Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Bala : Best directors of Kollywood

Kollywood has been really advancing over the last few years in terms of content. Many small films have received critical acclaim and praise from the crowd as well. However, K-town still depends on a few directors, who are masters in their genres. Each one of the seven filmmakers has something unique about them which is what makes them so popular. So let’s check out who they are and what their specialty is.

Mani Ratnam

Mani Ratnam always makes films that are refreshing love stories, but they also have a serious underlying social message. Be it about crime and gangsters, riots, political vendetta or pros and cons of modern day relationships, Mr Ratnam’s movies cover it all. The characters are simple, realistic and completely relatable. It is using these characters, emotions and love stories that this ace director draws in the audience and manages to leave his social message beneath it all. Making a film Mani Ratnam style is an art form in itself.

Bala

When it comes to a Bala film, one can imagine a dark story, twisted characters, gory violence and a sense of realism. Bala is the pioneer of hard hitting cinema. Many of his films have become iconic films in Tamil cinema like ‘Sethu’, ‘Nanda’, ‘Pithamagan’ and ‘Naan Kadavul’. Not just that, actors like Vikram, Suriya and Arya too owe their successful careers to him as it was his films that brought them name and fame in the first place. No wonder this gem of a director has won a National Award.

Shankar

Shankar is all about making movies as grand and extravagant as possible. They don’t call him Kollywood’s James Cameroon for no reason. Shankar is a boon to cinema as he brings in new technology and style of filming that is used by many directors afterwards. He basically introduced special effects with’ Jeans’, three sixty degree camera works with ‘Anniyan’ and stunning VFX on par with ‘Transformers’ with Rajinikanth’s ‘Enthiran’. In many ways, Shankar is a pioneer of modern day Tamil cinema.

Gautham Menon

Gautham Menon’s films are always subtle, grounded and really refined. He loves to make bitter sweet love stories and gritty police actioners. But one thing is certain when it comes to a GVM film, be it heartbreak and drama or violent action scenes, things will never go overboard. This man always ensures that his films have a touch of realism, no matter what the concept is. His iconic films include ‘Kaakha Kaakha’, ‘Vettaiyadu Velayadu’, ‘Vaarnam Aayiram’, ‘Vinnaithaandi Vaaruvaaya’ and more recently ‘Yennai Arindhal’. Tamil film industry needs the likes to GVM to keep things real, and to keep them classy.

Mysskin

Mysskin is really the best example of a niche director. When it comes to crime thrillers or crime drama films, no one can really best Mysskin. He will leave you on the edge of your seat and his portrayal of horrifying crimes that still happen in reality will make your skin crawl. All his films have strong, well written characters and almost all his films have received critical acclaim. His notable films include ‘Anjathe’, ‘Yuddham Sei ‘and ‘Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum’.

Karthik Subbaraj

Karthik is the youngest of the lot and he already has the potential to achieve greatness. This guy’s specialty is making experimental films in general. He has directed three feature films so far and all of them have been big hits. One was ‘Pizza’, a thriller film with some comedy, and then came ‘Jigathanda’, which started out as a gangster drama but ended into a laughter riot and most recently ‘Iraivi’, a sobering commentary on marital relations in modern Tamil society. If you have seen Quentin Tarantino films, you will love Karthik Subbaraj, as in his movies, you will see an enthusiastic fan of the Hollywood giant.