#UnforgettableOnes: Director Dharani

Entering and succeeding in cinema is no cakewalk as it needs pure hard work and dedication. A director takes responsibility for the film's success or flop as they build the film from the base to the top. But after succeeding and delivering continuous hits, a few directors go off from the limelight due to some reasons.

ETimes presents, #UnforgettableOnes, a weekly segment, wherein we will reacquaint you with one such talent and celebrate their work.

In the latest episode of #UnforgettableOnes, let's have a look at super hit director Dharani.

Dharani made his directorial debut with the 1999 Tamil film 'Ethirum Pudhirum' starring Mammooty in the lead role. The film's story was loosely based on forest brigand Veerappan, and it took more time to hit the big screens due to some political reasons. But Dharani struck big with the film and bagged the Tamil Nadu State award for his wonderful direction.

Dharani then joined hands with Chiyaan Vikram for the action thriller 'Dhill', and the fiery story about a youngster turned into a huge hit. Vikram and Dharani struck back-to-back hits, and the duo joined again for 'Dhool'. The action drama was released in 2003, and once again the duo tasted a huge success. 'Dhool' reportedly grossed double its budget with an extended theatrical run.

Dharani later teamed up with Vijay for 'Ghilli', the Tamil remake of Mahesh Babu's Telugu film 'Okkadu'. The romantic action drama turned out as one of the biggest hits. 'Ghilli' transformed into the career-changing film of Vijay as well. After a Telugu film with Pawan Kalyan in 2006, Dharani again joined hands with Vijay for 'Kuruvi', but the film failed to meet the expectations of the audience.

Dharani then directed Silambarasan starrer 'Osthe' the Tamil remake of the Hindi film 'Dabangg', however, the film was so-so and he lost his charm. The two continuous failures in Tamil made the director step into Telugu again, and he announced a film starring Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal in lead roles in 2010. But the film didn't proceed after an initial launch, and it got shelved in 2011.

Dharani hasn't directed any films then and made the fans wait for his comeback for a long time. However, the films directed by Dharani are still enjoyed by fans through television and digital platforms.


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