Young Director’s Award-winning, Latest and Upcoming Movies

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ATLEE KUMAR: Even with just a few films under his directorial journey to date, Arun Kumar, lovingly known as Atlee, has established himself as a bankable name in the Tamil film industry. He started his journey as an assistant director to S.Shankar on the Rajnikanth starrer Enthiran (2010), which was remade as Robot in Hindi and Nanban (2012), which is a remake of the Aamir Khan starrer film 3 Idiots.

Arun donned the director’s cap with the award-winning film Raja Rani, making records and earning several accolades including the Vijay Award for Best Debut director. And now, he is set to make his Bollywood debut with none other than Shah Rukh Khan as the lead.

As he turns 36-year-old today, here’s a quick look at his filmography- his award-winning ventures, and his latest and upcoming projects.

1. Raja Rani (2013)
   Atlee’s directorial debut Raja Rani starred Arya, Jai, Nayanthara and Nazriya Nazim and is a romantic drama film. The classic plot revolves around two individuals who are forced to get married to each other despite loving different people. But even with the fights and ego clashes, a tragedy changes their rapport. The film received critical acclaim for its direction and its dialogues and got Atlee a Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 2013, Edison Awards, and 3rd SIIMA Awards.
2. Theri (2016)
   Written and directed by Atlee, this action-thriller starred Vijay in a double role with Samantha Prabhu and Amy Jackson. A critical and commercial success alike, the film became the second highest-grossing Tamil and South Indian film of 2016. Subsequently, it also won 3 SIIMA Awards, 3 IIFA Utsavam awards, along with 2 Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards. The film received as many as 9 nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards South, making it one of the best films of Vijay’s career.
3. Mersal (2017)
   Another collaboration of Atlee with Vijay, this film starred the actor in triple roles. Co-starring Nithya Menen, Kajal Aggarwal, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, the soundtrack was given by A.R. Rahman. The film was widely appreciated in India and overseas, and received screening in France, China and South Korea. The film is one of the highest-grossing Tamil films to date. 11 nominations at the 65th Filmfare Awards South, including Best Director, and won 2, including big wins at International awards among others.

Last Directorial Venture

1. Bigil (2019)
   Starring Vijay in a dual role once again, the sports-drama film broke records one after another. Apart from receiving huge accolades and awards from critics and the audience, it also became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2019, as it entered the Rs 300 crore club on its release. And soon, it got registered as one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time as well as Vijay’s career!

Upcoming Project

1. Jawan
   And now, it looks like Atlee is all set to take over Bollywood. As fans wait for Shah Rukh Khan’s big return to the big screen, Atlee’s Bollywood debut as a director with Jawan has been making some buzz. Produced by Gauri Khan, the film has a stellar cast with Deepika Padukone, Sanya Malhotra, Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara, Priyamani, and Sunil Grover among others. As a cherry on the cake, award-winning music producer and Why this Kolaveri Di fame Anirudh Ravichander will be taking care of the upcoming film’s music.

We wish Atlee a very happy birthday!

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