A. Venkatesh (director)

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A. Venkatesh
Director A Venkatesh at Sandamarutham Audio Launch.jpg
Venkatesh at Sandamarutham Audio Launch
Occupationactor, director
Years active1996–present

A. Venkatesh is an Indian film director and actor working in Tamil cinema. Beginning his career as an assistant, he directed his first film Mahaprabhu (1996).

Career[edit]

Initially, he worked as an assistant to director K. Rajeshwar on Nyaya Tharasu (1989) and Idhaya Thamarai (1990). He assisted Pavithran on Vasanthakala Paravai (1991) and Suriyan (1992), then he was an associate director to director Shankar on Gentleman (1993) and Kadhalan (1994). During the shooting of the film Kadhalan, producer G. K. Reddy approached him to direct a film. In 1996, he made his directional debut through Mahaprabhu starring R. Sarathkumar, Sukanya and Vineetha. He has directed Vijay's movies including action film Selva (1996) and romance film Nilaave Vaa (1998). In 1999, he directed a drama film Pooparika Varugirom starring Sivaji Ganesan, Vikram Krishna and Malavika.

Following the death of director Thirupathisamy in 2001, Venkatesh was briefly announced as the new director of the film Velan featuring Vijay and Priyanka Chopra, but the project was later shelved.[1]

He started directing action movies with Prashanth's Chocolate (2001), Vijay's Bhagavathi (2002), and Silambarasan's Dum (2003) and Kuthu (2004). These were followed by Sarathkumar's Aai (2004), Chanakya (2005) and Arjun's Vathiyar (2006). He is known for directing films in short spans of time.

During 2008, Venkatesh worked simultaneously on six productions, which were at different stages of completion. The Arjun-starrer Durai (2008) and Arun Vijay's Malai Malai (2009) were released first, while Sundar C's Vaadaa (2010) and Bharath's Killadi (2015) had delayed releases. Two further films, Prashanth's Petrol and Sarathkumar's Imaya Malai, were subsequently shelved mid-production.[2]

He has also acted in various Tamil movies, notably Angadi Theru (2010). Venkatesh returned after a two-and-a-half year break with Nethra (2019). The filmmaker says the delay is because he had to fulfil commitments as an actor before he could get back to direction. The film is a psycho-thriller based on a true event which he was witness to at an airport in Canada.[3]

Filmography[edit]

As Director[edit]

Year Film Language Notes Ref.
1996 Mahaprabhu Tamil Debut Direction
Selva
1998 Nilaave Vaa
1999 Pooparika Varugirom
2001 Chocolate
2002 Bhagavathi
2003 Dum
2004 Kuthu
Aai
2005 Chanakya
2006 Vathiyar
2008 Singakutty [4]
Durai [5]
2009 Malai Malai [6]
2010 Maanja Velu [7]
Vaadaa
Vallakottai [8]
2013 Summa Nachunu Irukku [9]
2015 Killadi
Sandamarutham
Rombha Nallavan Da Nee
2019 Nethra

As actor[edit]

Web series[edit]

Year Program Name Role Network Notes Ref.
2020 Triples Councillor Chelladurai Hotstar Debut Web Series [10][11][12][13]

References[edit]

  1. "S U B A S". Cinematoday3.itgo.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  2. "Director Venkatesh on a roll". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. "'Chocolate' director Venkatesh returns with 'Nethraa'". The New Indian Express.
  4. "Singakutty review". Nowrunning. Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  5. "DURAI MOVIE REVIEW - Behindwoods.com - Arjun Keerath Director A Venkatesh Music D Imman Jassie Gift Timmy Ramya Udit Narayan Shreya Ghosal Karthik SaloniS P Balasubramaniam Images Gallery Stills". behindwoods.com.
  6. "Sify Movies - Review listing (1970)". www.sify.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014.
  7. "Tamil Cinema News - Tamil Movie Reviews - Tamil Movie Trailers - IndiaGlitz Tamil".
  8. "VALLAKOTTAI MOVIE REVIEW - TAMIL MOVIE VALLAKOTTAI MOVIE REVIEW". behindwoods.com.
  9. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (25 May 2013). "Audio Beat: Summa Nachunu Irukku - Comic story, peppy tunes" – via www.thehindu.com.
  10. Kumar, Pradeep (4 December 2020). "Karthik Subbaraj: 'Triples' is a tribute to Crazy Mohan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. Sahu, Sushri (1 December 2020). "'Triples' Trailer: Disney+ Hotstar's New Series Revolves Around 3 Friends As They Juggle With Life And Love". Mashable India. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  12. "Karthik Subbaraj to produce a web series starring Jai and Vani Bhojan". India Today. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. "The New Disney+ Hotstar Show Triples, Starring Jai And Vani Bhojan, Promises To Be An Adventurous Ride". Film Companion. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.