[11]
He produced the Hotstar Originals web series Triples starring Jai and Vani Bhojan.[12] He also directed Vikram’s starrer Mahaan which was directly premiered on Amazon Prime Video.[13]
He then directed Miracle, a short film for the Amazon Prime anthology film Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020),[14] and Project Agni, an episode for the Netflix anthology web series Navarasa (2021). In 2021, Karthik directed Jagame Thandhiram, which received mixed reviews.
His next film was the 2022 film Mahaan. In 2023, he went on to direct Jigarthanda DoubleX.
Filmmaking style
editVivek MV of Deccan Herald notes that Karthik's directorial films usually have plot twists, needledropping of songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, and flamboyance inspired by Quentin Tarantino's films. Karthik, however, has stated that he prefers not to associate with any particular filmmaking style as he seeks to reinvent himself with every new film, noting how he intentionally avoided including a plot twist in Jagame Thandhiram which disappointed some audiences.[15]
Filmography
editAs a director
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Pizza | ||
| 2014 | Jigarthanda | ||
| 2015 | Bench Talkies | Segment: Neer | |
| 2016 | Iraivi | ||
| 2018 | Mercury | ||
| 2019 | Petta | ||
| 2020 | Putham Pudhu Kaalai | Segment: Miracle Released on Amazon Prime Video |
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| 2021 | Jagame Thandhiram | Released on Netflix | [16] |
| Navarasa | Netflix original series; segment: Peace | [17] | |
| 2022 | Mahaan | Released on Amazon Prime Video | [13] |
| 2023 | Jigarthanda DoubleX | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award for Best Director | [18][19] |
| 2025 | Suriya 44 † | Filming |
As a producer
edit| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Aviyal | ||
| 2017 | Meyaadha Maan | ||
| 2018 | Kallachirippu | ZEE5 original series | |
| 2020 | Penguin | Released on Amazon Prime Video | |
| Triples | Hotstar original series | ||
| 2021 | Boomika | Released on Star Vijay & Netflix | [20] |
| 2022 | Attention Please | Malayalam film; as presenter | [21] |
| Buffoon | |||
| Ammu | Telugu film released on Amazon Prime Video | [22] |
As a writer
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | ||||
| 2024 | Game Changer † | Story | Filming; Telugu Film |
Frequent collaborators
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| Santhosh Narayanan | 
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| Gajaraj |
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| Vivek Harshan |
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| Bobby Simha |
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| Ramachandran Durairaj |
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| Aadukalam Naren |
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| Sananth |
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(uncredited)
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| Vijay Sethupathi |
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(cameo)
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| Vettai Muthukumar |
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| Deepak Paramesh |
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| Karunakaran |
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References
edit- ^ "Kadhalil Sodhapathathu Eppadi - Kadhalil Sodhapathathu Eppadi - (Karthik Subbaraj & Sathya Prema) - (23/03/2014)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ^ "Stage shows and skits during college days". December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ Kabali: Karthik Subbaraj's father to play a role in Rajini's next : Regional cinema, News – India Today Archived 8 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Indiatoday.intoday.in (22 August 2015). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Exclusive biography of #KarthikSubbaraj and on his life". Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Pizza Review – Pizza Movie Review Archived 5 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Behindwoods.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
- ^ Jigarthanda Movie Review, Trailer, & Show timings at Times of India Archived 12 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
- ^ Vijay enjoys every bit of Jigarthanda Archived 1 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (15 August 2014). Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
- ^ Updated, Ramchander. (8 August 2014) Now, Mani Ratnam Is Impressed By Jigarthanda Archived 25 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Filmibeat. Retrieved on 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Mercury trailer: Karthik Subbaraj's silent horror-thriller sees Prabhu Deva in a scary avatar". 9 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Karthik Subbaraj goes full throttle as producer". Deccan Chronicle. 25 June 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Penguin (Aka) Penguinn review". 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "The New Disney+ Hotstar Show Triples, Starring Jai and Vani Bhojan, Promises to be an Adventurous Ride". 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Chiyaan 60: Karthik Subbaraj to direct Vikram's upcoming film; will this be a gangster drama?". The Times of India. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (15 October 2020). "'Putham Pudhu Kaalai' movie review: A delightful look at life and relationships during lockdown". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ M V, Vivek (22 October 2022). "Interview: A decade of Karthik Subbaraj". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "'Wanted to tell a global story with Jagame Thandhiram': Director Karthik Subbaraj". The Indian Express. 20 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Mani Ratnam to present Tamil anthology Navarasa for Netflix; Bejoy Nambiar, Karthik Subbaraj among directors". Firstpost. 28 October 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Karthik Subbaraj's 'Jigarthanda Double X': A 'kind of teaser' featuring SJ Suryah, Raghava Lawrence out". The Hindu. 11 December 2022. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ performer., Beck, Jeff, composer, performer. Depp, Johnny, composer, 18, OCLC 1331149836, retrieved 25 February 2023
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Aishwarya Rajesh starrer Boomika promises to be a gripping horror movie". The Indian Express. 9 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ "Attention Please Movie Review: A ferocious, unsettling work that incites meaningful debates on art". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ PTI (6 October 2022). "Aishwarya Lekshmi's Telugu movie 'Ammu' to premiere on Prime Video on October 19". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.