Sundar C. | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Vinayagar Sundar Vel 21 January 1968 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1990āpresent |
| Spouse(s) | ( m. 2000) |
Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 1968), also known as Sundar C., is an Indian film director and actor. He has directed over 32 films in Tamil and acted in over nine movies as the protagonist.
His notable films include Ullathai Allitha (1996), Arunachalam (1997), Anbe Sivam (2003), Winner (2003), Giri (2004), Kalakalappu (2012), Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru (2013), Aranmanai (2014), Aambala (2015) and Kalakalappu 2 (2018).
Sundar C is one of the few directors who directed Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan (in Arunachalam (1997) and Anbe Sivam (2003), respectively).
He took a short break from direction, after his initial launch as an actor in 2006, with the film Thalai Nagaram, which became a commercial success.[3][4] He returned to direction with his trade mark comedy roller coaster in the movie Kalakalappu in 2012 and it went on to become a success.
His successful career as a director continued with the 2014 Aranmanai film series.
He also produced the TV series Nandini (2017-2018), along with his wife ( the actress Khushbu) aired on Sun TV. He also produced movies like Hello Naan Pei Pesuren (2016), Meesaya Murukku (2017), Natpe Thunai (2019), Naan Sirithal (2020) and Naanga Romba Busy (2020).
Career
Sundar C started his career as an assistant director to Manivannan and made his directorial debut with Murai Maman (1995). Sundar revealed that he initially wanted a leading action hero to play the lead role in his film and approached Sarathkumar, but the producer was unable to sign the actor. Subsequently, the director chose Jayaram to play the lead role in the film and also said that he tapped into his innate sense of humour, as Jayaram was very famous for his humour in Malayalam.[5] Murai Maman did well at the box office and Sundar went on to direct many humour themed films such as Ullathai Allitha (1996), Mettukudi (1996) and Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga (1999) with Karthik. In 1997, he directed his highest-profile project till date, Arunachalam, with Rajinikanth. He has also occasionally directed action and thriller films such as Unnai Kann Theduthey (2000), Rishi (2001) and Chinna (2005).[6][7] His favourite heroine was actress Rambha; as a Director he made her as his lead heroine in his 6 movies.
In the late 1990s, Sundar C had a brief career slump, where several of his films became stuck or did not have a theatrical release. Projects including collaborations with Karthik in Athai Magan featuring Ramya Krishnan, Kadhal Solla Vanthen featuring Isha Koppikar, and Vaazhkkai Vaazhvatharkke were affected.[8][9] Likewise, a proposed projects titled Paarvai with Jayaram and Khushbu, was also shelved.[10][11]
In 2003, he directed two films Anbe Sivam and Winner. The former was successful and the comedy scenes from that film became hugely popular. However, the latter, despite being critically acclaimed, under performed at the box office, but became a cult classic. Anbe Sivam remains his only humane realism movie till today out of his regular commercial cinema genre.[12] After directing Rendu (2006), Sundar took a break from directing in order to concentrate on his acting career. He made his acting debut as lead actor with Thalai Nagaram (2006), which was well received. Then he went on to play lead roles with the commercially successful Veerappu (2007), directed by Badri and Sandai (2008) by Sakthi Chidambaram. He then made a comeback as a director with Nagaram Marupakkam (2010).
After his blockbuster hit Kalakalappu in 2012, he is continuously giving successful movies like Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru (2013), Aranmanai (2014), Aranmanai 2 (2016) and Kalakalappu 2 (2018). He acted in lead role in the horror thriller, Iruttu (2019) directed by V. Z. Durai. The film was released to positive reviews.[13] And directed Vishal's film, Action (2019).[14] His next is Aranmanai 3 with Sun Pictures filming Starts from February 20.[15]
Filmography
As an Actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Vaazhkai Chakkaram | Constable | [16] | ||
| 1995 | Murai Maman | Panchayat villager | Cameo appearance | [17] | |
| 1997 | Arunachalam | Reporter | Cameo appearance | [18] | |
| 2006 | Thalai Nagaram | Subramaniam (Right) | [19] | ||
| 2007 | Veerappu | Pulippandi | [20] | ||
| 2008 | Sandai | Kathiresan (Kaththi) | [21] | ||
| Aayudham Seivom | Saidai Sathya | [22] | |||
| 2009 | Perumal | Perumal | [23] | ||
| Thee | ACP Sarathy (Samy) | [24] | |||
| Aiyantham Padai | Prabhakaran | [25] | |||
| 2010 | Guru Sishyan | Eeti | [26] | ||
| Vaadaa | Vetrivel | [27] | |||
| Nagaram Marupakkam | Selvam | [28] | |||
| 2012 | Murattu Kaalai | Kaalaiyan | [29] | ||
| 2014 | Ninaithathu Yaaro | Himself | Cameo appearance | [30] | |
| Aranmanai | Ravi | [31] | |||
| 2016 | Aranmanai 2 | Ravi | [32] | ||
| Muthina Kathirikai | Muthupandi | [33] | |||
| 2019 | Action | Passenger | Cameo appearance | [34] | |
| Iruttu | Inspector Chezhiyan | [35] | |||
| 2021 | Aranmanai 3 |
Ravi | Completed | [36] | |
| 2022 | Untitled Mani Seiyon film with Tanya Hope |
|
Filming | [37] |
As a director and writer
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | |||
| 1995 | Murai Maman | |||
| Murai Mappillai | ||||
| 1996 | Ullathai Allitha | |||
| Mettukudi | ||||
| 1997 | Arunachalam | Won Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film | ||
| Janakiraman | ||||
| 1998 | Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar | |||
| 1999 | Unnai Thedi | |||
| Suyamvaram | Directed by fourteen directors | |||
| Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga | ||||
| 2000 | Azhagarsamy | |||
| Kannan Varuvaan | ||||
| Unnai Kann Theduthey | ||||
| 2001 | Ullam Kollai Poguthae | |||
| Rishi | ||||
| Azhagana Naatkal | ||||
| 2003 | Anbe Sivam | |||
| Winner | ||||
| 2004 | Giri | |||
| 2005 | London | |||
| Thaka Thimi Tha | ||||
| Chinna | ||||
| 2006 | Rendu | |||
| 2010 | Nagaram Marupakkam | |||
| 2012 | Kalakalappu | 25th Film as a director | ||
| Madha Gaja Raja | Unreleased | |||
| 2013 | Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru | |||
| 2014 | Aranmanai | Nominated Vijay Award for Favourite Director | ||
| 2015 | Aambala | |||
| 2016 | Aranmanai 2 | |||
| 2018 | Kalakalappu 2 | |||
| 2019 | Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven | |||
| Action | ||||
| 2021 | Aranmanai 3 |
Completed | ||
As a Singer
| Year | Film | Song | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Sandai | "Vaadee En Kappakezhungu" | Dhina | |
| 2010 | Guru Sishyan | "Subbaiyaa Subbaiyaa" | Sung with Sathyaraj |
As a Producer
Films
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Hello Naan Pei Pesuren |
| 2017 | Meesaya Murukku |
| 2019 | Natpe Thunai |
| 2020 | Naan Sirithal |
| 2020 | Naanga Romba Busy |
| 2021 | Aranmanai 3 (Co Producer) |
Television
- Nandini (2017ā2018)
- Maya (2018)
- Lakshmi Stores (2018ā2020)
- Jothi (2021)
References
- ā "instagram". Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ā "Heroines who fell for their directors". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ā "Sundar C. is on a roll". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ā "Hat trick?". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 April 2008.
- ā BehindwoodsTV (18 September 2015). "Sundar C - "Rajini said NO to that song!" - BOFTA Masterclass - BW" ā via YouTube.
- ā "UNNAI KANN THEDUTHEY : A movie review by Balaji Balasubramaniam". Bbthots.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Chinna review. Chinna Tamil movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā https://web.archive.org/web/20001014121015fw_/http://www.tmcafe.com/kathalasolla.htm
- ā https://web.archive.org/web/19991005143313/http://members.tripod.com/~tamilcinenews/atha.htm
- ā "dinakaran". 16 November 2004. Archived from the original on 16 November 2004.
- ā "dinakaran". 23 November 2004. Archived from the original on 23 November 2004.
- ā "Anbe Sivam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 March 2003. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Iruttu review: An engaging horror thriller". Sify. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ā "Action (aka) Actionn review". Behindwoods. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ā "Sun Pictures to produce Sundar C's Aranmanai 3 cast details here". Behindwoods. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ā "Vazhkai Chakkaram". Spicyonion.com. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ā "Murai Maman Tamil Movie - Critic Review". Moviecrow.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Arunachalam Tamil Movie, Wiki, Story, Review, Release Date, Trailers". FilmiBeat.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Movie Review : Thalainagaram". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Veerappu Review". Behindwoods.com. 26 November 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Review: Sandai is illogical". Rediff.com. 24 March 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Aayudham Seivom Tamil Movie Review". IndiaGlitz.com. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Perumal Movie Review". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Movie Review : Review -Thee". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Aindham Padai is below average". Rediff.com. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Cinema Plus / Film Review : Viewer's woes ā Guru Sishyan". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 May 2010. Archived from the original on 18 May 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "What's special in 'Vaada'?". IndiaGlitz.com. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Nagaram Marupakkam Review ā Tamil Movie Review by V.S. Rajapur". Nowrunning.com. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Movie Review : Murattu Kaalai". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ā "Ninaithathu Yaro Movie Reviews, Stills & Wallpapers - Sulekha Movies". Movies.suleka.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Aranmanai (2014)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Aranmanai 2". Cineplex.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā "Muthina Kathirikai review. Muthina Kathirikai Tamil movie review, story, rating". IndiaGlitz.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ā Subramanian, Anupama (16 November 2019). "Action review: This Vishal film is strictly for Action Lovers". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ā "Iruttu (2019) - Review, Star Cast, News, Photos". Cinestaan. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ā Bureau, N. T. (18 January 2020). "Sundar C gets ready for Aranmanai 3". News Today | First with the news. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ā "Sundar C's next with 'Kattapava Kaanom' director - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
