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Mysskin

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Mysskin
Born
Shanmugha Raja

(1971-09-20) 20 September 1971 (age 53)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other namesMysskin
Occupation(s)Director, writer, music director, actor, producer, singer, lyricist
Years active2002–present

Shanmugha Raja, known professionally as Mysskin, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, singer, producer and composer.[1][2][3][4]

He made his directorial debut in 2006 with Chithiram Pesuthadi. His subsequent films Anjathe (2008), Nandalala (2010) and Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013) and Pisaasu (2014) received critical acclaim. He made his acting debut with Nandalala (2010), where he portrayed a mentally disabled man. In 2023 he debuted as music director in the tamil movie named as Devil[citation needed]. He is considered a great auteur in Tamil Cinema.

Career

He chose Mysskin as his assumed name, inspired by Prince Myshkin, the protagonist in Dostoevsky's novel The Idiot.[3][2] His schooling was in Tamil and he is an avid book reader[5] He was working in a book store when director Kathir first asked him to join him. He was with him for nearly 8 months but did not work in any movie. It was under director Vincent Selva that he did his first movie Youth, followed by Jithan, again under Vincent Selva.[5] Mysskin made his directorial debut with the low – budget film Chithiram Pesudhadi which went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. A simple love story, it became a hit owing to the unique style the film was written in. The leads, debutants Narain and Bhavana went on to become popular faces following the success. He then moved on to Anjathe which became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil Cinema. The film received critical acclaim for all departments of film making. The film was also noted for its narrative style and Mise-en-scène which marked an example of Tamil new wave cinema.[6] It starred Narain, Prasanna, Vijayalakshmi Ahathian and yesteryear actor Pandiarajan in a never before seen role. Both the Mysskin films had his iconic yellow saree item numbers which became big hits and captured the hearts of the young and old alike.

Nevertheless, Mysskin came back with Nandalala a film loosely based on Takeshi Kitano's Kikujiro and it was completely different from his first two ventures. A film which dealt with a young boy and a mentally challenged person going in search of their respective mothers. He chose to play the mentally challenged character after the script was turned down by many established actors. The film went on to become his most critically acclaimed film with some critics calling it one of the best Tamil films ever made.[7] Nandalala won the people's choice award at the Norway Film Festival. His next film, Yuddham Sei, a dark crime thriller was a hit at the box office as well. His visual style and directing prowess were appreciated and talked about by everybody.[8] His next film, an commercial attempt at the superhero genre, Mugamoodi received positive responses from the public and media. His next film Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (The Wolf and the Lamb) was a fast-paced thriller released on 27 September 2013. It received superlative reviews from all corners. Audience and critics praised the film as a trendsetter and the changing face of Tamil cinema. Once again Mysskin proved that he was a director of high standards. In Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum, Mysskin also acted as one among the two lead characters, an antihero.

Pisaasu released on 19 December 2014 and became a major success, receiving critical acclaim for its sensible portrayal of the supernatural, horror, and romance. It was one of the biggest commercial hits of 2014 in Tamil cinema and proved to be the most profitable Tamil film for the year. His next film, Thupparivaalan a detective thriller starting Vishal in the lead, heavily inspired by Sherlock Holmes, was released on 14 September 2017. In the film Savarakathi, which was released in 2018, he played as an antagonist opposite director Ram. The film was an average commercial success though praised by critics. He also had an important cameo in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Super Deluxe which released on 29 March 2019.[9] His latest film was Psycho, released on 24 January 2020 starring Udhayanidhi Stalin and Aditi Rao Hydari. The film was a critical and commercial success and redefined the clichéd whodunit genre.

Filmmaking

Mysskin is inspired by filmmakers such as Akira Kurosowa, Robert Bresson and Takeshi kitano. He is known for his peculiar combat sequences using elaborate storyboard[10][11] and real unarmed martial strikes and stances;[12] unconventional shots (like close-ups of feet); diegetic sound, light, silhouette and shadow; stage techniques (like monologue, face-floor, motion-freeze); staccato background score; meticulous scene and set construction; irony-laden dialogues; ellipses; minimalism; deep characterization (with archetypal hairdo, dress, accent, posture, gesture, locale, furniture); limited use of song choreography; and neo-noir renditions where the lead role is not infallible.

Mysskin is known to start film shoot only after a bound script is ready. He rigorously annotates his scripts with cues and camera lens focal lengths for each scene.[13][14] He says that his films are influenced by the works of Akira Kurosawa.[15] His plots predominantly deal with the urban poor and middle class. His films also have a recurring theme of compassion and redemption. His favorite directors are Robert Bresson, Melville, and Takeshi Kitano. He also borrows his filmmaking style from Takeshi Kitano.

He assistant directors like G. R. Adithya and Sri Ganesh have also made successful films like Savarakathi and 8 Thottakkal.

Filmography

  • All films are in Tamil, unless otherwise noted.
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

As director, writer and actor

Year Title Credited as Role Notes
Director Writer Actor Producer
2002 Youth Green tickY Man in song "Old Model Laila" Uncredited role[16]
2002 Kadhal Virus Green tickY Man at film shoot Uncredited role
2005 Jithan Green tickY Man at phone booth Uncredited role
2006 Chithiram Pesuthadi Green tickY Green tickY
2008 Anjathe Green tickY Green tickY Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil
Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Director
2010 Nandalala Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Bhaskar Mani
2011 Yuddham Sei Green tickY Green tickY
2012 Mugamoodi Green tickY Green tickY
2013 Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Wolf / Edward
2014 Pisaasu Green tickY Green tickY
2017 Thupparivaalan Green tickY Green tickY
2018 Savarakkaththi Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Mangeswaran
2019 Super Deluxe Green tickY Green tickY Arputham
2019 Kattumaram Green tickY Singaram
2019 Suttu Pidikka Utharavu Green tickY Ibrahim
2020 Psycho Green tickY Green tickY
2021 Bachelor Green tickY Pastor Doctor Cameo appearance
2023 Maaveeran Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN M. N. Jeyakodi
2023 Are You Ok Baby? Green tickY
2023 Leo Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Shanmugam
2024 Pisaasu II Green tickY Green tickY Filming
Train Green tickY Green tickY Filming

As singer

Year Song(s) Film Composer Notes
2008 "Kannadhasan Karaikudi" & "Acham Thavir" Anjathe Sundar C Babu
2008 "Sutta Pazhama" Dindigul Sarathy Dhina
2011 "Aararo" & "Vedham Pudhumai" Yuddham Sei K
2012 "Bar Anthem" Mugamoodi
2013 "Ammadi Aathadi" Thulli Vilayadu Srikanth Deva
2015 "Vellakaara Rani" Kallappadam K
2016 "Kathi Edukkuthaan" Savarakkaththi Arrol Corelli
2017 "Ivan Thupparivaalan" Thupparivaalan Arrol Corelli also sang the Telugu dubbed version of the song

As lyricist

Year Song(s) Film Composer Notes
2006 "Aaahayam Aaahayam" & "Idhu Enna Pudhu Kanavo (M)" Chithiram Pesuthadi Sundar C Babu
2012 "Bar Anthem" Mugamoodi K
2016 "Thangakathi" Savarakathi Arrol Corelli
2017 "Ivan Thupparivaalan" Thupparivaalan Arrol Corelli
2020 "Thaai Madiyil" Psycho Ilaiyaraaja

As music director

Year Film Director Notes
2023 Devil GR Aathityaa On Final Stage of post production

References

  1. ^ "Mysskin — Missing the forest for the trees | FCCI". Journal of Indian Cinema. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Ahead of Psycho's Release, Delving Into Mysskin's Unique Craft". The Quint. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Shanmugha Raja is the real name of director Mysskin". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. ^ Lakshmi, V. (29 June 2022). "Mysskin turns composer for a crime thriller". Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Director Mysskin". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  6. ^ Kalorth, Nithin (September 2013). "Identification and Analysis of Images in Anjathey". Media Watch. 4 (3): 391–399. doi:10.1177/0976091120130311. ISSN 0976-0911. S2CID 61507138.
  7. ^ "Review: Nandhalala is brilliant". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Review: Yuddham Sei is gripping". Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Super Deluxe: Director Mysskin spills the beans on Vijay Sethupathi film". India Today. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Mysskin choreographs fights with storyboard". Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Mysskin says storyboarding helps cut costs". Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Mysskin storyboarding combat sequence for Thupparivaalan". Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  13. ^ Films can be made without songs or heroines, says Mysskin
  14. ^ Cuss words are needed for realism, says Mysskin
  15. ^ Mysskin admits Kurosawa influence
  16. ^ "Did you know Mysskin's debut on-screen appearance was with Vijay's 'Youth'?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
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