Debutant directors who made an impact in 2019

We wouldn’t be wrong if we said that 2019 was the year of debutant directors in Kollywood. There were at least 40-odd directors who ventured into the industry this year, and while many struck the right chord with audiences, delivering critically and commercially acclaimed films right in their first attempt, others have taken this as a learning ground and are prepping to do an even amazing job in their next venture. Here, we list out a few filmmakers who opened their Kollywood innings with a lot of promise…

A former associate of Prabhudheva, KR Prabhu debuted with the political satire LKG, which had RJ Balaji playing a small-time politician aspiring to become the leader of the state. With a strong cast, including Priya Anand, Nanjil Sampath and JK Ritesh, and a stronger crew, the film was appreciated by critics and audience alike.

His debut film made the right noise for all the right reasons! Gundu traces the life of a lorry driver who ends up in possession of an unexploded bomb that is being sought after by both the cops and pro-peace activists, and Athiyan’s work came to be appreciated for the way it unapologetic spoke about all the taboo topics. Author of two Tamil poetry books, we hear Athiyan is working on his next script.

Chezhiyan might be an award-wining cinematographer and won acclaim for his work in films like Kalloori, Thenmerku Paruvakatru, Paradesi, Tharai Thappattai and Joker, but when it comes to the direction department, he’s a newbie. A newbie who excelled in his first attempt. His To Let won the 65th National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil, among multiple other awards nationally and internationally. A celebrated filmmaker, he’s soon expected to announce his next project.

Pulling off a slick thriller is difficult, but VJ Gopinath managed to do that in his debut film. Starring Vetri, Karunakaran, Rohini, Rama, Mime Gopi and Monica Chinnakotla among others, the film is about how an intelligent man decides to steal from his landlady’s house. Critics appreciated how the director and the write, Babu Tamizh, don’t worship or demonise the hero, and explain the concept of synchronicity without sounding preachy. Wonder what Gopinath is going to come up with next!

A short film director, Pradeep went on to debut on the big screen as a filmmaker with Comali, which stars Jayam Ravi in the lead. The film dealt with a man who wakes up from coma after several years, and though it courted its share of controversies – like Rajini fans taking offence to a scene that trolls the Superstar for talking about his political entry and aspiring film directed Krishnamoorthy accusing Pradeep for plagiarizing his script – the film went on to run for 100 days. Now, Pradeep is working on his next film, the announcement of which will be made soon.

Brother of Joker director Raju Murugan, Saravana debuted with a poignant love story between a circus artiste and a music shop owner. His earnestness in narrating the story and establishing the characters won him much acclaim, and the way in which he worked to bring authenticity to the characters, like bringing in real circus artistes and getting his actors trained in certain tricks, showed how serious he is about his craft.

A former HR manager, Barath started his film career by acting in a short film. He then directed a short film and soon, graduated to the big screen. After working as an AD on Nibunan, he went on to direct K-13, a psychological thriller set inside a house. The film came to be appreciated for executing neatly structured sequences and not losing coherence of the script. We hear the filmmaker has a script ready and will soon make an official announcement about his next.

A product of Nalaya Iyakkunar, Sri Senthil’s Kaalidas is an engaging whodunit, which features Bharath as a cop. Senthil had revealed how he’d written the screenplay of the story, suggested by Sivanesan, within 30 days. His passion for cinema and his conviction in his script proves that he’d go to any extent to prove his capabilities.

After having assisted filmmakers like Rajesh Selva, Saamy and Gandhi Krishna, Selvakannan decided to debut as a director in 2014, but it was not until a couple of years ago that he managed to get his college friends to crowdfund his first film. Set against the backdrop of Tirunelveli, Nedunalvaadai is about a grandfather and his grandson, and what worked in its favour is that it’s got emotions at the right place. Let’s see what this director has to offer in the coming years.

An engineer-turned-filmmaker, Vivek made an impressive debut with Vellai Pookal, which stars Vivekh in the lead. An investigative thriller, the film was about how a retired cop visits his son and daughter-in-law in the US and gets engulfed in a crime that happens in the neighbourhood. Critics were appreciative of the way Vivek diligently sets up the plot and also assembles the suspects, making this thriller an engrossing one.