Rajakumaran (director)
Rajakumaran | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Film director,Actor |
| Years active | 1999–2017 |
| Spouse | Devayani (2001–present) |
Rajakumaran is an Indian film director, who has made Tamil films. He is married to actress Devayani, who he has collaborated with in all his films.
Career
Rajakumaran, an assistant to director Vikraman, made his debut with Nee Varuvai Ena, a romance story produced by R. B. Choudary. The film featuring Parthiban and Devayani in the lead roles won positive reviews and commercial success, being described as "a film definitely worth watching" by a critic from Indolink.com, who cites that "it is bound to touch your heart and make you wonder about the power of love".[1] A reviewer from the Indian Express wrote "The plot is almost always predictable, and at times, even degenerates into blatant stupidity. But the director presents all this with such a straight face, that you find yourself lapping it all up".[2] The film went on to win the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter for Rajakumaran. He then briefly began and shelved a film titled Aanavam, which was to feature Sathyaraj, Kushboo and Roja.[3] After the success of his first film, Rajakumaran was given another chance by R. B. Choudary to make a film under his banner. The project was titled as Vinnukkum Mannukkum, with an ensemble cast featuring Vikram, Devayani, Sarathkumar and Kushboo. During the making of the film, Vikram mentioned his displeasure at being a part of the film, claiming that he had arguments with the director for every single shot and that "everything in that film, right from the first shot was wrong".[4] Furthermore, Rajakumaran failed to utilize the call sheets of Sarathkumar and this caused some delay in finishing off the shootings, taking over a year to complete.[5] The film received mixed reviews[6] with a critic from The Hindu noting: "director Rajakumaran has taken special care in the choice of songs and locations to make the film entertaining. He should have paid more attention to the first half and more important, must have extracted more work from Vikram, who has the potential, and Devayani, for whom it is a cakewalk".[7]
He next chose to direct and produce a film titled Kadhaludan (2003) with Murali in the lead role. The film won mixed reviews with a critic from Sify noting: "the plot is idiotic, as director Rajakumaran has tried to rehash his earlier film Nee Varuvai Ena" and described the film as tedious. Another review from The Hindu described the film as a neat family drama, adding that: "The screenplay is hampered mainly by lengthy, meandering dialogue that proves tiresome".[8][9][10] The failure of the films prompted Rajakumaran to take a sabbatical from film-making and briefly worked as a film distributor.[11] Along with his wife, they then launched another production Thirumathi Thamizh in February 2008, with Rajakumaran playing the lead role and Devayani starring opposite him. The film, after much delay, released to mixed reviews in April 2013.[12]
Personal life
Rajakumaran married actress Devayani in April 2001 in a secret marriage at Thiruthani Murugan Temple.[13] The pair had fallen in love during the production of his first two films .
The pair have two children, Iniya and Priyanka.[14]
Filmography
Director
| Year | Film | Cast | Notes |
| 1999 | Nee Varuvai Ena | Parthiban, Devayani | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Storywriter |
| 2001 | Vinnukkum Mannukkum | Vikram, Devayani, Sarathkumar, Kushboo | |
| 2003 | Kadhaludan | Murali, Devayani, Abbas | Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Family Film |
| 2004 | Shivaram | Saikumar Pudipeddi, Devayani, Rami Reddy | |
| 2013 | Thirumathi Thamizh | Rajakumaran, Devayani, Keerthi Chawla |
Actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | Poove Unakkaga | Cyclist | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Suryavamsam | Bus passenger | Uncredited |
| 2013 | Thirumathi Thamizh | Thamizhselvan | |
| 2014 | Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham | Raj | |
| 2017 | Kadugu | Pandi |
References
- ^ "Nee Varuvaai Ena: Movie Review". Indolink.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ http://www.oocities.org/hollywood/lot/2330/gcnnov99.html
- ^ "Cinema Plus / Columns : Why I hate... Vinnukkum Mannukkum". The Hindu. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Hot News4". Cinematoday2.itgo.com. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Vinnukkum Mannukkum Movie Review". web.archive.org. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Film review: ''Vinnukkum Mannukkum''". The Hindu. 13 April 2001. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Movie Review Kathaludan". sify.com. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ Malathi Rangarajan (21 February 2003). "The Hindu : Kadhaludan". hindu.com. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "BizHat.com – Kadhaludan Review". movies.bizhat.com. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ^ "Rajakumaran turns distributor – Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Devayani – the supportive wife – Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Telugu Cinema Etc". Idlebrain.com. 9 April 2001. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Devayani gives birth to second child – Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 1 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2014.