Vijay Kumar (director)
Vijay Kumar | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | Government College of Engineering, Salem |
Occupations | |
Years active | 2013 - present |
Vijay Kumar is an Indian actor, writer, director, lyricist and producer. His directorial debut, Uriyadi, a political thriller set in the 1990s, was released in 2016[1][2][3] and was lauded as one of the best political thrillers in Tamil cinema.[4][5] His second project Uriyadi 2 released in April 2019.
Early life
[edit]Vijay was born in Chennai where he spent his schooling years.[6] He then studied Metallurgical Engineering at the Government College of Engineering, Salem.[citation needed] A software engineer by profession, he quit his career in reputed companies like IBM and Infosys to pursue his passion in cinema.[7]
Film career
[edit]Vijay was a Project Lead in IBM when he quit his job to pursue his passion in filmmaking.[8] He made a short film and applied to the first season of the Nalaya Iyakunar show in 2009.[7][6] He was selected and subsequently screened two short films on the show. However, he left for personal reasons.[6]
He moved to the United States in 2010 and began writing the script for Uriyadi in early 2011. It was initially titled Vidiyum Varai VinmeengalaaVom (V4). He spent over a year on the script, sketching more than 2500 shots for its storyboard.[9]
Back in India, Vijay Kumar started his production house Souvenir Productions in April 2013.[citation needed] He conducted a three-month acting workshop for the actors as almost all of them were debutants.[9]
Uriyadi was released in theaters on 27 May 2016.[citation needed] Upon its release, The Hindu had a chat with Vijay and cited that Uriyadi is "A throwback to the 90s".[10] Uriyadi 2, produced by Suriya's 2D Entertainment, directed by and starring Vijay Kumar released on 5 April 2019.
Vijay Kumar's next film was Fight Club, a youth action-drama that went on floors on 16 July 2021. It stars Vijay Kumar and Monisha Menon in the lead and is produced by Reel Good Films.[11] The principal photography was completed on 3 July 2022.[12] Presented by Lokesh Kanagaraj's production company, G Squad,[13] the film released on 15 December 2023 to favorable reviews.[14]
Vijay Kumar will also play the lead in Reel Good Films second production, Election.[15] The film, directed by Thamizh, co-stars Preethi Asrani. It also features Pavel Navageethan, George Maryan and Dileepan, with music by Govind Vasantha. The principal photography wrapped up on 4 September 2022 and the film will release on 17 May 2024. Vijay Kumar has also written the dialogues of the film.[16]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Film | Credited as | Role | Notes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Writer | Director | Actor | Producer | Background Music | ||||
2016 | Uriyadi | Lenin Vijay | [17] | |||||
2019 | Uriyadi 2 | Lenin Vijay | [18] | |||||
2020 | Soorarai Pottru | Dialogues | — | [19] | ||||
2023 | Fight Club | Dialogues | Creative Producer | Selvaa | [20] | |||
2024 | Election | Dialogues | Creative Producer | Nadarajan | [15] |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Film | Award | Category | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Uriyadi | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Debut Actor | Won | [21] |
2017 | SIIMA | Best Debut Actor | Nominated | [22] | |
Tentkotta Awards | Most Watched film of a Debutant Filmmaker | Won | [23][better source needed] | ||
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Best Production | Won | [24] | ||
Tamil Nadu Murpoku Ezhuthalar Kalaingargal Sangam Film Awards | Special Award for Production | Won | [25][26] | ||
Special Award for Writing and Direction | Won | ||||
Radio Mirchi Madurai Awards | Best Director | Won | [27][better source needed] | ||
SIIMA | Best Debut Director | Nominated | [22] | ||
Filmibeat Tamil Cinema Award | Best Debut Director | Won | [28][better source needed] | ||
Behindwoods Gold Medals | Direction | Wall of Fame | [29] |
References
[edit]- ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (28 May 2016). "Uriyadi review: A gritty little film by a solid filmmaker". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Uriyadi Movie review". Times of India. 28 May 2016.
- ^ "Uriyadi Review: An unmissable masterpiece that deserves our support!". Fullyfilmy.in. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- ^ "Uriyadi director Vijay Kumar spills the beans on his next". Hindustan Times. 8 March 2017.
- ^ "Vijay Kumar stuns audience by his performance in Uriyadi". Awesome Machi. 31 July 2017.
- ^ a b c "Uriyadi movie director and technicians interview". Ananda Vikatan. 15 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Uriyadi director Vijay Kumar interview". Behindwoods. 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Uriyadi director Vijay Kumar interview". Behindwoods. 2 June 2016.
- ^ a b "More than 2000 shots created for story board". The Times of India. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ "The Hindu Interview". The Hindu. 28 May 2016.
- ^ "'Fight Club' will capture the life journey of youngsters: Abbas". The Times of India. 30 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "It's a wrap for Vijay Kumar's next". Cinema Express. 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Vijay Kumar's next is 'Fight Club', presented by Lokesh Kanagaraj's G Squad banner". The Hindu. 29 November 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Fight Club Movie Review : Filmmaking flair trumps familiarity to make Fight Club engaging". Times of India. 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b "'Election': Vijay Kumar's film with 'Seththumaan' director gets a release date". The Hindu. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Uriyadi Vijay Kumar raises expextations". New Cinema Express. 5 September 2022.
- ^ "Uriyadi review: A gritty little film by a solid filmmaker". The Hindu. 28 May 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ Kumar, Karthik (5 April 2019). "Uriyadi 2 movie review: A political thriller that asks all the right questions".
- ^ "Soorarai Pottru Review". Cinema Express. 12 November 2020.
- ^ "'Fight Club' will capture the life journey of youngsters: Abbas". The Times of India. 30 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards of 2016". Ananda Vikatan. 28 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Nominations list for the SIIMA 2017 announced!". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Tentkotta Awards". Tentkotta. 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Norway Tamil Film Festival: Complete list of winners". Times of India. 7 March 2017.
- ^ "Uriyadi gets a new recognition from Tamil literary world". NDTV Tamil. 1 September 2017.
- ^ "Visaranai, Joker, Uriyadi get valuable recognition". Indiaglitz Tamil. 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Filmibeat Tamil Cinema Awards of 2016". Filmibeat. 13 January 2017.
- ^ "Behindwoods Gold Medals Wall of Fame". Behindwoods. 12 April 2017.
External links
[edit]- Vijay Kumar at IMDb
- Vijay Kumar on Facebook