Vishnuvardhan (director)

For the Indian actor and singer, see Vishnuvardhan (actor).

Vishnuvardhan
Born	Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran
Other names	Vishnu
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, actor
Years active	1990-present
Spouse	Anu Vardhan

Vishnuvardhan Kulasekaran, often credited simply as Vishnuvardhan, is an Indian film director. A one-time associate of Ram Gopal Varma, Santosh Sivan and Mani Ratnam, he made his directorial debut in 2003 with Kurumbu, which did not fare well at the box office. However, his subsequent films, Arinthum Ariyamalum (2005), Pattiyal (2006) and Billa (2007), went on to become highly successful ventures, turning him into a household name in Tamil Nadu.

Early life

Vishnuvardhan was born in Kumbakonam as the eldest son to Kulasekaran. His younger brother is actor Krishna Sekhar. Vishnuvardhan graduated from the Prestigious St. Bede's School in Chennai and was a visual communication student who studied at the Loyola College at Chennai. As a child, Vishnu had also done small roles in Mani Ratnam's Anjali and later on during his teenage years, continued to do brief roles in films like The Terrorist, Fiza, Malli and Asoka.

Career

Influenced by the directing styles of Mani Ratnam and Santosh Sivan, with whom he had associated, he expressed his wishes of directing to Santosh Sivan on the sets of Asoka. Realizing his dream, Santosh agreed to accept him as his apprentice. During this period of time, Vishnu observed everything that went on behind and around the camera, from the positioning of the lights and directing the artistes and arranging the frames and sets, to the finer points of correcting the artistes and even stayed back even to clean the sets. Santosh Sivan later also took him as an associate director for films like Malli and Asoka. In an interview, Vishnu has stated that he strives to make his films look "raw and realistic".

He made his debut through his own production, Kurumbu starring Allari Naresh and Diya which was a remake of a Telugu language film. The film did not do well at the box office and Vishnu almost written off by most critics. He later came back with a bang with the immensely successful Arinthum Ariyamalum starring Arya, Navdeep and Samiksha. The film, made at a moderate budget, emerged as one of the biggest hits in 2005. The film was produced by Geetha, a popular Malaysian radio jockey who after hearing the script from Vishnu, immediately expressed interest in making the film.

Geetha and Vishnu then collaborated once more in the critically acclaimed Pattiyal which also proved to be successful. The film, which starred Arya, Bharath, Pooja and Padmapriya, was recognized for its outstanding music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Vishnu was praised for handling a serious subject while retaining the entertainment factor in the film. In an interview, Vishnu stated that in order to make the film adaptation of his nephew's story more convincing, he had to interact with real gangsters and study their lifestyle. Vishnu's most recent film, Billa, a remake of the yesteryear classic, starring Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara and Namitha, was an all-time blockbuster. His Sarvam starring Arya and Trisha is a blockbuster.

Filmography

Year	Film	Cast	Language	Notes
2003	Kurumbu	Allari Naresh, Nikita Thukral, Diya	Tamil
2005	Arinthum Ariyamalum	Navdeep, Arya, Prakash Raj, Samiksha	Tamil
2006	Pattiyal	Bharath, Arya, Pooja Umashankar, Padmapriya	Tamil
2007	Billa	Ajith Kumar, Nayantara, Namitha	Tamil
2009	Sarvam	Arya, Trisha Krishnan, J. D. Chakravarthy	Tamil
2011	Billa 2	Ajith Kumar	Tamil	Announced

==References==

External links

• Vishnuvardhan at IMDb
• Conversation with Director Vishnuvardhan
• An interview with Vishnuvardhan